仮名
かな · kana · JLPT N2 · noun
kana
✍️ 仮 = temporary, 名 = character: kana were provisional, simplified characters
Historically kanji were seen as the real characters, so kana were stand-in scripts for Japanese sounds. Hiragana and katakana are both kana.
名 — evening 夕 + mouth 口
A compound ideograph: in the dark of evening (夕), one cannot recognize others by sight, so the mouth (口) calls out a name to identify oneself. The original sense of 'name' broadened to include reputation, fame, and a measure word for people.