Shunto Shonin (the venerable Shunto), who was a scholar of the Japanese classics in the Edo period, classified Manyo-gana in the order of the Japanese syllabary into seion (literally, Chinese-derived character reading in normal manner), ryakuon (literally, Chinese-derived character reading in short manner), seikun (literally, native Japanese reading in normal manner), gikun (literally, native Japanese reading by meaning of Chinese character), ryakkun (literally, native Japanese reading in short manner), yakukun (literally, native Japanese reading in brief manner), shakkun (literally, native Japanese reading in borrowed manner), and gisho (literally, playful and technical reading) in "Manyo Yojikaku" (1818).
江戸時代の和学者・春登上人は『万葉用字格』（1818年）の中で、万葉仮名を五十音順に整理し〈正音・略音・正訓・義訓・略訓・約訓・借訓・戯書〉に分類した。