Writing and Civilization: From Ancient Worlds to Modernity
Japanese - The World’s Most Complex Script
S1 E6:
Borrowed and adapted from the Chinese, Japanese writing is the most complicated script ever devised, yet it's used by more than 100 million people daily. Investigate how and why Japanese writing took on the complex form it has today, why attempts to simplify it have had little success, and why it's unlikely the system will ever be abandoned.