logogram (n.)

In the study of writing systems, a written or printed symbol which represents a WORD (or MORPHEME) in a LANGUAGE; also called a logograph or (in the case of Oriental languages) a character. The best-known examples of a logographic system are Chinese and its derivative script, Japanese kanji. The term must be used with care, as it suggests that only words are represented by the symbols, whereas meaningful parts of words (e.g. AFFIXES, ROOTS) are also included in the notion. Logograms in European languages include the numerals (1, 2, etc.) and many mathematical and scientific symbols.