Page "The Tale of Genji" Paragraph 27

As with most Heian literature, the Genji was probably written mostly ( or perhaps entirely ) in kana ( Japanese phonetic script ) and not in Chinese characters because it was written by a woman for a female audience.

Writing in Chinese characters was at the time a masculine pursuit ; women were generally discreet when using Chinese symbols, confining themselves mostly to native Japanese words ( yamato kotoba ).