Halfwidth and fullwidth forms
Halfwidth and Fullwidth forms refer to the different width measurements for certain characters in the Japanese and Chinese languages, which are also used in some computer systems.
In a nutshell, Halfwidth forms refer to characters that are half the width of Fullwidth forms. Think of it like a square divided in the middle - Halfwidth forms take up only one half of the square, while Fullwidth forms fill up the entire square.
The reason for this difference in width is due to the fact that some characters in these languages are written differently, based on their location within a sentence. Fullwidth forms are used when these characters are written at the beginning or middle of a sentence, while Halfwidth forms are used when they appear at the end of a sentence.
For example, the character "あ" in Japanese is written in Fullwidth form when it starts or appears in the middle of a sentence, but is written in Halfwidth form when it appears at the end of a sentence (as "ｱ"). Similarly, the character "，" in Chinese is a Fullwidth form when it appears in the middle of a sentence, but is written in Halfwidth form (as ",") when it appears at the end of a sentence.
These forms are important to computer systems, as they are used for proper display and formatting of text in certain programs and applications. Without the proper form, the text may appear distorted or difficult to read.
In a nutshell, Halfwidth forms refer to characters that are half the width of Fullwidth forms. Think of it like a square divided in the middle - Halfwidth forms take up only one half of the square, while Fullwidth forms fill up the entire square.
The reason for this difference in width is due to the fact that some characters in these languages are written differently, based on their location within a sentence. Fullwidth forms are used when these characters are written at the beginning or middle of a sentence, while Halfwidth forms are used when they appear at the end of a sentence.
For example, the character "あ" in Japanese is written in Fullwidth form when it starts or appears in the middle of a sentence, but is written in Halfwidth form when it appears at the end of a sentence (as "ｱ"). Similarly, the character "，" in Chinese is a Fullwidth form when it appears in the middle of a sentence, but is written in Halfwidth form (as ",") when it appears at the end of a sentence.
These forms are important to computer systems, as they are used for proper display and formatting of text in certain programs and applications. Without the proper form, the text may appear distorted or difficult to read.
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