Ideogram is a graphic symbol used in the ideographic writing system, where each element can represent an object, an idea or an abstract concept.
Ideograms formed the writing system of several ancient civilizations, such as the Egyptian (the hieroglyphs) and Maya, before the appearance of the first alphabets. Today, ideographic symbols still make up certain types of writing in Chinese and Japanese, for example.
Unlike the syllabary writing system, ideograms are not linguistic, as they do not express a specific sound or letter, but rather the idea of something. Mathematical symbols are examples of ideograms, as the graphic elements themselves represent the idea to be conveyed.
Learn more about the meaning of Hieroglyph.
Japanese and Chinese Ideogram
The Japanese and Chinese languages are contemporary examples of the use of ideograms as a form of writing.
In the Japanese language, ideograms are known as Kanji, used to directly represent a concrete or abstract idea. They are produced from pictographic elements, and the person must learn approximately 2,140 Kanji to be able to be literate in Japan. The Japanese still use two other basic alphabets:
Katakanait's the hiragana.In the Chinese language (Mandarin), ideograms (also called logograms or synograms) bear the name of Hanzi.
Learn more about the meaning of alphabets.
