This study examines the formation and development of Sanskrit and Hiragana in ancient times through a historical-cultural lens, clarifying the dialectical relationship between writing systems and social practices and power structures, aiming to fill an academic gap in a comprehensive approach to these two writing systems. Applying the ideological writing model, combined with the power and language theories of Michel Foucault and Saussure, to analyze writing as a cultural institution linked to a specific historical context, the study highlights the contrasts and similarities in the social roles of the two writing systems: Sanskrit developed from the oral Vedic tradition into a "sacred" language system, standardized to maintain the intellectual and ritual power of the Brahmin class, serving as a tool of orthodox religion. Conversely, Hiragana is a product of localization linked to a feminine semiotic space. If Sanskrit represented the standardization and power of masculinity, then Hiragana represented the expression of emotions, private life, and resistance against the dominance of Chinese writing, thereby affirming indigenous cultural identity. In short, the evolution of these two writing systems is vivid evidence that writing is both a tool for communication and a means of constructing and maintaining social order.
| Published in | Humanities and Social Sciences (Volume 14, Issue 2) |
| DOI | 10.11648/j.hss.20261402.21 |
| Page(s) | 154-160 |
| Creative Commons |
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited. |
| Copyright |
Copyright © The Author(s), 2026. Published by Science Publishing Group |
Hiragana, Power, Sanskrit, Social Practice
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APA Style
Nhu, L. T. M., Ha, N. D., Nhi, C. N. T., Giang, N. M. (2026). The Formation and Development of Ancient Sanskrit and Hiragana from a Cultural History Perspective. Humanities and Social Sciences, 14(2), 154-160. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.hss.20261402.21
ACS Style
Nhu, L. T. M.; Ha, N. D.; Nhi, C. N. T.; Giang, N. M. The Formation and Development of Ancient Sanskrit and Hiragana from a Cultural History Perspective. Humanit. Soc. Sci. 2026, 14(2), 154-160. doi: 10.11648/j.hss.20261402.21
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Download@article{10.11648/j.hss.20261402.21,
author = {Le Tran Minh Nhu and Nguyen Dong Ha and Cao Ngoc Thao Nhi and Nguyen Minh Giang},
title = {The Formation and Development of Ancient Sanskrit and Hiragana from a Cultural History Perspective},
journal = {Humanities and Social Sciences},
volume = {14},
number = {2},
pages = {154-160},
doi = {10.11648/j.hss.20261402.21},
url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.hss.20261402.21},
eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.hss.20261402.21},
abstract = {This study examines the formation and development of Sanskrit and Hiragana in ancient times through a historical-cultural lens, clarifying the dialectical relationship between writing systems and social practices and power structures, aiming to fill an academic gap in a comprehensive approach to these two writing systems. Applying the ideological writing model, combined with the power and language theories of Michel Foucault and Saussure, to analyze writing as a cultural institution linked to a specific historical context, the study highlights the contrasts and similarities in the social roles of the two writing systems: Sanskrit developed from the oral Vedic tradition into a "sacred" language system, standardized to maintain the intellectual and ritual power of the Brahmin class, serving as a tool of orthodox religion. Conversely, Hiragana is a product of localization linked to a feminine semiotic space. If Sanskrit represented the standardization and power of masculinity, then Hiragana represented the expression of emotions, private life, and resistance against the dominance of Chinese writing, thereby affirming indigenous cultural identity. In short, the evolution of these two writing systems is vivid evidence that writing is both a tool for communication and a means of constructing and maintaining social order.},
year = {2026}
}
TY - JOUR T1 - The Formation and Development of Ancient Sanskrit and Hiragana from a Cultural History Perspective AU - Le Tran Minh Nhu AU - Nguyen Dong Ha AU - Cao Ngoc Thao Nhi AU - Nguyen Minh Giang Y1 - 2026/04/21 PY - 2026 N1 - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.hss.20261402.21 DO - 10.11648/j.hss.20261402.21 T2 - Humanities and Social Sciences JF - Humanities and Social Sciences JO - Humanities and Social Sciences SP - 154 EP - 160 PB - Science Publishing Group SN - 2330-8184 UR - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.hss.20261402.21 AB - This study examines the formation and development of Sanskrit and Hiragana in ancient times through a historical-cultural lens, clarifying the dialectical relationship between writing systems and social practices and power structures, aiming to fill an academic gap in a comprehensive approach to these two writing systems. Applying the ideological writing model, combined with the power and language theories of Michel Foucault and Saussure, to analyze writing as a cultural institution linked to a specific historical context, the study highlights the contrasts and similarities in the social roles of the two writing systems: Sanskrit developed from the oral Vedic tradition into a "sacred" language system, standardized to maintain the intellectual and ritual power of the Brahmin class, serving as a tool of orthodox religion. Conversely, Hiragana is a product of localization linked to a feminine semiotic space. If Sanskrit represented the standardization and power of masculinity, then Hiragana represented the expression of emotions, private life, and resistance against the dominance of Chinese writing, thereby affirming indigenous cultural identity. In short, the evolution of these two writing systems is vivid evidence that writing is both a tool for communication and a means of constructing and maintaining social order. VL - 14 IS - 2 ER -
Faculty of Oriental Studies, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam;University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Faculty of Oriental Studies, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam;University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Faculty of Oriental Studies, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam;University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Faculty of Oriental Studies, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam;University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
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