what is homework in japanese hiragana

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How to Say Homework in Japanese: A Comprehensive Guide

Welcome to our guide on how to say “homework” in Japanese! Whether you are a student looking to communicate with Japanese classmates or simply interested in expanding your vocabulary, this article will provide you with formal and informal ways to express this concept. We will also explore regional variations, share useful tips, and provide plenty of examples to help you grasp the nuances of this term. Let’s dive in!

Table of Contents

Informal Ways to Say Homework

In everyday casual conversations, the Japanese language offers a few expressions for referring to homework. These include:

• Kudamono : This informal term is derived from “くだもの,” which means “fruit” in Japanese. While it literally translates to “fruit,” it is used colloquially by some younger individuals to refer to homework.
• Benkyou no shuu : “勉強の週,” or “study week” in English, is another common informal phrase to describe homework. It implies a period of time dedicated to studying and completing assignments.

Example sentences:

“明日の授業のために、くだものが山ほどあります。” (For tomorrow’s class, I have a mountain of homework.) “この週末は、勉強の週を過ごそうと思います。” (I am planning to spend this weekend doing my homework.)

Formal Ways to Say Homework

If you are in a more formal setting, it is important to use suitable language. Below are some formal ways to express the idea of homework:

• Shukudai : This is the most commonly used term for homework in Japanese. It is a straightforward and neutral word that can be used in any context.
• Gakushu Shukudai : By adding the word “gakushu” before “shukudai,” you emphasize that it is a learning-related assignment.
• Kadai : “課題” is an alternative word for homework that is often used in academic settings. It signifies assignments or tasks given by teachers for students to complete outside of class.

“毎晩、しゅくだいをするのは大変ですが、頑張ります。” (Doing homework every night is tough, but I will do my best.) “学習しゅくだいを提出するのを忘れないようにしましょう。” (Let’s make sure not to forget to submit our learning assignments.) “今夜の宿題は数学のレポートを書くことです。” (Tonight’s homework is to write a math report.)

Regional Variations

While the terms mentioned above are universally understood throughout Japan, there may be regional variations in pronunciation or colloquialism. However, such variations are minimal when it comes to the word “homework.” Thus, it is not necessary to focus on regional differences for this specific term.

Tips for Expressing Homework

Here are some useful tips to keep in mind when discussing homework in Japanese:

• When in doubt, using the term “shukudai” is always a safe option. It is widely recognized and understood across all settings.
• If you feel more comfortable with an informal group, you can opt for “kudamono” or “benkyou no shuu.”
• Remember to adjust your language based on the formality of the situation. Using formal language in academic and professional environments shows respect and politeness.
• Practice using different words for homework to diversify your vocabulary and become more fluent in Japanese.

By following these tips, you will be able to navigate various situations confidently and effectively convey the concept of homework in Japanese.

Congratulations! You now have a comprehensive understanding of how to say “homework” in Japanese. From informal expressions like “kudamono” and “benkyou no shuu” to formal terms like “shukudai” and “kadai,” you can choose the most appropriate word based on the context and level of formality. Remember to adapt your language to the situation and always aim for clear and polite communication. With practice, you will continue to enhance your Japanese language skills. Ganbatte kudasai (Good luck)!

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About The Author

Isabelle Georgia

The Complete Guide to Learning Hiragana: Reading & Writing (With Video)

ひらがな ( hiragana ) is the fundamental component of the Japanese writing system. カタカナ ( katakana ) and 漢字 ( kanji ) are the other two writing systems in Japanese.  If you want to learn all of the hiragana for free with step-by-step videos and descriptions, this guide is for you.

In Japan, people start learning ひらがな ( hiragana ) at a very young age, usually in preschool or early elementary. Mastering hiragana might seem overwhelming; however, this article will teach you everything you need to know about writing, pronunciation, and any valuable tips regarding hiragana .

Modern Hiragana Characters

Modern hiragana has 46 base characters: five singular vowels, 40 consonant-vowel unions, and one singular consonant. Some of you may have seen it before, but the 46 characters are organized in a chart format, which is called  あいうえお表  ( aiueo hyō ). 

The chart has ten rows of up to five  hiragana  characters. The upcoming sections are organized according to the chart. In this guide, all  hiragana  characters will be explained. You’ll learn how to pronounce and write each correctly.

*Note: While there are many methods to memorize the hiragana characters, it’s just as easy (if not easier) to just remember the characters as you practice writing them. The characters are simple and are pretty simple to remember with a little work. If you follow this up by reviewing the characters (flashcards work great for this), you’ll remember all of the characters in no time.

Part I: How to Read and Write Hiragana: 直音 (Chokuon) – Basic Characters

These are all of the basic characters of hiragana . Be sure to practice reading and writing each character to ensure that you master all of them. We’ll be using these basic characters to create more complex hiragana later on.

If you want to use the blank hiragana practice sheets as seen in the video, you can get that here: Blank Hiragana Writing Practice Sheet

あ行 (A Gyō) – A Row: Pronunciation

あ ( a ) is often the first character people learn. As with all characters, try to match of balance and stroke lengths of the examples shown in the video.

This character looks very similar to お ( o ), so pay close attention to the stroke order. It is different than writing お ( o ). Also notice that お ( o ) has a small slash on the right side while あ ( a ) does not.

Words Starting With あ (A)

• あひる ( ahiru ): Duck (animal) • あるく ( aruku ): To walk

い ( i ) looks relatively similar to り ( ri ). い ( i ) has two vertical lines that are similar in length, whereas り ( ri ) has a longer line on the right side.

Words Starting With い (I)

• いす ( isu ): Chair • いか ( ika ): Squid

う ( u ) looks a little bit like the katakana character ラ ( ra ). Be sure to practice writing う ( u ) with a flowing curve instead of the rigid, straight lines that ラ ( ra ) has.

Words Starting With う (U)

• うめ ( ume ): Japanese plum • うに ( uni ): Sea urchin

Some people think that え ( e ) looks like う ( u ) character described above. Just be sure to pay attention to the second stroke and feel how the last stroke (“the tail”) flows off of your pen.

Words Starting With え (E)

• えんぴつ ( enpitsu ): Pencil • えいご ( eigo ): English

お ( o ) does look very similar to the first character we learned, あ ( a ). Many people get these two characters mixed up in the beginning, so be sure to follow the correct stroke order of both characters. お ( o ) has a small slash on the right side for its final stroke. This is also why you need to practice writing the characters; not only will it help you to remember the characters faster, but you’ll notice more details that you may miss if you just practice reading them.

Words Starting With お (O)

• おに ( oni ): Demon • おなか ( onaka ): Stomach

か行 (Ka Gyō) – Ka Row: Pronunciation

When you start to learn katakana , you’ll notice that the カ ( ka ) looks almost identical to this hiragana か ( ka ). The biggest difference is the third stroke in this hiragana character. However, the hiragana か is also more rounded at the upper right-hand corner. Be sure to follow the video to see exactly how it’s written.

Words Starting With か (Ka)

• かさ ( kasa ): Umbrella • からあげ ( karaage ): Deep-fried food, usually chicken

This character also looks similar to its katakana equivalent (キ). So be sure to focus on how this hiragana き ( ki ) is written. The great thing about hiragana and katakana characters looking similar to each other is that it makes it easier to remember both.

However, き ( ki ) also looks similar to the hiragana さ ( sa ). Be aware that き ( ki ) has an extra horizontal line running through it.

Words Starting With き (Ki)

• きつね ( kitsune ): Fox • きけん ( kiken ): Danger

This character is a breath of fresh air since it’s one of the few (if not only) characters that looks familiar. It is similar in shape to the “less than” symbol, just spread out a little wider.

Words Starting With く (Ku)

• くじら ( kujira ): Whale • くらげ ( kurage ): Jellyfish

け ( ke ) is similar to the hiragana character は ( ha ). The difference is at the end of the third and last stroke. The third stroke of け ( ke ) trails off to the left side while は ( ha ) goes back and loops over itself.

Words Starting With け (Ke)

• けしごむ ( keshigomu ): Eraser • けっこん ( kekkon ): Marriage

The computerized version of Japanese writing differs from how it’s written by hand. This character is a good example. The image shown to the left doesn’t have a small “hook” at the end of the first stroke. However, if you were to write こ ( ko ) by hand, you would need to put this small hook at the end in order for it to look nice.

Words Starting With こ (Ko)

• こども ( kodomo ): Child • これ ( kore ): This

さ行 (Sa Gyō) – Sa Row: Pronunciation

As mentioned above in the ka -row section, さ ( sa ) looks a little like き ( ki ). However, さ ( sa ) also looks like the hiragana character ち ( chi ), especially when it’s in computer font form. When writing it out by hand, it’s easy to see that the two characters are quite different. In addition to the third and last stroke of さ ( sa ) going in the opposite direction of ち ( chi ), it is also not touching the first two strokes.

Words Starting With さ (Sa)

• さかな ( sakana ): Fish • さしみ ( sashimi ): Raw, sliced seafood (usually fish)

し ( shi ) looks like a backwards “J” or a fishhook. It is also similar to the first stroke of the character も ( mo ), which we’ll learn a little bit later. While this character is only one stroke, it takes a bit of practice to make it look nice. As with all characters, aim to have a nice balance (of the strokes and spaces in-between and around the strokes) when writing them.

Words Starting With し (Shi)

• しまうま ( shimauma ): Zebra • しお ( shio ): Salt

If you combine す ( su ) with し ( shi ) above, you’ll get the popular Japanese food すし ( sushi ). Have fun with “loop” in the second stroke. This type of loop is unique to certain characters in hiragana . It does not appear in katakana or commonly used kanji .

Words Starting With す (Su)

• すいか ( suika ): Watermelon • すず ( suzu ): Bell

This another character that looks similar to its katakana counterpart. The hiragana せ ( se ) has three strokes while the katakana セ ( se ) only has two. However, it can be easy to get these two characters mixed up in the beginning.

Words Starting With す (Se)

• せみ ( semi ): Cicada • せっけん ( sekken ): Soap

The bottom half of そ ( so ) is slightly similar to て ( te ), but the single stroke and look of そ ( so ) is so unique that most people remember it quickly.

Words Starting With そ (So)

• そら ( sora ): Sky • それ ( sore ): That

た行 (Ta Gyō) – Ta Row: Pronunciation

た ( ta ) and に ( ni ) look a little similar. た has an extra horizontal line on the left side (the first stroke). た ( ta ) also has four strokes while に ( ni ) has three.

Words Starting With た (Ta)

• たぬき ( tanuki ): Raccoon dog • たこ ( tako ): Octopus

As previously mentioned, ち ( chi ) can be mistaken for さ ( sa ) since they look similar. It’s almost like a lower case “b” and “d” where the bottom part of the character determines which letter it is. Another thing to note is that “chi” is the Hepburn romanization style. There is another romanization style called  訓令式 ( kunrei shiki ), where ち would be written as “ ti .” Proper English translations use the Hepburn style, but be aware that there are other ways to write romaji.

Words Starting With ち (Chi)

• ちず ( chizu ): Map • ちじ ( chiji ): Governor

つ ( tsu ) looks like し ( shi ) flipped over and turned on its side. Even though they share the same shape, the difference in their position makes them easy to recognize and remember. Practice them both and you’ll see for yourself 🙂

Words Starting With つ (Tsu)

• つくえ ( tsukue ): Desk • つる ( tsuru ): Crane (bird)

て ( te ) almost looks like curvy “T.” As you learn more Japanese, you’ll find yourself using the て ( te ) character a lot. Not only is it common in words, but there is something called the て-Form . It is a way to conjugate verbs, adjectives, and nouns to create all kind of wonderful grammatical patterns. You’ll use this character so much there’s no way you’ll forget it!

Words Starting With て (Te)

• て ( te ): Hand • てがみ ( tegami ): Letter (as in “I wrote a letter to her…”)

と ( to ) is also another character you’ll be using a lot in your Japanese studies. It is a useful Japanese particle that means “and” or “with.” It is also one of the easier particles in Japanese to understand and use. So practice this one because you’ll be using it often in the future!

Words Starting With と (To)

• とけい ( tokei ): Clock • とかげ ( tokage ): Lizard

な行 (Na Gyō) – Na Row: Pronunciation

な ( na ) can feel a little tricky to write at first. Put the effort into writing this character neatly and smoothly, because you’ll be using it relatively often in your Japanese studies. There are two types of adjectives in Japanese ; い-adjectives and な-adjectives. な-adjectives all end in な, so you’ll be using this character a lot when you learn about adjectives.

Words Starting With な (Na)

• なす ( nasu ): Eggplant • なぞ ( nazo ): Riddle, puzzle

As mentioned previously, に ( ni ) looks a little bit like た ( ta ). You just need to be aware of the first horizontal stroke in た ( ta ) (or the lack thereof in に ( ni )).

Words Starting With に (Ni)

• にわとり ( niwatori ): Chicken • にわ ( niwa ): Garden, yard

ぬ ( nu ) and め ( me ) look almost the same. Many people get these characters mixed up, so be sure to learn this correctly from the beginning. The difference is that ぬ ( nu ) has a small loop at the bottom (that looks like a “2”) while め ( me ) does not.

Words Starting With ぬ (Nu)

• ぬりえ ( nurie ): Picture for coloring (like a coloring book) • ぬの ( nuno ): Cloth

This is another character that looks very similar to another. ね ( ne ) and れ ( re ) are very similar. Just like with ぬ ( nu ) and め ( me ), the difference is whether or not there is a small loop on its final stroke. ね ( ne ) has a small loop at the bottom (that looks like a “2”) while れ ( re ) does not.

Words Starting With ね (Ne)

• ねこ ( neko ): Cat • ねずみ ( nezumi ): Mouse, rat

の ( no ) looks like the letter “e” that has been flipped over and rotated. It is pronounced almost the same way as “no” in English. It is also another useful particle , which is used for the possessive form (my book, his computer, my company’s car, etc.)

Words Starting With の (No)

• のり ( nori ): Seaweed (for eating), glue • のみもの ( nomimono ): Drink(s), beverage

は行 (Ha Gyō) – Ha Row: Pronunciation

は ( ha ) and ほ ( ho ) look very similar. The biggest difference is that ほ ( ho ) has two horizontal lines running through the last vertical stroke on the right side. は ( ha ) only has one horizontal line going through it.

Also, は is actually pronounced “wa” when it’s used as a particle. You’ll learn more about this when you start to study basic Japanese sentences.

Words Starting With は (Ha)

• はさみ ( hasami ): Scissors • はな ( hana ): Flower(s), nose

ひ ( hi ) is only one stroke, so just be sure to start from the left side ending the stroke on the right side.

Words Starting With ひ (Hi)

• ひつじ ( hitsuji ): Sheep • ひみつ ( himitsu ): Secret

ふ ( fu ) looks a little complicated to write. It is probably the most difficult hiragana character to write, but you can still learn to write it quickly with a little practice. There are also two ways to write ふ ( fu ). Check out the video to see both ways you can write this character. Also, you would think this character would be read as “ hu ,” not “ fu .” Actually, both are correct, but as explained in the ち ( chi ) description, fu is the Hepburn romanization style and is used much more commonly in proper English translations.

Words Starting With ふ (Fu)

• ふぶき ( fubuki ): Snowstorm • ふきん ( fukin ): Dishcloth

へ ( he ) is another single stroke character. It is pretty easy to write, but just make sure to start on the left side, stroking down towards the right.

Words Starting With へ (He)

• へび ( hebi ): Snake • へや ( heya ): Room

As mentioned in the description for は ( ha ) above, ほ ( ho ) looks almost the same but has an extra horizontal line at the top. Be sure to be aware of this extra line to differentiate between は ( ha ) and ほ ( ho ).

Words Starting With ほ (Ho)

• ほたて ( hotate ): Scallop • ほほえみ ( hohoemi ): Smile

ま行 (Ma Gyō) – Ma Row: Pronunciation

ま ( ma ) looks like the right side of ほ ( ho ), but there is a very important detail you should be aware of. The vertical line going through the two horizontal lines in ま ( ma ) extends above the top horizontal line. You’ll start writing the vertical line (the third stroke) above the top horizontal line (the first stroke). However, in ほ ( ho ), the vertical line does not extend past the top horizontal stroke. For ほ ( ho ), you’ll start the vertical line (fourth stroke) at or just below (but still touching) the top horizontal stroke.

Words Starting With ま (Ma)

• まくら ( makura ): Pillow • まぐろ ( maguro ): Tuna

み ( mi ) is another character with that unique loop shape on its left side. Have fun writing this character as you go down, loop around, and finish the first stroke on the right-hand side.

Words Starting With み (Mi)

• みず ( mizu ): Water • みち ( michi ): Street, road, path

む ( mu ) has a similar shape as す ( su ), except the line keeps going after the loop and extends to the right, and finishes by curving back up slightly.

Words Starting With む (Mu)

• むし ( mushi ): Insect • むすこ ( musuko ): Son

As mentioned earlier, め ( me ) looks almost exactly like ぬ ( nu ). The differnce is that ぬ ( nu ) has a loop at the end while め ( me ) does not.

Words Starting With め (Me)

• め ( me ): Eye • めがね ( megane ): Eyeglasses

も ( mo ) is similar to し ( shi ), but has two horizontal lines cutting through its vertical stroke.

Words Starting With も (Mo)

• もり ( mori ): Forest • もも ( momo ): Peach

ら行 (Ra Gyō) – Ra Row: Pronunciation

ら ( ra ) has a unique shape and sometimes people confuse it for さ ( sa ) or や (ya). It takes a little bit of getting used to, but if you practice writing all the characters (as much as you can!) and review with flashcards/notes, you’ll remember all of them in no time.

Words Starting With ら (Ra)

• らくだ ( rakuda ): Camel • らくがき ( rakugaki ): Graffiti, scribble

This hiragana り ( ri ) looks almost identical to the katakana リ ( ri ). This makes it easy to remember both, but when writing, the hiragana り ( ri ) usually has a small hook at the end of the first stroke.

Words Starting With り (Ri)

• りんご ( ringo ): Apple • りかい ( rikai ): Understanding

る ( ru ) and ろ ( ro ) look very similar, so just remember that る ( ru ) has a loop at the bottom while ろ ( ro ) does not.

Words Starting With る (Ru)

• るす ( rusu ): Absence • るいじ ( ruiji ): Resemblance, similarity

れ ( re ) looks like ね ( ne ). Just remember that れ ( re ) does not loop around at the end of the second stroke. These differences seem very small at first, but after a while you’ll notice them easily.

Words Starting With れ (Re)

• れきし ( rekishi ): History • れんこん ( renkon ): Lotus root

As previously mentioned, ろ ( ro ) looks like る( ru ). Just remember that ろ ( ro ) does not have a loop at the end of its stroke.

Words Starting With ろ (Ro)

• ろうそく ( rōsoku ): Candle • ろんり ( ronri ): Logic

や行 (Ya Gyō) – Ya Row: Pronunciation

Traditionally, the ya -row comes before the ra -row on hiragana charts. However, there are only three characters in the ya -row, so we decided to teach it after the ra -row to make it easier to follow and hopefully easier to understand.

Words Starting With や (Ya)

• やかん ( yakan ): Kettle • やきにく ( yakiniku ): Yakiniku, Japanese grilled meat done in a Korean barbeque style

ゆ ( yu ) is a fun character to write. It almost looks like a picture of a fish. You’ll also see this character if you go to an onsen ( hot spring ) in Japan. At an onsen in Japan, ゆ ( yu ) means “hot water” or “hot spring water” that you bathe in. The kanji for hot water is 湯 ( yu ), but you will often see the hiragana “ゆ” written on signs or noren (short curtains hung at the top of a door/entrance) at onsens.

Words Starting With ゆ (Yu)

• ゆき ( yuki ): Snow • ゆず ( yuzu ): Yuzu (type of citrus fruit)

よ ( yo ) looks a little bit like ま ( ma ). However, よ ( yo ) only has one horizontal line (the first stroke) while ま ( ma ) has two. Also, if you look closely, the horizontal line in よ ( yo ) does not go through the vertical stroke. Be sure to practicing writing よ ( yo ) so that the first stroke doesn’t cut across the second, vertical stroke.

Words Starting With よ (Yo)

• よる ( yoru ): Night • よやく ( yoyak u): Appointment, reservation, advance order

わ行 (Wa Gyō) – Wa Row: Pronunciation

わ ( wa ) looks similar to ね ( ne ). The difference is ね ( ne ) has a loop and わ ( wa ) doesn’t.

Words Starting With わ (Wa)

• わに ( wani ): Alligator • わくせい ( wakusei ): Planet

This is actually another character for “ o ,” but it is sometimes written as “ wo ” as shown here. Usually, we write this を as “ o ” in our other Japanese lessons , as it is more standardized for learners of Japanese. The biggest difference between を ( o ) and お ( o ), is that this を ( o ) is a particle, and is not used in any words.

Words Starting With を (Wo)

There is no Japanese word that starts with を ( o ). を is a particle and indicates what the direct object of a sentence is.

The last character! After you complete this, you’ll have learned all of the hiragana characters! However, your work is not done yet. There’s a few more things to learn about hiragana before you have completely mastered everything.

Words Starting With ん (N)

There is no Japanese word that starts with ん ( n ). Do you know a Japanese word game called しりとり ( shiritori )? The players need to say a word that begins with the last character of the previous word that was said by the other player. If a player says a word ending in ん ( n ), they lose the game, as no Japanese word begins with that character.

Congratulations!!! You’ve learned all of the basic hiragana characters. Give yourself a big pat on the back! However, there are still things you need to learn. There are a few things that you can add to some of these hiragana characters to change their pronunciation. Also, you can combine certain characters together to make a “hybrid” character!

Part II: Advanced Hiragana: Characters With Different Sounds

If you mastered all of the hiragana characters on this page, the hard work is over. Now we just need to learn a few more things to truly master all of commonly used hiragana characters in Japanese.

濁音 (Dakuon) – Hiragana with 濁点(Dakuten)

濁点 ( Dakuten ) is the two small dashes that you write on the upper right-hand side of certain characters. This mark looks similar to double quotation marks in English (“). This will change the pronunciation of the character from an unvoiced consonant, to a voiced consonant, 濁音 ( dakuon ).

Sounds confusing? Don’t worry! It’s actually really easy. You just need to remember which characters can take this mark, and the rest is really easy.

The only characters that can take the 濁点 ( dakuten ) are the か ( ka ) , さ ( sa ) , た ( ta ) , and は ( ha ) rows . Let’s see what happens when you add 濁点 ( dakuten ) to the characters in these rows.

濁音 (Dakuon): か (Ka) Row Becomes the が (Ga) Row

Any character in the か ( ka ) row that has a dakuten attached to it will go from a “k” sound to a “g” sound.

• か ( ka ) —> が ( ga )
• き ( ki ) —> ぎ ( gi )
• く ( ku ) —> ぐ ( gu )
• け ( ke ) —> げ ( ge )
• こ ( ko ) —> ご ( go )

濁音 (Dakuon): さ (Sa) Row Becomes the ざ (Za) Row

Any character in the さ ( sa ) row that has a 濁点 ( dakuten) attached to it will go from a “s” sound to a “z” sound, EXCEPT for し ( shi ). し ( shi ) will turn into じ ( ji ).*

• さ ( sa ) —> ざ ( za )
• し ( shi ) —> じ ( ji )
• す ( su ) —> ず ( zu )
• せ ( se ) —> ぜ ( ze )
• そ ( so ) —> ぞ ( zo )

*Note: じ ( zi ) is the  訓令式 ( kunrei shiki ) reading, which is the system ordered by the Cabinet of Japan. However, ji is the Hepburn style of romaji, which is what is used in most English translations. It is also much closer to the pronunciation of that actually Japanese. For example, the word “じかん” means “time.” It is pronounced “ ji kan.” If you were to pronounce it using the kunrei shiki romanization, it would be “ zi kan,” which would not be the correct pronunciation.

Example Words: ざ (Za) Row

• ざ ( za ) —> ざ ぶとん ( za buton ): Floor cushion
• じ ( ji ) —> じ かん ( ji kan ): Time
• ず ( zu ) —> ず かん ( zu kan ): Picture book
• ぜ ( ze ) —> ぜ んそく ( ze nsoku ): Asthma
• ぞ ( zo ) —> ぞ う ( zō ): Elephant

濁音 (Dakuon): た (Ta) Row Becomes the だ (Da) Row

The た ( ta ) row is a little tricky. It has two exceptions, but it’s not too difficult. Characters in the た ( ta ) row that has a 濁点 ( dakuten ) attached to it will go from a “t” sound to a “d” sound, EXCEPT for ち ( chi ) and つ ( tsu ).

ち ( chi ) will turn into ぢ ( ji ). Wait a minute! We just learned that し ( shi ) also turns into じ ( ji ). Yes, both of these characters have the same romaji and same pronunciation. How can two different characters have the same reading?

The answer lies in something called 連濁 ( rendaku ) in Japanese. Basically, 連濁 ( rendaku ) is when you combine words together that result in the first consonant of the second word becoming voiced. This is the same thing we are doing here; ち ( chi ) becomes a voiced ぢ ( ji ) with the 濁点 ( dakuten ). Let’s check out an example.

Let’s look at two different words and combine them. はな ( hana ) can mean either flower or nose. For our example, it will mean “nose.” ち ( chi ) also has two meanings; it can either mean blood or ground/earth. In this example, it will mean “blood.”

If we put these words together, it will mean “nosebleed” and it should look like this: はな ち ( hanachi )…BUT

Because of the 連濁 ( rendaku ), the first constant of the second word ち ( chi – blood) will become voiced —> ぢ ( ji ). Therefore, the correct word will be “はな ぢ ( hana ji ).” Most of the time, ぢ ( ji ) is found in the middle or end of words. There are few (if any) words that start with ぢ ( ji ). It’s when the original word uses ち ( chi ) but becomes voiced when combined with other words.

The other exception is つ ( tsu ). With the 濁点 ( dakuten ), it will change to づ ( zu ). This also shares the same romaji as the character す ( su ) —> ず ( zu ). Just like with the ぢ ( ji ) character above, づ ( zu ) is most used as 連濁 ( rendaku ). In other words, づ ( zu ) is mainly used when it is combined with other words (in the middle or end of words, not at the beginning).

Let’s take a look at the whole だ ( da ) row:

• た ( ta ) —> だ ( da )
• ち ( chi ) —> ぢ ( ji )
• つ ( tsu ) —> づ ( zu )
• て ( te ) —> で ( de )
• と ( to ) —> ど ( do )

Example Words: だ (Da) Row

• だ ( da ) —> だ いず ( da izu ): Soy beans
• ぢ ( ji ) —> はな ぢ ( hana ji ): Nosebleed
• づ ( zu ) —> つ づ き ( tsu zu ki ): Continuation (of something; story, work, tv show, etc.)
• で ( de ) —> で ぐち ( de guchi ): Exit
• ど ( do ) —> ど ろ ( do ro ): Mud

濁音 (Dakuon): は (Ha) Row Becomes the ば (Ba) Row

Any character in the は ( ha ) row that has a 濁点 ( dakuten ) attached to it will go from a “h” sound to a “b” sound.

• は ( ha ) —> ば ( ba )
• ひ ( hi ) —> び ( bi )
• ふ ( fu ) —> ぶ ( bu )
• へ ( he ) —> べ ( be )
• ほ ( ho ) —> ぼ ( bo )

Example Words: ば (Ba) Row

• ば ( ba ) —> ば けつ ( ba ketsu ): Bucket
• び ( bi ) —> び じん ( bi jin ): Beautiful woman
• ぶ ( bu ) —> ぶ り ( bu ri ): Japanese amberjack, yellowtail
• べ ( be ) —> べ んごし ( be ngoshi ): Lawyer
• ぼ ( bo ) —> ぼ くし ( bo kushi ): Pastor

半濁音 (Handakuon) – Hiragana With the Consonant “P”

半濁音 ( handakuon ) only applies to the は ( ha ) row. As seen above, the 濁音 ( dakuon ) reading for the は ( ha ) row changes to a “b” sound (ば ( ba ), び ( bi ), ぶ ( bu ), べ ( be ), ぼ ( bo )).

However, the characters in the は ( ha ) row can also be changed to a 半濁音 ( han dakuon ) reading. This changes the “h” sound to a “p” sound. This is done by writing a small circle at the top right-hand corner of the character. This small is written from the bottom to the top, clockwise:

• は ( ha ) —> ぱ ( pa )
• ひ ( hi ) —> ぴ ( pi )
• ふ ( fu ) —> ぷ ( pu )
• へ ( he ) —> ぺ ( pe )
• ほ ( ho ) —> ぽ ( po )

Be sure to notice whether it’s a small circle 半濁音 ( handakuon ) or the two slashes which will create a 濁点 ( dakuon ) at the upper right-hand corner of the character. It can be easy to mix them up, especially when it’s written in a small font size.

Example Words: ぱ (Pa) Row

• ぱ ( pa ) —> ぱ ん ( pa n ): Bread
• ぴ ( pi ) —> ぴ ったり ( pi ttari ): Exactly, precisely
• ぷ ( pu ) —> ぷ に ぷ に ( pu ni pu ni ): Squishy, bouncy, cuddly
• ぺ ( pe ) —> ぺ きん ( pe kin ): Beijing
• ぽ ( po ) —> ぽ ちゃ ( po cha ): Chubby

促音 (Sokuon) – The Small “つ (Tsu)”

The small っ ( tsu ), otherwise known as 小さいつ ( chiisai tsu ), is used to represent a doubled or “geminate” consonant, referred to as a 促音 ( sokuon ) in Japanese. It’s called the small っ ( tsu ) because it is a mini version of the hiragana つ ( tsu ) character:

• Normal tsu : つ
• Small tsu : っ

The small っ ( tsu ) does not have any special pronunciation on its own. Instead, it will affect the pronunciation of the character that follows it. Any character that comes after the small っ ( tsu ) will have its consonant changed into a double consonant . What does this mean? Let’s look at an example:

かこ ( kako ) in Japanese means “the past.) If we put a small っ ( tsu ) in the middle of this word, we would get かっこ ( kakko ). The character that comes after the small っ ( tsu ) (こ in this case) will change into a double consonant. This just means that:

• No small っ ( tsu ): こ ( ko )
• Small っ ( tsu ) in front of character: っこ ( kko )

The small っ ( tsu ) acts as a small pause when pronouncing words. かっこ ( kakko ) would almost feel as if you were saying two separate words, kak and ko . You would say “ kak ” first, followed by a short pause, then say “ ko “. Let’s look at some other examples of words with the small っ ( tsu ).

Example Words: Small っ (Tsu)

• に っ ぽん ( ni pp on ): Japan
• き っ て ( ki tt e ): Postage stamp
• て っ ぱん ( te pp an ): Iron plate which is used to cook food

Part III: Combination Characters

This is the last part! We can combine some of the hiragana characters together to form new characters, but learning how to read them are very simple. You just need to remember which characters go together, and you’ll master this section easily…and you’ll be a hiragana professional!

拗音 (Yōon) – Combination Hiragana Characters

You can take the three characters from the や ( ya ) row; や ( ya ), ゆ ( yu ), よ ( yo ) and combine it with these characters:

• き ( ki ) and ぎ ( gi )
• し ( shi ) and じ ( ji )
• ち ( chi ) and ぢ ( ji )
• ひ ( hi ), び ( bi ), and ぴ ( pi )

How to Combine Hiragana Characters Together

Combining hiragana characters are really easy. All you need to do is take one of the ya -row characters; や ( ya ), ゆ ( yu ), よ ( yo ), and write it smaller, and put it on the lower right-hand corner of one of the characters listed above (if writing it horizontally). If you are writing hiragana in the traditional vertical way, you would first write one of the characters listed above and then put the smaller ya -row character beneath it.

To read this new combined character, you would replace the “ i ” of any character listed above with the reading of the ya -row character. Sounds confusing? Take a look at this and it should clear things right up:

• き ( k i ) + ゃ ( ya ) = きゃ ( kya )
• き ( k i ) + ゅ ( yu ) = きゅ ( kyu )
• き ( k i ) + ょ ( yo ) =きょ ( kyo )
• and so on…

However…

The readings for し ( shi ), じ ( ji ), ち ( chi ), and ぢ ( ji ) are the exceptions. Just like the characters above, you will replace the “ i ” with the reading of a ya -row character. However, you will get rid of the “y” and only use the vowel of the や ( ya ) row character ( a , u , o ).

• し ( sh i ) + ゃ ( y a ) = しゃ ( sha )
• し ( sh i ) + ゅ ( y u ) = しゅ ( shu )
• し ( sh i ) + ょ ( y o ) = しょ ( sho )
• じ ( j i ) + ゃ ( y a ) = じゃ ( ja )
• じ ( j i ) + ゅ ( y u ) = じゅ ( ju )
• じ ( j i ) + ょ ( y o ) = じょ ( jo )
• ち ( ch i ) + ゃ ( y a ) = ちゃ ( cha )
• ち ( ch i ) + ゅ ( y u ) = ちゅ ( chu )
• ち ( ch i ) + ょ ( y o ) = ちょ ( cho )
• ぢ ( j i ) + ゃ ( y a ) = ぢゃ ( ja )
• ぢ ( j i ) + ゅ ( y u ) = ぢゅ ( ju )
• ぢ ( j i )+ ょ ( y o ) = ぢょ ( jo )

Let’s take a look at each of these combination hiragana characters in more detail.

きゃ行 (Kya Gyō) – Kya Row: き (Ki) and ぎ (Gi) + ゃ (Ya), ゅ (Yu), and ょ (Yo)

Remember that you can also make these combination hiragana characters with the 濁音 ( dakuon ) reading of き: ぎゃ ( gya ), ぎゅ ( gyu ), ぎょ ( gyo )

Example Words: きゃ (Kya) Row

• きゃ く ( kya ku ): Customer
• きゅ うり ( kyū ri ): Cucumber
• きょ うふ ( kyō fu ): Fear
• ぎゃ く ( gya ku ): Opposite
• ぎゅ うにく ( gyū niku ): Beef
• ぎょ うざ ( gyō za ): Dumpling

しゃ行 (Sha Gyō) – Sha Row: し (Shi) and じ (Ji) + ゃ (Ya), ゅ (Yu), and ょ (Yo)

The 濁音 ( dakuon ) reading of し ( shi ) is じ ( ji ), and it can be combined with any character from the ya -row as well.

Example Words: しゃ (Sha) Row

• しゃ かい ( sha kai ): Society
• しゅ うまつ ( shū matsu ): Weekend
• しょ うじ ( shō ji ): Paper sliding door
• じゃ んけん ( ja nken ): Rock scissors paper game
• じゅ ぎょう ( ju gyō ): Class
• じょ うあい ( jō ai ): Affection

ちゃ行 (Cha Gyō) – Cha Row: ち (Chi) and ぢ (Ji) + ゃ (Ya), ゅ (Yu), and ょ (Yo)

The 濁音 ( dakuon ) reading of ち ( chi ) is ぢ ( ji ), and it can be combined with any character from the ya -row as well.

Example Words: ちゃ (Cha) Row

• ちゃ わん ( cha wan ): Rice bowl
• ちゅ うし ( chū shi ): Cancel
• ちょ うれい ( chō rei ): Morning assembly
• ぢゃ ( ja ): Same as じゃ ( ja ), and is usually not used. じゃ ( ja ) is commonly used.
• ぢゅ ( ju ): Same as じゅ ( ju ), and it usually not used. じゅ ( ju ) is commonly used.
• ぢょ ( jo ): Same as じょ ( jo ), and it usually not used. じょ ( jo ) is commonly used.

にゃ行 (Nya Gyō) – Nya Row: に (Ni) + ゃ (Ya), ゅ (Yu), and ょ (Yo)

Example Words: にゃ (Nya) Row

• にゃ ん ( nya n ): Meow (the sound of a cat’s meow)
• にゅ ういん ( nyū in ): Hospitalization
• にょ う ( nyō ): Urine

ひゃ行 (Hya Gyō) – Hya Row: ひ (Hi), び (Bi), and ぴ (Pi) + ゃ (Ya), ゅ (Yu), and ょ (Yo)

You can also make these combination hiragana characters with the 濁音 ( dakuon ) reading of ひ ( hi ):

and the 半濁音 ( handakuon ) reading:

Example Words: ひゃ (Hya) Row

• ひゃ く ( hya ku ): A hundred
• ひゅ う ( hyū ): Sound of winds
• ひょ うか ( hyō ka ): Evaluation
• びゃ くだん ( bya kudan ): Indian sandalwood
• びゅ うげん ( byū gen ): Fallacy
• びょ ういん ( byō in ): Hospital
• ろっ ぴゃ く ( rop pya ku ): Six hundred
• ぴゅ う ( pyū ): Sound of something whizzing through the air
• ぴょ ん ( pyo n ): Jumping lightly or nimbly

みゃ行 (Mya Gyō) – Mya Row: み (Mi) + ゃ (Ya), ゅ (Yu), and ょ (Yo)

Example Words: みゃ (Mya) Row

• みゃ く ( mya ku ): Pulse
• きゃりーぱ みゅ ぱ みゅ ( Kyary Pa myu Pa myu ): Name of famous Japanese singer
• みょ うじ ( myō ji ): Last name

りゃ行 (Rya Gyō) – Rya Row: り (Ri) + ゃ (Ya), ゅ (Yu), and ょ (Yo)

Example Words: りゃ (Rya) Row

• りゃ く ( rya ku ): Abbreviation
• りゅ うこう ( ryū kō ): Trend
• りょ こう ( ryo kō ): Trip

Part IV: The History of Hiragana

When you look at the history of the Japanese writing system, 漢字 ( kanji ) are known to be the first characters used. 漢字 ( kanji ) came to Japan from China more than 1,000 years ago. Japanese people back then only used 漢字 ( kanji ).

However, according to many sources, including this educational Japanese website (Japanese only), 漢字 ( kanji ) was only used by men, not women. (In today’s society, there is no such rule regarding kanji ). Therefore, women needed to come up with a different way to communicate with others, and this was when ひらがな ( hiragana ) was created.

Hiragana characters were created by mimicking and breaking down kanji characters. Since the telephone didn’t exist at the time, they used letters to exchange ideas and feelings. For women and men to understand each other, men eventually needed to learn hiragana characters. And this is how hiragana was born and passed on.

I hope you could master all of the hiragana characters with this guide! Please let us know this guide help you to learn how to read and write hiragana , or if you have any suggestions. Be sure to check out more of our Japanese lessons to learn more!

Momoko Hoyt

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Learn Hiragana: The Ultimate Guide Memorize hiragana in hours or days, not weeks or months.

June 30, 2014 • words written by Koichi • Art by Aya Francisco

To learn hiragana is to create a foundation for the rest of your Japanese. By learning hiragana, you will learn the basics of Japanese pronunciation. It will also open doors in terms of the Japanese resources you can use. There are no (good) Japanese textbooks or learning resources that don't require you to know hiragana. In essence, it's the first step to learn Japanese.

Many classes and individuals spend months learning hiragana. This is too long. You should be able to learn everything in a couple days. A week, tops. Some people have reported back that they could read all the hiragana after a few hours, using this method. How long it takes depends on you, but if you follow the steps laid out below, you'll come out the other side with the ability to read hiragana.

To make this possible, you will employ a few important methods.

Mnemonics: Due to hiragana's relative simplicity (at least compared to kanji), image-based mnemonics are a perfect method for memorization. Each hiragana character has a memorable illustration that goes along with it. For a long time I believed that mnemonics were a waste of time. If this is you, I recommend you give it a serious try. It's amazing what you are able to memorize when using a mnemonic method.

No Writing: "WHAT? NO WRITING!?" you scream. I know what you're thinking. But, think about it for a moment. When's the last time you actually wrote something by hand? Probably the last time you had to sign your name on a receipt at a restaurant. The need to write by hand is going down. Most of your written communication comes in the form of typing. Learning to read can be done very quickly and is very useful. Learning to write doubles or triples how long it takes to learn hiragana, with very little real-life benefit. It will be important to learn eventually, but for now you have more important fish to fry.

Exercises: After studying each column of hiragana, there are exercises for you to go through to review what you've just learned. They also happen to be very well thought out, too. If you do them, and you don't cheat (yourself), you will learn hiragana. In these exercises, you should do your best to force yourself recall items, even when you don't think you can come up with the answer. The more effort and strain you put into recalling something, the stronger of a memory your brain will end up building (as long as you actually recall it, that is).

For the most part, if you follow along and do everything that this hiragana guide says, you will learn the hiragana. It will be difficult not to.

Tofugu's Learn Hiragana Book

Before getting to it, I wanted to let you know that we also have Learn Hiragana Book — a PDF version of this Learn Hiragana content you can print or use on your tablet.

Although I would still focus on "being able to read hiragana" first, moving your hands to handwrite as well as to trace over the characters will help you associate the shape with the sound.

If hands-on practice sounds like your kind of studying method (or if you simply prefer going analogue), check out the book. It comes with extra practice on handwriting.

Tofugu's Hiragana Charts

As the first step, download this hiragana chart . It shows all the hiragana (including "variation" hiragana) you will be learning on this page. If you have a printer, print it out. If not, you can follow along digitally too.

Optionally, download the hiragana "mnemonic" chart . It's a handy chart that shows basic hiragana along their mnemonic images, which we'll be using on this page to help you remember the hiragana. Temporarily or not, it'll make a good replacement for the "Live, Laugh, Love" poster on your bathroom wall.

Hiragana Pronunciation

Next, learn how to pronounce the hiragana. Since hiragana pronunciation is such a listening and speaking thing, we made a video to cover this topic. Follow along.

When you can pronounce the five "vowel sounds" of hiragana, move on to the next section, where you'll learn to read them.

あ （ A ） い （ I ） う （ U ） え （ E ） お （ O ）

This is the first (and most important!) column in hiragana. It sets the pronunciation of every other column coming after it, because every other column is basically just the a-i-u-e-o column with consonants attached to them. The same basic sound repeats over and over and over, with a consonant plus these five vowel sounds, so make sure you have the right pronunciation for these five right from the start.

Shall we? No, that's okay, after you.

あ is pronounced like " ah !" like when you come to a realization. It also sounds like the a in "c a r."

To remember this kana, find the capital A inside of it. This "A" will tell you that this kana is also "a" aka あ. There is another similar kana, お, but that one doesn't have an "A" in it, which is how you can differentiate them.

い is pronounced like the ee in " ee l."

To remember this kana, just think of a couple of <u>ee</u>ls hanging out. They're upright because they're trying to mimic the letter "i" which also stands upright and also happens to be the way you spell out this character in romaji 1 .

う is pronounced like the oo in " oo h… ahhh!" when you're watching fireworks. In other words, it sounds like u in " U NO," the card game, or the number one in Spanish.

To remember this kana, notice the U shape right in it! It's sideways but it's there, telling you what this kana is. Be careful, there's another similar hiragana, つ, but that one isn't wearing a hat like U (you) are. Ooh, ahh, what a nifty hat!

え is pronounced like the e in " e gg."

To remember this kana, think of it like an <u>e</u>xotic bird. The feathery thing on its head gives it away that it's exotic and not normal. It also lays <u>e</u>xotic <u>e</u>ggs , because it's an exotic bird, after all.

お is pronounced like you're saying " oh ." It also sounds like the o in " o rigami."

Can you see the letter o in here, two times? This one looks similar to あ, except for its one key difference: there are two letter "o" symbols visible in there. Make sure you use this to differentiate this kana (お) and that similar kana (あ). This is one area of hiragana where a lot of people trip up, but by using this mnemonic you will be able to figure them out every time.

あいうえお Tasks

Now that you've put these kana into your brain (at least somewhat shakily) it's time to pull them out. Recall is the foundation of memory, and you're going to start doing just that. For each "tasks" section make sure you follow along perfectly. Skipping these steps may cause you to fail later on in the future. Having a strong base to build off of is important with each section.

• Head over to Tofugu's Learn Hiragana Quiz . Select only the あ/a box under the "Main Kana" list, then hit "Start Quiz!" and keep practicing until you can get them all right.
• Print out, copy, or download this worksheet . You'll need to go through it, filling in the boxes with the romaji for the kana. Try your best not to cheat – even if you spend a while trying to remember a kana it will be beneficial to your memory (as long as you're able to recall it on your own). Looking up the answer doesn't help your memory at all, but struggle (with accomplishment) tells your brain that this is a thing worth remembering. Try using the mnemonics when you need to recall something you can't figure out right away. This should be fairly easy with only five kana (and maybe a little boring too), but when you're done move on to the next five hiragana.

か （ KA ） き （ KI ） く （ KU ） け （ KE ） こ （ KO ）

The next set of hiragana is from the "k-column." This is just the K sound plus the vowel sounds you learned above, making it ka-ki-ku-ke-ko. There are no weird exceptions in this column either, so enjoy it while you can.

か is just the K sound plus あ, making a ka sound. It's pronounced like ka in " ka rma."

See how this kana looks like a mosquito ? What a convenient coincidence. Mosquitos happen to be called か (<u>ka</u>) in Japanese. You also say " <u>cu</u>t it out, darn mosquito!" when they try to suck your blood, so that should be easy to remember.

き is just the K sound plus い, making a ki sound.

In fact, it sounds just like the word " key " which is the mnemonic we end up using.

To remember this, notice how much it resembles a <u>key</u> .

Note: In some fonts, the bottom part is detached from the main part. For example: <span class="ki-and-sa">き</span> . The pronunciation is still "ki" though!

く is just the K sound plus う, making a ku sound. It's pronounced "coo," like both syllables of the word " cu ckoo" (or just the first syllable, depending on your variety of English).

To remember this, think of this kana being the mouth of a <u>coo</u>-coo / <u>cu</u>ckoo bird popping out saying "ku ku, ku ku!"

け is just the K sound plus え, making a ke sound. It's pronounced like ke in " ke lp."

See how this kana resembles some wiggly <u>ke</u>lp ?

こ is just the K sound plus お, making a ko sound. It's pronounced like co in " co habitating." In British English, it is more like co in " co in."

こ is a couple of <u>co</u>-habitation worms. They're so happy together, co-habitating the same area! Alternatively, you could imagine a couple of short <u>co</u>rds laying on the ground next to each other.

かきくけこ Tasks

More tasks! This time we'll include the あいうえお column along with this "K-column" you just learned.

• Using Tofugu's Learn Hiragana Quiz , select the あ/a and か/ka boxes, and quiz yourself on those cards. How quickly can you identify and answer these ten hiragana characters? When you've completed this task at least five times, move on to the next step.
• Print out, copy, or download this worksheet . Complete it by filling in the blanks with the romaji for each of the kana. This time it will be both of the columns that you've learned (so far) so it should be a little more interesting (and half familiar).

Once again, when you get stuck just think back to the mnemonic before you cheat. When you're done you can move on to the next group.

さ （ SA ） し （ SHI ） す （ SU ） せ （ SE ） そ （ SO ）

Now that you have the "K-column" under your belt it's time for the "S-column." There is one weird exception in this column, and that's for "si" aka "shi." It's pronounced just like the word "she" in English, and doesn't quite follow the pattern you've seen up until now. You'll want to use "sa- shi -su-se-so" for this column.

さ is just the S sound plus あ, making a sa sound. It's pronounced like sa in " sa lsa."

Notice how this kana looks like two hands stirring a bowl of <u>sa</u>lsa . This salsa is so chunky and thick, you need two hands just to stir it!

Note: Like き, the bottom part of さ is detached from the main part in some fonts. For example: <span class="ki-and-sa">さ</span> .

し is just the SH sound plus い, making a shi sound. It's pronounced like shee in " shee p."

Take note that this is the first "exception" kana where it doesn't follow the patterns that show up everywhere else. Instead of being "si" it's "shi" (though you will see it written both ways when dealing with romaji. One more reason why you ought to just learn hiragana already).

This kana looks like a giant shepherd's crook used to herd <u>shee</u>p . Baaaa… get in that corral, sheep!

す is just the S sound plus う, making a su sound. It's pronounced like the word " sue ," or su in " su it."

See the <u>s</u>wing doing a loop-dee-loop throwing that poor kid off of it? Imagine him screaming "I'M GONNA SUE SOMEBODY FOR THIIIIIiiiissss" as he flies off into the distance.

せ is just the S sound plus え, making a se sound. It's pronounced like se in " se ll."

This kana looks like a mouth with a big vampire fang in it. Someone's trying to <u>se</u>ll you a <u>se</u>t of vampire teeth because they are just so <u>se</u>xy ! Oh Dracula, always trying to make a quick buck.

そ is just the S sound plus お, making a so sound. It's pronounced like so in " so da." In British English, it's more like so in " so ng."

See how this kana looks like a mouth slurping <u>so</u>da ?

さしすせそ Exercises

Now that we've done three sets of five, it's time for exercises! As usual, these exercises will help you to practice kana you've previously learned plus the ones you just learned.

• Back to Tofugu's Learn Hiragana Quiz . Select the あ, か, and さ boxes and quiz them. Do this five times. Once you've done this, move on.
• Using this worksheet , print out, copy, or download it and fill out the boxes with the correct romaji. If you can't remember something try to think back to the mnemonic first before cheating.

When you're able to do these two tasks move on to the next five kana.

P.S. Have you noticed how in the worksheets you're being asked to wait 5 minutes then 10 minutes? Waiting is actually an important part of building memory. By waiting and then recalling something as it's fading away, you're telling your mind that it shouldn't forget that item. But, if you keep bringing it up over and over again in a short period of time your brain will just keep it in its short term memory, meaning you probably won't remember it later. Don't skip the waiting periods! In fact, if you think you can wait longer without forgetting much that's even better!

た （ TA ） ち （ CHI ） つ （ TSU ） て （ TE ） と （ TO ）

Time for the fourth column, the "T-column." Now you have a lot to remember! Hopefully mnemonics and the reasons for using them are starting to make sense now. If not, that should happen soon.

Like the さ column, you'll find an exception in the た column. In fact, you'll find two exceptions, them being ち (chi) and つ (tsu). So, for this column we'll have "ta, chi , tsu , te, to."

た is just the T sound plus あ, making a ta sound. It's pronounced like ta in " ta co."

Use your imagination and see this kana as a fork, <u>ta</u>co , and lime garnish for your taco. Wait… you're eating a taco with a fork? That's a bit weird, but you do you, pal.

ち is just the CH sound plus い, making a chi sound. It's pronounced like chee in " chee se."

This is the second "exception" hiragana. Instead of a "ti" sound, it's a "chi" sound. Try not to forget this.

You know when someone tells you to say " <u>chee</u>se " when taking a picture of you? This kana looks like that forced smile you have to make every time you're in a group photo.

つ is just the TS sound plus う, making a tsu sound. It's pronounced like tsu in " tsu nami."

This is another "exception" hiragana. Instead of saying "tu" you say "tsu."

Look at the swoosh of this hiragana. Doesn't it look like a big wave, or <u>tsu</u>nami ?

て is just the T sound plus え, making a te sound. It's pronounced like te in " te lescope."

Can you see a good ol' <u>te</u>lescope ? It's a hand-held one! In Japanese, "hand" is て (<u>te</u>) . That should help you remember that this kana looks like an old-school hand(te)-held telescope.

と is just the T sound plus お, making a to sound. It's pronounced like to in " to e." In British English, it sounds like "to" in " to p."

This kana looks just like someone's <u>to</u>e with a little nail or splinter in it. Imagine how much this would hurt if it was your toe!

たちつてと Exercises

Now that we have a few kana under our belt we'll be adding a third resource to our arsenal. Still, we'll start with something familiar. Just follow along.

• With Tofugu's Learn Hiragana Quiz , quiz yourself on the four columns that you know (あ, か, さ, た). When you've done it five times, move on to the next step.
• Copy, download, or print out this worksheet . Fill in all the blanks with romaji. Pay special attention to "exception" kana, like し, ち, and つ and write them out the way I showed you above to make sure that you know the proper reading. Not all romaji-styles will write these kana like this (you'll see "si, ti, and tu" too), but for now write "shi, chi, and tsu" just for the sake of associating the correct pronunciation with each of these particular kana.

When you've completed everything and feel like you can recall all 20 of these kana, move on to the next section. Now it's time to try ten at a time. You're getting better at this, after all!

な （ NA ） に （ NI ） ぬ （ NU ） ね （ NE ） の （ NO ）

This is your first "more than five things to learn" group. In fact, it's a whole ten things! But you'll be just fine. You're getting better at learning the hiragana with all this practice. Too bad there's not 150 hiragana for you to practice on.

な is just the N sound plus あ, making a na sound. It's pronounced like na in " na chos."

The <u>nu</u>n is praying in front of the cross asking for <u>na</u>chos , because she's craving a delicious snack. The cross up in the air should be the main giveaway that this is な.

に is just the N sound plus い, making a ni sound. It's pronounced like nee in " nee dle."

Do you see the <u>nee</u>dle pulling the thread?

ぬ is just the N sound plus う, making a nu sound. It's pronounced like noo in " noo dle."

This kana looks like some <u>noo</u>dles . There are several other kana that are similar to this one (れ, め, ね, わ), but you know this one is noodles because there are no sharp angles in it. It's 100% smooth and bendable, like noodles! It even has an extra loop at the bottom, because it is a noodle.

ね is just the N sound plus え, making a ne sound. It's pronounced like ne in " Ne lly."

This is <u>Ne</u>lly the cat. There are other kana very similar to this one (ぬ, れ, め, わ), but you know this is different. Why? Because it has a loop at the end for the tail, and it's not super bendable like ぬ (noodles) is — see those sharp corners on the left?

To top things off, Nelly is a <u>ne</u>cromancer . Why? I have no idea, you'll have to ask her. It must have something to do with the undead cat army she's creating.

Also, if you know the word <u>ne</u>ko (Japanese for "cat"), you can use that too. This is a ねこ.

の is just the N sound plus お, making a no sound. It's pronounced like no in " no se" or " no ri."

See the big pig <u>no</u>se there? You can also think of this as a " <u>No</u> Smoking " sign (the ones with the cigarette and the big red circle and slash through it). Pick the one that sticks with you the best.

は （ HA ） ひ （ HI ） ふ （ HU/FU ） へ （ HE ） ほ （ HO ）

Now let's look at the next five in this set. If you're feeling really shaky you can jump over to Tofugu's Learn Hiragana Quiz to practice, but you don't have to (yet)!

は is just the H sound plus あ, making a ha sound. It's pronounced like ha in " ha ha" (like laughing!).

This kana looks like an uppercase letter H plus a lowercase letter a .

What does that spell? " <u>Ha</u> !"

Why are you laughing? Stop that. Make sure you can see the H + a in the kana.

ひ is just the H sound plus い, making a hi sound. It's like the English pronoun " he ." In other words, it sounds like he in " he at."

<u>He</u> has a big nose. See that big nose? Now say it out loud. " <u>He</u> has a big nose."

ふ is halfway between the F and H sounds, plus う, making a fu / hu sound. It's pronounced like a softly blown-out version of foo in " foo l," or sometimes hoo in " hoo p."

Someone is over there dancing like a <u>foo</u>l . What's that around their neck? …Oh, that's a <u>hu</u>la <u>hoo</u>p ! That's why they're twisting their body so hard.

へ is just the H sound plus え, making a he sound. It's pronounced like he in " he lp," or " He lens.

Do you know the famous mountain Mt. Saint <u>He</u>lens ? This kana isn't totally flat like Helens is, but it's pretty squat looking. That's why this one is Helens.

ほ is just the H sound plus お, making a ho sound. It's pronounced like ho in " ho e" or " ho ho ho!" In British English, it sounds more like ho in " ho t."

The line on the left is a chimney. The right side is a mutated Santa Claus. He has four arms, a snake tail, and no head. Out of his neck he's uttering " <u>ho</u> ho ho… ho ho ho… "

Hopefully he doesn't come down your chimney.

なにぬねのはひふへほ Exercises

Time to practice ten at a time! It's a lot, but you're getting better at learning these things, right?

• Using Tofugu's Learn Hiragana Quiz , quiz yourself on the hiragana from the あ, か, さ, た, な, and は columns. When you've completed this five times, move on to the next task.
• Copy, print out, or download this worksheet and fill in all the boxes. As always, use the mnemonics and try not to cheat. If this is starting to feel easy, try to time yourself to see how long it takes to complete each section and try to beat yourself each time.

When you are done with these exercises it's time to move on to the next set of hiragana.

ま （ MA ） み （ MI ） む （ MU ） め （ ME ） も （ MO ）

Not quite ten in this set (before the exercises), but close enough. Let's start with the "M-column."

ま is just the M sound plus あ, making a ma sound. It's pronounced like the English word " ma " (meaning "mother"). In other words, it sounds like ma in " ma rk."

Removing your head? Doubling your hands and arms? What sort of evil <u>ma</u>gic is this? What makes it weirder is that your <u>ma</u>ma is the one doing this magic. Imagine your <u>ma</u> looking like this. Aghh!

み is just the M sound plus い, making a mi sound. It's pronounced like the English word " me ." In other words, it sounds like mee in " mee t."

Looks like lucky number 21. Who just hit the blackjack? <u>Me</u> ! Who just turned 21 as well? <u>Me</u> !!

む is just the M sound plus う, making a mu sound. It's pronounced like what cows say in English: " moo ." In other words, it sounds like moo in " moo d."

" <u>Moo</u>oooo ", says the cow. " <u>MOO</u>OOOOO ."

め is just the M sound plus え, making a me sound. It's pronounced like me in " me ss.

Look at that beautiful eye! It's so beautiful because of the <u>ma</u>keup on it. Gotta look pretty in the eyes, or else your ensemble will just be " <u>me</u>h ."

If you also happen to know the word for "eye" in Japanese, that will help too. The word for "eye" in Japanese is just め (<u>me</u>) .

も is just the M sound plus お, making a mo sound. It's pronounced like mo in " mo re."

You want to catch <u>mo</u>re so you add <u>mo</u>re worms to your hook.

や （ YA ） ゆ （ YU ） よ （ YO ）

This column is a little strange. There are only three items in here, and "ye" and "yi" are seemingly missing. Actually, they used to exist but now they don't (instead people use い or え, because it sounds pretty similar). Because of that, you only have to learn three kana for this section!

や is just the Y sound plus あ, making a ya sound. It's pronounced like ya in " ya cht." In British English, it sounds more like ya in " ya k."

See how this kana looks like a <u>ya</u>cht with an anchor going down? It's even got a little flag on the rear… how cute.

Alternatively, you can
 think of や as the face
 of a <u>ya</u>k too.

ゆ is just the Y sound plus う, making a yu sound. It's pronounced like the English word " you ."

This kana is a very <u>u</u>nique looking fish! It looks like a big eyeball swimming in the water. What's it looking at? <u>You</u> , you big goofball! Isn't it weird how fish always look like they're staring at you?

よ is just the Y sound plus お, making a yo sound. It's pronounced like yo in " yo -yo." In British English, it's more like yo in " yo nder."

<u>Yo</u> , this kana looks like the letters Y & O ! And look, you can even play <u>yo</u>-yo with it. Look at it slide down and back up again… it's mesmerizing, yo.

まみむめもやゆよ Exercises

Time to practice these eight hiragana (and the previous ones as well). Once again, go through the steps to make sure you know everything well!

• Using Tofugu's Learn Hiragana Quiz , quiz yourself on the あ, か, さ, た, な, は, ま, and や columns. Once you've done this three times, move on to step two.
• Using this worksheet , copy, print out, or download it and write in all the boxes.

When you're all done, it's time to tackle the last "main hiragana" section. You're almost there! Not so hard, right?

ら （ RA ） り （ RI ） る （ RU ） れ （ RE ） ろ （ RO ）

Welcome to the last main set! It's only eight characters just like the last set, so hopefully it's not too bad. It does include the infamous ra-ri-ru-re-ro column though, which does tend to give some people trouble pronunciation-wise. Please be sure to check out our " how to pronounce the Japanese R " article for more information on this.

ら is just the R / L sound plus あ, making a ra / la sound. It's pronounced like a combination of " rah rah" (like cheering) and " la la la" (like singing!). To type or write it in romaji, use "r" and write "ra." The same goes for the rest of the R column. Use "r" when writing in romaji!

ら looks like a <u>ra</u>bbit that's standing and facing left. Look at its big droopy ears. So cute!

り is just the R /L sound plus い, making a ri / li sound. It's pronounced like a combination of ree in " ree d" and lee in " lee k."

The <u>ree</u>ds are swaying in the wind.

This kana can also be written without the connection in the middle, too, which makes it more reedlike in that case (I wanted to present the more difficult of the two versions here, though).

る is just the R / L sound plus う, making a ru / lu sound.　It's pronounced like a combination of ru in " ru le" or " rou te" and loo in " loo p."

The is like ろ (you'll learn it in a second) except it has a loop at the end. る is a crazier <u>rou</u>te . There is a <u>loo</u>p at the end. Are there no rules on this road?

れ is just the R /L sound plus え, making a re / le sound. It's pronounced like a combination of re in " re tch" and le in " le d."

This looks like a guy kneeling on the ground, <u>re</u>tching up his dinner.

This kana is similar to め, わ, ぬ, and ね. What makes this one different is the curve at the back. You can identify this as the guy's knees bending, which makes it clear that he's keeled over retching his guts out.

ろ is just the R / L sound plus お, making a ro / lo sound. It's pronounced like a combination of ro in " ro ad" and lo in " lo ad." In British English, it's more like ro in " ro t" or lo in " lo ng."

This is the counterpart to る, except this one doesn't have a loop at the end. So this kana is just a plain old <u>ro</u>ad .

わ （ WA ） を （ WO ） ん （ N ）

And finally, the last group. This is a weird one. It includes わ (which is quite normal), を (which is pronounced just like お, but is primarily used as a particle), and ん (which is the only consonant-only character in all the kanaa). Let's go through them one by one.

わ is just the W sound plus あ, making a wa sound. It's pronounced like wa in " wa sabi."

This kana looks like a <u>wa</u>sp flying straight up.

It looks similar to れ, ぬ, ね, and め. And it looks especially similar to ね. You know ね is Nelly the cat because of the curl of the tail on the end. So you can imagine the cat chasing this wasp, which is why it's flying straight up to get away. Its butt is also a straight, sharp line. This is its stinger!

を is pronounced like o in " o rigami" — just like the vowel お. It used to be pronounced like "wo," but now it sounds exactly like お. Why two kana for the o sound, you wonder? Unlike お, を is primarily used as a grammar element called a " particle ." It marks the object of a sentence.

In romaji, both "o" or "wo" are used for を. To type it, write "wo."

" <u>Who</u>a! " yells the guy with no chin. Someone threw a boomerang into his mouth! That's pretty " <u>who</u>a "-worthy, I think.

ん is just the N sound, that's it. It's the only kana that consists of a single consonant. It's pronounced like the ending n sound in "pen."

In romaji, write "n." To type it, you sometimes have to type "nn." Type double "n"s, especially before vowels and y, so that it won't turn into another kana that starts with n.

This kana looks just like the lowercase n in English. They happen to be the same sounds, as well. How convenient! nnnんんん.

らりるれろわをん Exercises

This is the last of the main hiragana. The exercises will now cover quite a bit (you know quite a bit!), so make sure you understand and know everything before moving on.

• Using Tofugu's Learn Hiragana Quiz , quiz yourself on all of the main hiragana. Try to do it as quickly as you can.
• Using this worksheet , fill in all the blanks. You know the drill!

That will finish out all the main hiragana. From here on out it's just combinations of kana or variations on kana you already know, which makes things both easier and harder. Let's start with the "variation hiragana," also known as…

Dakuten & Han-Dakuten

Dakuten is a symbol that looks like this → ゛. Looks like a double quotation mark, right?

This dakuten symbol marks hiragana from certain consonant columns and changes their pronunciation. It turns the consonant into a "voiced" or "vibrating" sound, which just means your vocal cords vibrate when the sound is made. Let's take a closer look at each so that you know what I mean by that!

が （ GA ） ざ （ ZA ） だ （ DA ） ば （ BA ） ぱ （ PA ）

Luckily for you, there are only five rows of dakuten kana to learn, and all you have to learn is what the sound changes to (since you know the kana already). Let's go over each of those dakuten transformations.

Every kana in the か column can have dakuten. When this happens, the K sound becomes a G sound.

Because you know the か column already, all you really need to remember is that K → G. Think of it this way:

The <u>ca</u>r (か) runs into the <u>gua</u>rd (が) rail.

When something from the さ column gets dakuten, it changes to a Z sound, with the exception of し (which is already an exception, so this makes sense!). Although じ sounds more like "JI" than "ZI," keep in mind both spellings work when you type. The same goes for other combination hiragana that use じ — You can either use J or Z for typing characters like じゅ, for example.

All you have to remember is that S → Z, except in the case of し, which goes to じ. Exceptions will breed exceptions, so make sure you keep this in mind. To remember the S → Z part, though, consider the following mnemonic:

My <u>sa</u>w (さ) just <u>za</u>pped (ざ) me when I tried to use it. (imagine yourself trying to use a saw/さ and getting zapped/ざ).

Do you remember what the K-column converts to? Do you remember what the S-column converts to? What is the exception in the S-column? When you're able to answer all that, move on to the next dakuten set.

The T-column kana change to D sounds, except for the exceptions (which are ち and づ). Remember: Exception breeds exception!

Note: If you're typing, write "di."

Note: If you're typing, write "du."

Take a look at ぢ and づ again. Although they used to be pronounced differently (more like "dzi" and "dzu"), nowadays, ぢ and づ are pronounced exactly like じ and ず. However, in written form, they're still used for sounds that originated from ち and つ. So bear in mind that if you want to type ぢ and づ, you'll need to type "di" and "du" — not "zi" and "zu."

To remember that the た column changes to become the だ column, think of it this way:

Changing these kana to the dakuten versions is a bit like magic… "<u>TADA</u>!" (た & だ)

Do you remember what the K-column changes to? Do you remember what the S-column changes to? What about the T-column? Do you remember the three exceptions we've run into so far? If you can answer all of those questions it's time to move on to the last dakuten set, which is really two sets in one.

The H-column is a bit strange. It has two different kinds of symbols that can be applied to it. One is the regular dakuten — that "quotes" symbol you've seen so far. The other is called han-dakuten, a little circle like this → ゜. This han-dakuten makes phonetically voiceless sounds: unlike voiced sounds (dakuten sounds), your vocal cords don't vibrate when you make them. Han-dakuten only applies to H sounds and turn them into P sounds so it should be easy to remember, though.

は　→　ば (ba), ぱ (pa)

ひ　→　び (bi), ぴ (pi)

ふ　→　ぶ (bu), ぷ (pu)

へ　→　べ (be), ぺ (pe)

ほ　→　 ぼ (bo), ぽ (po)

You have to remember that the H-column goes to both a B and a P sound. What a pain. Think of it this way:

You're saying " <u>ha</u>haha (は) " at the <u>ba</u>r (ば) , because you've been drinking too much.

You say " <u>ha</u>haha (は) " so much at the bar that somebody <u>pu</u>nches (ぱ) you.

Imagine through that story with you being the one saying "hahaha" (i.e. you're laughing) a couple of times, trying to get the details as vivid as possible (especially the details that have to do with laughing, the bar, and getting punched).

To help you a little more, you can remember that the P-column is the one that uses the little circle. Why? Because that little circle is like a little fist that's about to punch you.

Before moving on, try to recall the mnemonics we used for the following (and remember what each converts to):

か　→ さ　→ た　→ は　→ は　→

When you're able to do and recall everything, it's time to practice and see how good you really are!

Dakuten Practice

This practice will mainly focus on dakuten but also include all the kana you've learned up until this point.

• Using Tofugu's Learn Hiragana Quiz , select only the dakuten hiragana and drill those for 5-10 minutes until you feel somewhat comfortable.
• Now, add in all the other kana, mixed in with the dakuten kana.
• Using this worksheet , fill in all the blanks.

When you're all done with that you should know all the kana fairly well, some better than others. I imagine there will be a few nagging "difficult" kana for you (it will depend on each individual which kana these are), but over time as you use hiragana and read more everything will get easier and easier. The whole point of this guide is to help you to get you reading, making it so you can use various other resources to continue your Japanese study.

Combination Hiragana

There's only one more section to complete. You're not really learning much that's new here, but you are going to learn how to combine different types of kana together to make some new sounds. Mainly, we're going to focus on what small ゃ, ゅ, and ょ can do to kana from the い row (that includes き, し, じ, に, etc). In other words, what we are combining are these two elements:

Kana from the い (I) row. This also means kana that end with an I-sound when written in romaji, which are: き (k i ) - し (sh i ) - ち (ch i ) - に (n i ) - ひ (h i ) - み (m i ) - り (r i ) - ぎ (g i ) - じ (j i ) - ぢ (j i ) - び (b i ) - ぴ (p i ) Note the vowel い itself won't apply here!

The small ゃ - ゅ - ょ The small versions of や (ya) - ゆ (yu) - よ (yo). Look closely to see how they're almost half the size of the regular kana: やゃ ゆゅ よょ

Now you know what to combine, here's how to combine them. What's important in this process is you drop the I-sound that comes from the い-row kana. For example:

き + ゃ → KIYA → KYA

じ + ょ → JIYO → JYO

See how the "i" gets dropped and it just becomes one syllable of sound? Here's a list of them all:

きゃ、きゅ、きょ　→　KYA, KYU, KYO

ぎゃ、ぎゅ、ぎょ　→　GYA, GYU, GYO

しゃ、しゅ、しょ　→　SHA, SHU, SHO

じゃ、じゅ、じょ　→　JYA, JYU, JYO (or JA, JU, JO)

ちゃ、ちゅ、ちょ　→　CHA, CHU, CHO

ぢゃ、ぢゅ、ぢょ　→　DYA, DYU, DYO (you'll never see these, pretty much ever)

にゃ、にゅ、にょ　→　NYA, NYU, NYO

ひゃ、ひゅ、ひょ　→　HYA, HYU, HYO

びゃ、びゅ、びょ　→　BYA, BYU, BYO

ぴゃ、ぴゅ、ぴょ　→　PYA, PYU, PYO

みゃ、みゅ、みょ　→　MYA, MYU, MYO

りゃ、りゅ、りょ　→　RYA, RYU, RYO

Combination Hiragana Practice

With this knowledge it's time to practice. I've made a worksheet that covers these combination kana. Go through it and fill in all the blanks.

When you're done, you should be able to read almost everything that hiragana throws at you. Everything except one little thing…

Small Tsu (っ)

The small tsu is a weird little thing but we'll make sense of it. This kana doesn't have a sound. Instead, it adds a quick little pause before a consonant sound in a word. The easiest way to think of it is to call it a "double consonant." That is because the consonant after a small っ is written twice when writing in romaji. Let's take a look at how the following hiragana converts to romaji.

したい → shitai

しったい → shit_tai

かっこ → kak_ko

いった　→　it_ta

See how that worked? したい is just plain "shitai" without the small っ. But when you add it in, it becomes shittai . The small っ that comes before the "ta" causes the consonant to double, making it "shit_tai." Make sure you understand how that works with kako/kakko too.

In terms of pronunciation, did you hear that small pause where the small っ exists? Let's take a look at another example:

いっしょ → ish_sho

You will hear both of the consonants as separate sounds. One that ends the first part of the word, and one that starts the second half (with the small っ) showing you where that half point is.

For a while it will probably be difficult to distinguish a small っ and a large つ, especially in handwriting. After you get more experience and read a lot more you'll be able to make this distinction quite easily.

Additional Practice

Although you could probably go out into the real world and practice hiragana on your own, I thought I'd provide for you some ways to practice your newfound skills. I wouldn't recommend doing everything here all at once but instead spread it out over the course of a couple weeks. Spacing your practice is very important if you want to get better at something more quickly. Doing all this at one time won't be all that effective. Luckily you can always start working on other parts of Japanese in the meantime while you continue to practice hiragana.

We made a couple more worksheets for you to download/copy/print out. They're a little different from before though. This time they're real sentences and we're not keeping track of what kana we're using, so it's a bit more like real life. You'll still want to put the romaji above the kana and read each kana out loud. Don't worry too much about meaning, that's not what we're learning right now and it will definitely be way above your ability level.

• Hiragana Practice #1
• Hiragana Practice #2

When you finish those, I bet you'll be feeling pretty special, like some kind of hiragana master. If you don't, there's always more ways to practice.

Apps & Other Programs

There are plenty of apps and resources out there to help you drill as well. Some of them you've seen already because of this guide, others you have not.

• Tofugu's Learn Hiragana Quiz
• Anki (you'll need to download a hiragana deck)
• Dr. Moku's Hiragana Mnemonics (in case our mnemonics aren't doing it for you)

I'm sure there are plenty of other resources out there as well, but this should be good enough to get you to that level where you can start using the hiragana with other resources.

"Real Life" Practice

Of course, if you'd like to practice more there are plenty of "real life" ways to practice hiragana. Just go to any Japanese website and read all the hiragana that you can find. If anything it will teach you to differentiate between kanji, katakana, and hiragana, which is a nice skill to have. Try the NHK NEWS WEB EASY , or any of these graded readers .

Moving On Practice

After learning hiragana to a moderately slow level, you don't have to keep drilling it until it's fast. In fact, you can just move on to something else. Hiragana will keep popping up just about everywhere, so by learning something new you're actually reviewing the hiragana at the same time!

Hiragana is only the start of things to come. You have so much more to do and hiragana will help you to get there. Although the answer to the question "what's next" is going to be somewhat vague / dependent on the individual, here are some suggestions to move you along your way.

I do highly recommend that you get started on kanji right away. A lot of people think they should wait until they have a higher level of Japanese but that is usually a terrible idea. Being good at kanji speeds up just about every other facet of learning the Japanese language, from grammar to reading to speaking to listening. If you're weak at kanji you'll be weaker at everything else. Many people think kanji is difficult, but we made WaniKani to show that it's not as hard as people think.

At the same time as kanji it's worth learning katakana. Katakana won't come up nearly as much especially at a really early stage of Japanese, but it's not rare enough to ignore. If you liked this guide to hiragana, check out our guide for learning katakana . It's just as stellar.

Along with kanji or after you have a foundation in kanji, it's time to learn some Japanese grammar. There are many resources to help you to do this. There are sites like Tae Kim's Guide To Japanese as well as textbooks ( we like the Genki series ). We also have a collection of our own grammar references on this Tofugu website as well.

I hope this guide helped you to learn hiragana effectively and quickly! Keep working hard and you'll continue to get better and better. With hiragana you have the tools to start your Japanese studies no matter what resource or textbook you end up choosing, so try a lot of things and see what works for you. Feel free to check out some of our reviews on Japanese resources !

P.S. We're working on adding videos to this guide, so check back occasionally if you're having trouble with pronunciation (because videos will help a lot with that!).

A system that transliterates Japanese into English letters.  ↩

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14 Hiragana Practice Resources for Japanese Beginner Students (Plus a Hiragana Quiz)

Hiragana is essential to your Japanese education.

If you want to learn Japanese fast , committing these basic characters to memory will make your language learning journey much more efficient.

And the best way to learn hiragana characters is to practice, practice, practice!

Here are 14 splendid resources that will get you the practice you need to know your hiragana characters like the back of your 手 (て) — hand. I know they work well because I personally used all of these at some point when I was learning Japanese.

But first, take our quiz to test our your hiragana knowledge now.

Hiragana Quiz

Top resources for japanese hiragana practice, 1. hiragana quiz, 3. dr lingua “drag and drop”, 4. tanoshii japanese, 5. kuma sensei, 7. japanese-lesson.com, 8. tae kim’s guide to learning japanese.

• 9. “Learning Japanese Hiragana and Katakana”

10. Kana Town

11. tofugu’s learn kana quiz, 12. real kana, 13. usagi-chan’s genki resource page, 14. gyford hiragana and katakana quiz, an introduction to japanese writing systems, why learn hiragana.

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)

Choose the correct English syllable to match each hiragana character.

Hiragana Quiz is a simple, no-frills quiz that’s easy to use. That’s why I use it all the time.

The quiz works by showing you a character. Then, you simply type in the equivalent pronunciation in rōmaji  and click “correct me.”

The quiz features both hiragana and katakana but tracks your scores for each separately, making it easy to see how strong you are with either type of character. If you see a katakana character and do not even want to try, you can also click “next” to skip over it.

FluentU is an immersive language-learning program that lets you practice and learn Japanese hiragana by watching authentic Japanese videos.

FluentU takes real-world videos—like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks—and turns them into personalized language learning lessons .

It naturally and gradually eases you into learning Japanese language and culture. You’ll learn real Japanese as it’s spoken in real life.

Just take a look at the wide variety of authentic video content available in the program. Here’s a small sample:

You’ll discover tons of new Japanese vocabulary through these great clips.

Don’t worry about your skill level being an issue when it comes to understanding the language. FluentU makes native Japanese videos approachable through interactive transcripts.

Tap on any word to look it up instantly.

You’ll see definitions, in-context usage examples and helpful illustrations . Simply tap “add” to send interesting vocabulary words to your personal vocab list for later review.

FluentU even uses a learning program which adapts to your specific needs to turn every video into a language learning lesson and get you to actively practice your newly-learned language skills.

Start using the FluentU website on your computer or tablet or, better yet, download the FluentU app from the iTunes or Google Play store. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)

If you prefer your hiragana practice gamified, check out this interactive site.

In this game, you drag the hiragana characters onto their equivalent rōmaji pronunciations.

As you play, a timer runs. Although this can create a fairly high-pressure situation, you can use the timer to work on faster recognition. Simply make a note of your time in the game. Then, the next time you play, aim to complete the game a little quicker.

The more you play, the faster you will get—which means your character recognition is improving!

Regardless of whether you are studying hiragana, katakana or kanji, Tanoshii Japanese has a fun game to help you practice. I use it all the time.

But let’s jump straight to the good stuff: the hiragana games.

You can choose either “multi-game” or “single-game.” “Multi-game” allows you to select multiple types of practice and progress through several games in one sitting, while “single-game” presents you with just one type of game at a time.

There are a few different styles of practice available. Your options include character recognition and matching, stroke order and English or Japanese flashcards.

If you are feeling ambitious, “multi-game” lets you select every category and play through them all.

You can also choose which lessons (from a set list) you want to practice and how long you want the game to be.

Kuma Sensei offers hiragana  flashcards and exercises. Why not give both a try for some well-rounded practice?

The flashcards display images of hiragana characters. Whenever you want to see the equivalent rōmaji, just click to flip the card.

The exercises ask you to convert hiragana into rōmaji and vice versa. This is a helpful way to practice transitioning between the two.

Technically, this website contains support materials for the Genki textbooks. However, that does not mean you cannot use it to augment your learning, too!

Genki offers a nice assortment of material to help you practice hiragana.

One option is an interactive hiragana character chart. You can click any character to access an animation of proper stroke order, an audio pronunciation and even a little movie that will make the character easier to remember.

There are also “flashcards” that act more like a quiz: Each flashcard asks you to list the rōmaji for the hiragana character you are presented with.

There is even a listening quiz to help you connect hiragana with their sounds.

Finally, a fun concentration game has you find and pair matching hiragana together.

Japanese-Lesson.com has helpful practice for something you may not have fully worked on: writing hiragana by hand , which was one of the hardest skills for me to acquire personally.

Printable practice sheets show you the stroke order.

Then, all you have to do is imitate that stroke order to form hiragana characters and repeat until it comes naturally to you.

Tae Kim’s Guide to Learning Japanese offers four different practice activities to get your hiragana skills on point.

The first is an easy flip chart of rōmaji letters. Click on any pairing to see the equivalent hiragana character.

The next two exercises are writing activities in which you are asked to convert rōmaji to the corresponding hiragana.

The final activity is reading practice. You will read characters in hiragana and turn them back into rōmaji for a well-rounded learning experience.

9. “ Learning Japanese Hiragana and Katakana ”

This workbook and self-study guide can be your go-to source for all your kana needs.

That’s because it provides a lot of information between its two covers: some background about the characters, learning reviews, practice activities and self-testing opportunities.

Plus, there is even some downloadable audio for the book available on the publisher’s website.

Available: Android

On-the-go hiragana practice? Yes, please!

The Kana Town app allows you to practice your hiragana anywhere.

The app offers a chart to help you study the connection between hiragana and the associated rōmaji characters. Practice activities reinforce your learning.

Feeling ambitious? The program even allows you to start learning some basic vocabulary.

Just like what it sounds like, Tofugu’s site is a well designed place to practice kana—both katakana and hiragana. I use this one all the time to boost my memory.

You can both practice and quiz yourself here, and they’ve included excellent categories, including main kana, Dakuten kana and combination kana, so you’ll have a grasp of all of these if you use the site often, which I recommend you do.

Available: iOS

Real Kana is both a website and an app, so you can study at home and on-the-go, which is a great way to memorize all those pesky characters.

Both forms provide interactive quizzes and drills, aiding learners in recognizing and writing characters accurately. The platform offers customizable exercises, allowing users to focus on specific characters or combinations. Real Kana’s clean interface and responsive design make it accessible across devices.

It’s a free resource that serves as an excellent supplement to formal language learning, enhancing proficiency in reading and writing Japanese script.

Usagi-Chan’s Genki Resource Page is a comprehensive online hub for learners of the Japanese language using the popular Genki textbook series.

It offers a wealth of supplementary materials, including grammar explanations, vocabulary lists and interactive exercises.

The site’s user-friendly layout and clear instructions make it an invaluable companion for self-study. It also provides audio resources for pronunciation practice and cultural insights.

The Gyford Hiragana and Katakana Quiz is a fantastic online tool for mastering the fundamental Japanese scripts.

It offers interactive quizzes and exercises specifically tailored to hiragana and katakana characters. With customizable options, learners can focus on specific sets or difficulty levels. The quizzes are intuitive and user-friendly, providing instant feedback to reinforce learning.

The platform’s straightforward design makes it accessible to beginners and advanced learners alike. Gyford’s quiz is a valuable resource for honing kana proficiency, aiding in the journey towards Japanese language mastery.

If you are just starting out with your Japanese education, it is important to note that there are four main types of Japanese character: kanji, hiragana, katakana and rōmaji.

Rōmaji is simply the use of Latin script to write the Japanese language.

Kanji are characters of Chinese origin that form the central base of many words.

Katakana  is usually used to write foreign words, onomatopoeia or to emphasize something.

Hiragana  is used to modify kanji, to alter the grammar of a word or sentence, to form entire words and particles and to allow younger or less experienced Japanese speakers to read kanji.

Hiragana and katakana are both comprised of phonetic characters, which means that each character represents a sound. Together, they are called  kana.

If there are four different types of characters in Japanese, why focus on hiragana?

Well, if you are reading this, you already know how to read rōmaji. Kanji is complex, and it requires years of study to memorize the many characters needed for literacy. Katakana is not used nearly as often as it mostly represents foreign or borrowed words.

That just leaves hiragana!

Besides this simple process of elimination, there are many reasons to study hiragana.

Hiragana  appears more frequently than other types of characters. It is right up there with kanji in frequency of use.

Since hiragana can modify kanji and serve as the grammatical structure that holds a sentence together, you will see hiragana constantly.

Even  easy Japanese words and phrases  use it, so it is a good idea to learn hiragana right from the beginning.

Hiragana is   phonetic. This means you can look at the characters and know exactly how they are pronounced.

Hiragana is also a good starter for learning more Japanese characters.  Eventually, you will want to  learn hiragana and katakana  along with your kanji. But for beginning students, learning hiragana is a less daunting way to start learning Japanese characters.

It can even be used to clarify how to pronounce more complex kanji, making it a useful tool for  Japanese self study .

So go ahead and get your hiragana on. These 14 splendid sources will give you the practice you need to read and speak better, and you’ll do better on your next hiragana quiz, too.

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Japanese Letters

The Japanese language has three types of characters: Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji. Hiragana and Katakana are phonetic symbols, each representing one syllable while Kanji is ideogram, each stand for certain meaning.

Speaking and listening, right here .

Click each character for more

Learn more!

• Dummy Dummy
• PDF Download Hiragana
• PDF Download Katakana

To Apps for learning Japanese letters, please click here.

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Translation of “homework” in Japanese

Word of the day: minimal · 最小限

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Use our dictionary's search form to translate English to Japanese and translate Japanese to English.

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Writing/ Reading: Hiragana

Hiragana　ひらがな.

This chapter, we will learn how to read and write Hiragana. Please read “ Writing System ” first. Hiragana information and practice site (JOSHU) You can use Hiragana mnemonic pictures. to learn hiragana reading.

Learn how to read and write (stroke order ) あいうえお Hiragana ひらがな table (JOSHU) You can practice writing with Hira/Kata Drawing Practice pad (created by UT student Kenneth Le)

Check stroke order and sound  Hiragana ひらがな table あ〜ん (JOSHU) You can practice writing with Hira/Kata Drawing Practice pad (created by UT student Kenneth Le) Hiragana Trace with stroke order あ〜ん

Trace and practice Hiragana あ〜の (print out and write)

Use a blank Practice sheet if you would like practice more by yourself.

Hiragana chart with stroke order

Practice Hiragana sounds あ〜の(343)

Transcriptionあ〜の

Check stroke order and sound Hiragana ひらがな table あ〜ん (JOSHU) You can practice writing with Hira/Kata Drawing Practice pad (created by UT student Kenneth Le) Hiragana Trace with stroke order あ〜ん

Transcription は〜ん

Trace and practice Hiragana は〜ん　 (print out and write) Use a blank Practice sheet if you would like practice more by yourself.

Practice Hiragana sounds は〜ん (344) Practice Hiragana sounds あ〜ん (342)

Practice Hiragana あ〜ん flashcards

「あいうえお」のうた　カリキュラマシーン illustration: 赤塚不二夫（あかつかふじお）

Check ひらがなtable が〜ぽ You can practice writing with Hira/Kata Drawing Practice pad (created by UT student Kenneth Le)

Trace and practice Hiragana が〜ぽ (print out and write)

Practice Hiragana flash cards あ〜ん　が〜ぽ

Transcription が〜ぽ

Double Consonants 「っ」

Double consonants(pp, kk etc.) are written using small tsu 「っ」which double the sound it precedes.

Small tsu「っ」=1 beat : no sound but one syllable timing

ねこ(neko two beat/ cat) ねっこ（nekko; three beats/ root)

まくら(makura three beats/ pillow) まっくら(makkura four beats/ pitch black)

Trace and practice Hiragana small っ (Click 「ひらがな促音-簡単１~２」) Use a blank Practice sheet if you would like practice more by yourself.

Transcription practice

Double Vowels

Double vowels(aa, ii, uu, ee, oo)  Writing Rule:

<aa> おばさん(obasan 4beats aunt; middle aged woman おば あ さん(obaasan 5beats grandma; old lady) <ii> おじさん(ojisan 4beats uncle; middle aged man) おじ い さん(ojiisan 5 beats grandpa; old man) <uu> す う がく(suugaku 4beats math)

Special: most of the time

<ee> uses 「い」 せんせ い (sensee 4beats teacher; instructor) しつれ い (shitsuree 4 beats rude; excuse me) exception: ええ(ee yes) ねえ（nee attention getter)

<oo> uses 「う」 おと う さん(otoosan 5beats; father) ど う も(doomo three beats; thanks) exception: お お きい(ookii big) と お い(tooi far)

Trace and practice Hiragana double vowels (Click 「ひらがな長音-簡単 1〜10」) Use a blank Practice sheet if you would like practice more by yourself.

double vowels transcription

Small ya/ yu/ yo や・ゆ・よ for glade sounds Check ひらがなtable きゃ〜ぴょ

Trace and practice Hiragana きゃ〜ぴょ (JOSHU:print out and write) Trace and practice Hiragana glide sounds (click 「ひらがな練習-拗音」materials) Use a blank Practice sheet if you would like practice more by yourself.

Practice Hiragana flash cards が〜ぽ　きゃ〜ぴょ

Practice Hiragana sounds きゃ〜ぴょ (345) Practice Hiragana words recognizing (350) Practice Hiragana words audio animal(347) Practice Hiragana words audio 1 (348) Practice Hiragana words audio 2 (349)

Transcription きゃ〜ぴょ

More Practices from JOSHU

Practice Hiragana words (audio) (346) Practice Hiragana common phrases (audio)(368)

Special Writing System

<particles>.

Topic Marker: は（wa)

______は（wa) __________です。

これ は (wa)わたしのほんです。 かさ は （wa)さんかい（third floor)です。

Object Marker: を(o)

_____を（o)_________ます。（verb)

たなかさん は (wa)、ハンバーガー を (o)たべます。

Destination marker: へ (e)

Place へ（e)＿＿＿＿＿＿＿ます。（motion verb)

ヒューストン へ (e) かえります。 あした、HEB へ (e) いきます。

<Punctuation>

  「。」　  まる(maru)：a period, a question mark

ブラウンさんはだいがくへいきました。 はじめまして。やまだです。

  「、」　  てん(ten)：  a comma

すみません、たなかさんですか。 いいえ、ちがいます。

  「　」  かぎかっこ(kagikakko)： quotation marks

ブラウンさんは「きのう、だいがくへいきました。」といいました。

  ・    なかてん(nakaten)：midpoint

おなまえは。 リンダ・ブラウンです。

  ．．．  さんてんリーダー(santenriidaa)：ellipsis points

あした、えいがをみませんか。 すみませんが、ちょっと   ．．．

transcription practice expression

transcription practice sentences

Transcription Writing 1 あ〜の

Check your answer with GS_Transcription 1_answer

Transcription Writing 2　は〜ん

Check your answer with  GS_Transcription 2_answer

Transcription Writing 3　が〜ぽ

Check your answer with  GS_Transcription 3_answer

Transcription Writing 4　double consonants

Check your answer with  GS_Transcription 4_answer

Transcription Writing 5 double vowels

Check your answer with  GS_Transcription 5_answer

Transcription Writing 6 glade sounds

Check your answer with  GS_Transcription 6_answer

Transcription Writing 7 expressions

Check your answer with GS_Transcription 7_answer

Transcription Writing 8 sentences

Check your answer with GS_Transcription 8_Answer

Transcription from JOSHU 1

Hiragana Transcription 1 (printout and practice) check answer 1

Transcription from JOSHU 2

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Hiragana Practice Exercises

Fill in the hiragana chart.

Though I already mentioned that there are many sites and helper programs for learning Hiragana, I figured I should put in some exercises of my own in the interest of completeness. I’ve removed the obsolete characters since you won’t need to know them. I suggest playing around with this chart and a scrap piece of paper to test your knowledge of Hiragana.

Click on the flip link to show or hide each character.

Hiragana Writing Practice

In this section, we will practice writing some words in Hiragana. This is the only part of this guide where we will be using the English alphabet to represent Japanese sounds. I’ve added bars between each letter to prevent the ambiguities that is caused by romaji such as “un | yo” vs “u | nyo”. Don’t get too caught up in the romaji spellings. Remember, the whole point is to test your aural memory with Hiragana. I hope to replace this with sound in the future to remove the use of romaji altogether.

Hiragana Writing Exercise 1

Sample: ta | be | mo | no ＝ たべもの

More Hiragana Writing Practice

Now we’re going to move on to practice writing Hiragana with the small 「や」、「ゆ」、「よ」 、and the long vowel sound. For the purpose of this exercise, I will denote the long vowel sound as “－” and leave you to figure out which Hiragana to use based on the letter preceding it.

Hiragana Writing Exercise 2

Sample: jyu | gyo－ ＝ じゅぎょう

Hiragana Reading Practice

Now let’s practice reading some Hiragana. I want to particularly focus on correctly reading the small 「つ」. Remember to not get too caught up in the unavoidable inconsistencies of romaji. The point is to check whether you can figure out how it’s supposed to sound in your mind.

Hiragana Reading Exercise

Sample: とった ＝ totta

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Welcome to r/LearnJapanese, *the* hub on Reddit for learners of the Japanese Language.

Tips for learning Hiragana & Katakana?

I've started learning Japanese for a few weeks now, I've learn't some basic phrases so far. But I'm trying to start learning to read & write. To be honest the whole idea of learning 2 new sets of characters is quite sacary and looks challenging for me. So does anyone on here have any beginers tips on learning and getting motivated to learn. Any websites would also be appreciated.

“I Forgot” in Japanese – Phrases to Say When You Don’t Remember

In this lesson, we will learn how to say “ I forget” and “ I forgot” in Japanese. They are useful phrases to know when you can’t come up with  particular words and expressions in conversations or when you forget to bring something. Let’s get started!

• 1 “To forget” in Japanese
• 2 The Japanese Words for Forget/Forgot/Forgotten
• 3 Japanese Variations to Forget Something
• 4 Japanese Variations to Remember Something
• 5.1 Four Character Idioms about forgetting
• 6 Simple Questions and Answers in Dialogue

“To forget” in Japanese

The translation for the English word “ to forget” is わすれる (Wasureru | 忘れる) in the Japanese language, and it’s one of the Eru-ending verbs. The kanji 忘 (ぼう、もう | Bou, Mou) is a part of JLPT N3 Kanji in にほんごのうりょくけんてい (日本語能力検定 | Japanese Language Proficiency Test ).

• Present tense: わすれる (Wasureru | 忘れる)
• Past tense: わすれた (Wasureta | 忘れた)

The Japanese Words for Forget/Forgot/Forgotten

Here are some vocabulary words related to “I forgot” in Japanese . We’ve listed them in hiragana, kanji , and romaji, so knowing the Japanese alphabet can help you read these Japanese characters as well.

*In casual speech, they often become わすれてた (Wasureteta | 忘れてた) and わすれてない (Wasuretenai | 忘れてない) by omitting the sound of い (I).

Example Sentences

Here, we show you some example sentences with formal and informal forms when possible. Let’s see how Japanese people use them in everyday conversations.

If you’d like to learn in-depth about constructing sentences in Japanese, we have a separate article on Japanese sentence structure that can help.

Japanese Variations to Forget Something

Below are some words you can use when you’re referring to forgetting something.

Japanese Variations to Remember Something

On the other hand, here are some different ways to express that you remember something.

Vocabulary related to “I forgot” in Japanese

We’ve listed additional Japanese vocabulary below that is related to saying “I forgot” in Japanese.

Four Character Idioms about forgetting

In Japanese, there are idioms called よじじゅくご (Yoji Jukugo | 四字熟語) which mean “four-character idioms.”

Below are the idioms that are related to saying “I forgot” in Japanese.

Simple Questions and Answers in Dialogue

Let’s brush up your vocabulary with simple dialogues. You can also improve your understanding by creating a short dialogue on your own!

Now that you know how to say “I forget” and “I forgot” in Japanese , let us discover the things you find difficult to remember and determine ways to make them easier! With that, let’s go over some ways to learn Japanese easily and fast next ! Surely, you won’t be saying “I forgot” anymore.

がんばっ てください (Ganbatte kudasai!)! ^^

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Learning Hiragana Series – Lesson 4: The T-Column

• By Jessica Dobbs
• July 14, 2018

みなさん、こんにちは！ I hope you all have had a fantastic week, and have been able to practice everything up until now. This weeks’ lesson is a little late, because my birthday was on Wednesday! I had a lot going on and had a lot of fun. I’ll do a separate post to talk more about my birthday, and what my ともだち Masaru sent to me. But, for now, let’s dig into the next lesson, shall we? Today, we will be learning the T-Column of the Hiragana chart!

So, after learning the S-Column , the K-Column , and the Vowels , we will be digging into the T-Column. Let’s have some fun and study hard together! Please note, that today there will be -two- exceptions to this column. So, today we will be learning, “ta, chi, tsu, te, and to”, or 「た、ち、つ、て、と」 respectively.

「ち」 is the second part of the T-Column that we will learn together, and the first of the two exceptions in this column. You would think, based on the pattern of the columns before, that this would be “ti”, but it’s actually, “chi”. It sounds like the first part of the word “cheek”. To help you remember this kana, simply imagine a cheerleader doing a cheer within the kana itself.

「つ」 is the third part of the T-Column that we will cover today, and is also the second exception to this column. Instead of “tu”, you say “tsu”. Think of the word, “tsunami”, and you’ll be fine remembering how to pronounce this kana. And, coincidentally enough, you can picture a tsunami wave in the kana to help you remember how it looks and reads too!

「て」 is the fourth part of the T-Column that we will learn today, and it will also be in the same pattern as most of the kana. “Te” is how it is pronounced, like the beginning of the word “ten”. The best way to learn how to remember this kana, is to look at your right palm. You can almost see the kana there in the lines, can’t you? Also, the coolest part about this kana is that one of the Japanese words for “hand”, is pronounced “TE”!

「と」 is the fifth and final part of the T-Column that we will cover this week. It is pronounced like “toe”, even though it looks like “to”. The best way to visualize this kana while trying to remember it and it’s sound is to picture a thorn being stuck in your toe! Ouch!

Homework for days!!! Well, maybe not days, but yes, there will be homework this week as well. Trust me, it’ll all come in handy, and at least it’s easy, right?

1. First, I want you to visit this website to do some Drag n’ Drop Hiragana . Focus only on the 20 kana you know, which are now the T-Column, S-Column, K-Column kana, and the vowels. You don’t have to worry about timing yourself either, you just want to be able to find the hiragana you’ve learned, and know which of those five correspond with their correct romaji sounds. (You’ll focus on the last four rows on the right.) If you do want to time yourself before doing the second piece of homework, then aim for all fifteen hiragana within 45 seconds. I think that should be a worthwhile challenge, don’t you? 😉

2. Secondly, I want you to download this pdf worksheet (print it out too if you haven’t already), and practice writing (or typing) in the corresponding romaji for the kana shown. This time, it will be kana from all four of the columns you have learned so far, so it should be a little more difficult, and twice as much fun!

3. New Homework! That’s right, it’s time to throw you for a loop and make you do something new. I’m tricksy like the hobbits in Lord of the Rings like that. 😉 But anyhow, joking aside, for your third piece of homework, I want you to go to RealKana . What you will do is check off the first four columns (the one’s we’ve covered so far), and uncheck all of the columns in the katakana tab. (Trust me, you don’t know these yet.) Now, I want you to click on the “options” tab, and choose all of the typefaces they have available. You may be asking “why” in your mind, and so I will tell you why. Just like in English (and virtually any other language in the world), there are differences in the way that things are written out, and it’s good to be able to notice those differences, and not have them confuse you. (Think of Handwriting versus Typed out things here.) You’ll start to notice these differences with the help of RealKana . After using this resource for roughly 5-10 minutes, you can move on to the final piece of homework.

4. Your final piece of homework, is also an optional one. This piece of homework is perfect for anyone who wishes to learn how to write in Japanese while learning how to read and speak it as well. Simply download this pdf and print it out , if you haven’t already. Only practice sheet numbers one through four.

That is it for this week’s lesson. I apologize again for the delay, but I hope you find today’s lesson thrilling and useful. (Probably more useful than thrilling, but one can hope I suppose. Lol) If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to leave a comment below! I will answer as quickly as I am able! Until next time, which I hope to be back on Wednesday again, good luck with your studies and enjoy your weekend! I look forward to seeing you next week for the next installment of this Learning Hiragana series.

がんばって！ Jessica

Hello, I am Jessica, and I am the creator of My Nihongo Journey. I am 31 years old, married, and love Anime, nature, hiking and so much more! Please learn Japanese with me!

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What’s the Difference Between Hiragana and Katakana?

There are three main scripts in the Japanese writing system: Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji. The qualities and goals of each script are unique. This page focuses on Hiragana and Katakana, two of these writing systems.

The Japanese written language makes use of two phonetic letters, Hiragana and Katakana, to represent spoken sounds. Both scripts provide a useful function, but they do so in somewhat different ways and with slightly different uses. Learning the distinctions between Hiragana and Katakana is crucial to reading, writing, and understanding Japanese.

The differences between Hiragana and Katakana in terms of appearance, pronunciation, and usage will be explored in the following sections. You will finish this article with a firm grasp of the differences between the two Japanese scripts and an appreciation for their cultural significance.

Like its sister scripts Katakana and Kanji, Hiragana is central to the Japanese language’s written representation. It’s a phonetic writing system with 46 symbols, each of which stands for a different sound. Hiragana is the first script that most Japanese youngsters learn and is widely regarded as the most essential for writing in Japanese.

Here are the key aspects to understand about Hiragana:

Purpose and Characteristics

• When no kanji equivalent can be found, native Japanese speakers will often resort to using hiragana.
• The letters are long and curved, giving the impression of cursive writing.
• Instead of representing individual consonant or vowel sounds, each letter in Hiragana represents a whole syllable.
• It includes grammatical details like verb tenses, adjective affixes, and particle definitions.

Phonetics and Pronunciation

• Hiragana characters represent a combination of consonant-vowel sounds or standalone vowels.
• For example, “あ” represents the “a” sound, “か” represents the “ka” sound, and “さ” represents the “sa” sound.
• Hiragana characters cover the complete range of Japanese sounds, including both basic and modified sounds.

Usage and Application

• Hiragana is extensively used in everyday written Japanese, especially for informal communication.
• It is commonly seen in sentences, paragraphs, and texts targeting children or beginners.
• Hiragana is also used for grammatical elements, such as particles (“は,” “が,” “を”) and verb endings.

Learning and Practice

• Learning Hiragana is the cornerstone of Japanese language study.
• The 46 Hiragana characters and their corresponding sounds are a good place to start for beginners.
• Reading and writing exercises using only Hiragana characters are recommended.
• There are several tools available to help you learn and practise Hiragana, including internet resources, textbooks, and practise exercises.

Hiragana is essential to Japanese writing because it allows native words, grammatical features, and even just simple communication to be expressed. Learning and mastering Hiragana is a crucial step on the path to Japanese proficiency.

Katakana, along with Hiragana and Kanji, makes up the Japanese writing system. There are 46 characters in this phonetic system, and they all stand for a different sound. The Japanese writing system, Katakana, is reserved for usage with foreign words, onomatopoeic expressions, technical terms, and words used for emphasis.

Let’s explore Katakana in detail:

• Katakana is used for foreign loanwords, particularly those not of Japanese origin.
• When compared to the curvy nature of Hiragana, Katakana appears more angular and straight.
• Like the Hiragana alphabet, each Katakana character stands for a syllable.
• Onomatopoeic words that imitate sounds are frequently written in Katakana.
• Katakana characters represent the same range of sounds as Hiragana.
• For example, “ア” represents the “a” sound, “カ” represents the “ka” sound, and “サ” represents the “sa” sound.
• Katakana is useful for accurately representing foreign sounds that do not exist in the Japanese language .
• Katakana is used for borrowed terms that have been incorporated into everyday use in Japan.
• Loanwords from English, French, and German are rife with this phenomenon.
• Katakana is often used for brand names, product labels, and scientific and technical words.
• Katakana is used to emphasise words, convey strong emotions, and provide stylistic variety in written Japanese.
• Memorising the 46 characters of Katakana and the sounds they represent is essential for communicating in the language.
• Learning Katakana entails reading and writing words, sentences, and texts that are all written in Katakana, much like learning Hiragana.
• Katakana can be learned and practised with the use of a variety of materials, including textbooks and internet tools.

Learning Katakana is crucial for improving one’s Japanese vocabulary, grasping loanwords, and figuring out the meaning of foreign terminology used in everyday conversation. It improves our ability to interact with others throughout the world and gives us access to more books. Students can improve their command of the Japanese language as a whole by delving into Katakana.

Differences between Hiragana and Katakana

Japanese has two different writing systems, Hiragana and Katakana. Although they seem similar and provide comparable functions, there are important distinctions between the two. Let’s take a closer look at these distinctions:

Visual Differences

• The characters of the Hiragana script are rounded and cursive. The gentler visual approach is achieved through the fluidity and curvature of the strokes.
• Characters written in Katakana are sharper and straighter than those written in other Japanese scripts. Sharp and rigid brushwork creates a more mechanical and geometric appearance.

Usage Differences

• Japanese words that do not have a corresponding kanji character are typically written in Hiragana. It is commonly used in informal written Japanese, such as those aimed at children or newcomers. Hiragana is also employed for grammatical components including particle endings, verb endings, and adjective endings.
• Foreign loanwords, especially those not of Japanese origin, are typically written in Katakana. Loanwords from English, French, and German are rife with this phenomenon. In addition to these, katakana is utilised for onomatopoeic expressions, brand names, and product labels because of its precision and clarity. Katakana can also be used to emphasise words or to introduce new stylistic elements into written Japanese.

Pronunciation Differences

• Hiragana and Katakana represent the same range of sounds in the Japanese language. The pronunciation of each character is identical in both scripts. For example, the Hiragana character “あ” and the Katakana character “ア” both represent the “a” sound.
• However, certain foreign sounds that do not exist in Japanese are typically represented by Katakana, while native Japanese sounds are often represented by Hiragana. This distinction reflects the different origins of words and helps maintain clarity in pronunciation.

Contextual Differences

The visual contrasts between Hiragana and Katakana allow for the expression of nuanced differences in tone and context. Hiragana is ideal for casual writing, personal letters, and children’s literature due to its softer, more informal tone. Katakana’s angular and mechanical aspect lends itself well to scientific literature, foreign phrases, and official papers due to its ability to give an air of formality, otherness, or complexity.

Knowing the distinctions between Hiragana and Katakana is essential for reading and writing in Japanese. Learners can get a firm handle of written Japanese by recognising the various visual styles, usage patterns, and contextual nuances that make up the language.

Importance of Learning both Hiragana and Katakana

To become fluent in Japanese, it is essential to learn both the Hiragana and Katakana scripts. Together, Hiragana and Katakana form the backbone of Japanese script. Learning any script opens up a world of reading opportunities for students, from casual chat to official documents and specialised literature. One’s capacity to read and understand the written language is bolstered by familiarity with both scripts, whether one is reading comics, news articles, or academic papers.

Learning Hiragana and Katakana is essential for communicating clearly in writing in Japanese. Japanese nouns, grammar particles, and verb endings can only be expressed using Hiragana. When it comes to portraying loanwords, foreign terms, onomatopoeic expressions, and scientific vocabulary, however, Katakana is indispensable. Learners who are fluent in both scripts will have greater flexibility in how they express themselves.

A larger vocabulary can be accessed through the use of Hiragana and Katakana. Hiragana allows students to increase their vocabulary beyond their knowledge of kanji by covering native Japanese terms that do not have kanji equivalents. Katakana is used to teach students a wide variety of loanwords from other languages that are commonly used in Japanese. The ability to read and write both scripts is a great asset for any language learner.

Understanding Japanese culture is enhanced by learning both the Hiragana and Katakana scripts. Learning Japanese this way exposes students to the language through its literature, poetry, music, and traditional texts, many of which are written in a variety of scripts. Understanding the aesthetics and cultural complexity of Japan can be aided by familiarity with the visual styles and contextual applications of Hiragana and Katakana. Appreciation and understanding of other forms of media, such as anime, manga, and modern art, are also aided by this.

Hiragana and Katakana are two Japanese scripts that are vital for everyday use. Knowing both scripts makes it easy to go around Japan, from reading signs and menus to deciphering labels and directions. The ability to read and write both scripts provides greater flexibility and usefulness in a variety of contexts, including travel, education, employment, and media consumption in Japan.

Studying Hiragana and Katakana prepares students for more advanced study of the Japanese language. Once students acquire a firm grasp of these scripts, they will be ready to move on to the more complex kanji. Hiragana and Katakana are the building blocks of the Japanese alphabet, and mastery of them makes it easier to go to more advanced levels of study.

Learn the fundamentals first, then go on to more advanced material. Learn the basic characters and how they are pronounced to get started. Repeatedly writing them down can help you remember the information. Start with single words and build up to sentences as your comfort level rises.

Be consistent. Schedule regular time to study the Japanese writing systems of Hiragana and Katakana. Putting in the time to practise on a regular basis will allow you to internalise the characters, increase your fluency, and make learning the language much more pleasurable.

Surround yourself with dual-script Japanese media. Spend some time reading a children’s book, manga, newspaper, or blog. Take the time to learn the language and give yourself the task of learning how to read Hiragana and Katakana. Your reading comprehension and rate will increase as time goes on.

It’s important to recognise and reward yourself at key points along the path to mastering Hiragana and Katakana. Admit that you have the ability to read and write some characters and words. If you achieve even the smallest of your goals, reward yourself. Get pumped up for learning and keep the enthusiasm going with these parties.

Learning a new script is challenging, but the payoff is huge if you put in the time and effort. You may improve your Japanese language skills, your vocabulary, and your familiarity with Japanese culture by learning to read and write in the Japanese scripts, Hiragana and Katakana. In order to master these essential scripts, you must maintain focus, welcome difficulty, and appreciate the process. Ganbatte (Good luck)!

The Japanese writing system consists of three primary scripts: Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji. Most Japanese children begin their education with the study of Hiragana since it is the most fundamental script for writing in Japanese. It’s a phonetic alphabet where each of the 46 signs represents a different phoneme. Hiragana characters are employed in ordinary written Japanese, and they indicate either a combination of consonant and vowel sounds or a single vowel sound. There are a number of resources available to help you learn and practise Hiragana, which is crucial for reading and writing in Japanese.

Hiragana and Katakana differ significantly from one another in a variety of ways, including appearance, use, pronunciation, and context. Katakana is used for grammatical components, foreign loanwords, onomatopoeic phrases, brand names, and product labels, while Hiragana is more generally employed in informal written Japanese. Both characters have the same pronunciation, with Katakana being used to represent non-Japanese consonants. Variations in tone and context can be expressed more clearly when there are differences in context. Learning both the Hiragana and Katakana scripts is crucial to mastering the Japanese language.

Both scripts are essential building blocks of the Japanese writing system, facilitating both clear written communication and access to a wider range of vocabulary for students. Learning both scripts allows pupils more access to Japanese culture through its written forms (literature, poetry, music, and traditional texts). Reading signs, menus, labels, and directions in Japan is a breeze when you know both scripts. Mastering the foundational Japanese alphabets of Hiragana and Katakana paves the way for further study. Students of Hiragana and Katakana would do well to start with the basics before moving on to more complex topics.

The Japanese writing systems of Hiragana and Katakana, when studied on a regular basis, help students internalise the characters, leading to greater fluency and a more enjoyable experience learning the language.

It’s crucial for learners of Hiragana and Katakana to give themselves rewards at significant milestones on the road to fluency. Despite the difficulty, the benefits of learning a new script are substantial.

Content Summary

• There are three main scripts in the Japanese writing system: Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji.
• The qualities and goals of each script are unique.
• This page focuses on Hiragana and Katakana, two of these writing systems.
• The Japanese written language makes use of two phonetic letters, Hiragana and Katakana, to represent spoken sounds.
• Both scripts provide a useful function, but they do so in somewhat different ways and with slightly different uses.
• Learning the distinctions between Hiragana and Katakana is crucial to reading, writing, and understanding Japanese.
• The differences between Hiragana and Katakana in terms of appearance, pronunciation, and usage will be explored in the following sections.
• Like its sister scripts Katakana and Kanji, Hiragana is central to the Japanese language’s written representation.
• It’s a phonetic writing system with 46 symbols, each of which stands for a different sound.
• Hiragana is the first script that most Japanese youngsters learn and is widely regarded as the most essential for writing in Japanese.
• Hiragana is essential to Japanese writing because it allows native words, grammatical features, and even just simple communication to be expressed.
• Learning and mastering Hiragana is a crucial step on the path to Japanese proficiency.
• Katakana, along with Hiragana and Kanji, makes up the Japanese writing system.
• There are 46 characters in this phonetic system, and they all stand for a different sound.
• The Japanese writing system, Katakana, is reserved for usage with foreign words, onomatopoeic expressions, technical terms, and words used for emphasis.
• Katakana is useful for accurately representing foreign sounds that do not exist in the Japanese language.
• Learning Katakana is crucial for improving one’s Japanese vocabulary, grasping loanwords, and figuring out the meaning of foreign terminology used in everyday conversation.
• Students can improve their command of the Japanese language as a whole by delving into Katakana.
• Differences between Hiragana and Katakana Japanese has two different writing systems, Hiragana and Katakana.
• Foreign loanwords, especially those not of Japanese origin, are typically written in Katakana.
• Hiragana and Katakana represent the same range of sounds in the Japanese language.
• Knowing the distinctions between Hiragana and Katakana is essential for reading and writing in Japanese.
• To become fluent in Japanese, it is essential to learn both the Hiragana and Katakana scripts.
• Together, Hiragana and Katakana form the backbone of Japanese script.
• Learning Hiragana and Katakana is essential for communicating clearly in writing in Japanese.
• A larger vocabulary can be accessed through the use of Hiragana and Katakana.
• The ability to read and write both scripts is a great asset for any language learner.
• Understanding Japanese culture is enhanced by learning both the Hiragana and Katakana scripts.
• Understanding the aesthetics and cultural complexity of Japan can be aided by familiarity with the visual styles and contextual applications of Hiragana and Katakana.
• Hiragana and Katakana are two Japanese scripts that are vital for everyday use.
• Studying Hiragana and Katakana prepares students for more advanced study of the Japanese language.
• Hiragana and Katakana are the building blocks of the Japanese alphabet, and mastery of them makes it easier to go to more advanced levels of study.
• Learn the fundamentals first, then go on to more advanced material.
• Schedule regular time to study the Japanese writing systems of Hiragana and Katakana.
• Surround yourself with dual-script Japanese media.
• Take the time to learn the language and give yourself the task of learning how to read Hiragana and Katakana.
• Admit that you have the ability to read and write some characters and words.
• You may improve your Japanese language skills, your vocabulary, and your familiarity with Japanese culture by learning to read and write in the Japanese scripts, Hiragana and Katakana.

FAQs About Japanese Writing System

How many scripts are there in the japanese writing system.

There are three primary scripts used in Japan: Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji. Kanji is made up of Chinese characters that have been integrated into the Japanese language, while Hiragana and Katakana are phonetic scripts.

What is the purpose of Kanji in Japanese writing?

Kanji characters stand in for Japanese words, thoughts, and even entire sentences. They’re a compact method of communication, and they’re open to various interpretations. Kanji, which is based on Chinese characters, is used extensively in the Japanese written and literary arts and for the transmission of specialised knowledge.

How do Hiragana and Katakana differ in usage?

Japanese words, grammar, and verb endings are typically written in Hiragana. It appears frequently in casual Japanese script. The Katakana script, on the other hand, is reserved for emphasis, foreign words, scientific phrases, and onomatopoeic expressions. Borrowed terms and specialised terminology are typical uses for Katakana.

Are Hiragana and Katakana interchangeable?

Although the sounds represented by Hiragana and Katakana are identical, the two writing systems should not be used interchangeably. The use and appropriateness of each script vary. The Japanese language uses two different writing systems: Hiragana for everyday words and Katakana for foreign words and specialised phrases. Some words, however, can be written in either script to emphasise or emphasise a different part of the meaning.

How difficult is it to learn the Japanese writing system?

It’s not easy, but it’s worth it to learn the Japanese writing system. Since Hiragana and Katakana have a fixed set of characters with a unified pronunciation, they are simpler to learn than Kanji. Students can master reading and writing in both scripts with diligent study and practise. Kanji, with its large character set and many interpretations, calls for greater time and effort to master. However, many students of the Japanese language begin with the simpler writing systems of Hiragana and Katakana before moving on to Kanji.

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