[2] Cursive script originated in China through two phases during the period from the Han to Jin dynasties.

Firstly, an early form of cursive developed as a cursory way to write the popular but hitherto immature clerical script.

This evolution can best be seen on extant bamboo and wooden slats from the period, on which the use of early cursive and immature clerical forms is intermingled.

[citation needed] Cursive scripts can be divided into the unconnected style (Chinese: 獨草; pinyin: dúcǎo; Japanese: 独草; rōmaji: dokusō) where each character is separate, and the connected style (Chinese: 連綿; pinyin: liánmián; Japanese: 連綿体; rōmaji: renmentai) where each character is connected to the succeeding one.

Specifically, hiragana developed from cursive forms of the man'yōgana script, called sōgana (草仮名).