Cross-script effects of cognitive-linguistic skills on Japanese Hiragana and Kanji: evidence from a longitudinal study

The purpose of this study was to examine the cognitive-linguistic predictors of reading and writing skills in Japanese where syllabic Hiragana and morphographic Kanji are simultaneously used. We followed a sample of 170 Japanese children (M_age = 80.12 months, SD = 3.62) from the beginning of Grade 1 until the end of Grade 2 and assessed them on phonological awareness, rapid naming, morphological awareness, and Hiragana literacy skills (character recognition and writing) in Grade 1 and Kanji literacy skills in Grade 2. Results of path analysis showed that phonological awareness and rapid naming were associated with Hiragana literacy skills, which, in turn, predicted their counterparts in Kanji. In addition, morphological awareness predicted later Kanji literacy skills over and above the effects of early Hiragana literacy skills. Taken together, these findings suggest that the cognitive-linguistic foundations of literacy skills are not identical between Hiragana and Kanji and developing reading and writing skills in the two scripts may have a cross-script influence in literacy development.