Where each is used, how many characters actually differ, and what it costs to switch later.
Guides
Writing systems
Scripts, alphabets and the difference between a language and the way it is written down.
What each type encodes, one worked example each, and how to tell which you are looking at.
What kanji, hiragana and katakana each do in a sentence, and what happens if you drop one.
The scripts involved, how numbers and embedded Latin behave, and what breaks in software.
How unwritten languages are documented, what a practical orthography is, and who decides on one.
Why states switch scripts, what it costs a generation of readers, and the cases still under way.
Other sections
Language families15 guides
How languages are grouped by descent, where the groupings are argued over, and how to read
Learning a language8 guidesWhat the classification can tell you before you start: distance from your own language, ho
Countries and speech11 guidesOfficial languages, home languages, and what a country page can and cannot tell you.