Learning The Japanese Writing System

Learning The Japanese Writing System

LEARNING THE JAPANESE WRITING SYSTEM

MONOGRAPHS ( gojuon )
あ い う え お
a i u e o
あい ( ai – love )
あお ( ao – blue )
いえ ( ie – house )

か き く け こ
Ka ki ku ke ko
あか ( aka – red )
かお ( kao – face )
あき ( aki – autumn )
いけ ( ike – pond )
こえ ( koe – voice )
えき ( eki – station )
こうこう ( koukou – high school )

さ し す せ そ
Sa shi su se so
さけ ( sake – sake/alcohol )
あさ ( asa – morning )
あし ( ashi – foot )
すいか ( suika – watermelon )
せき ( seki – seat )
うそ ( uso – lie )
せかい ( sekai – world )
すし ( sushi )
おかし ( okashi – snacks )

た ち つ て と
Ta chi tsu te to
たかい ( takai – tall/expensive )
いち ( ichi – one )
くち ( kuchi – mouth )
つき ( tsuki – moon )
すてき ( suteki – attractive/cool )
おと ( oto – sound )
ちかてつ ( chikatetsu – subway )
けいさつ ( keisatsu – police )
とけい ( tokei – clock )

な に ぬ ね の
Na ni nu ne no
さかな ( sakana – fish )
なに ( nani – what )
にく ( niku – meat )
いぬ ( inu – dog )
ねこ ( neko – cat )
あなた ( anata – you )
おかね ( okane – money )
きのう ( kinou – yesterday )

は ひ ふ へ ほ
Ha hi hu he ho
はな ( hana – flower )
ひと ( hito – person )
ふく ( fuku – clothes )
ふね ( fune – boat / ship )
へた ( heta – bad at )
ほうせき ( houseki – gem/jewelry )
ほし ( hoshi – star )
はこ ( hako – box )

ま み む め も
Ma mi mu me mo
なまえ ( namae – name )
いま ( ima – now )
みみ ( mimi – ear )
むね ( mune – chest )
あめ ( ame – rain )
かめ ( kame – turtle )
みせ ( mise – shop/store )
むし ( mushi – bug )
もの ( mono – thing )
くも ( kumo – cloud/spider )

や ゆ よ
Ya yu yo
おはよう ( ohayou – good morning )
よる ( yoru – night )
やま ( yama – mountain )
ゆめ ( yume – dream )
やさい ( yasai – vegetable )
ゆき ( yuki – snow )

ら り る れ ろ
Ra ri ru re ro
とり ( tori – bird )
そら ( sora – sky )
とら ( tora – tiger )
もり ( mori – forest )
くるま ( kuruma – car )
はる ( haru – spring )
これ ( kore – this )
はれ ( hare – sunny )
きいろ ( kiiro – yellow )
くろ ( kuro – black )

わ を ん
Wa wo n
ほん ( hon – book )
わたし ( watashi – I/Me )
わるい ( warui – bad )
` Gojuon Ordering ´

A I U E O
あ い う え お
K | か き く け こ
S | さ し す せ そ
T | た ち つ て と
N | な に ぬ ね の
H | は ひ ふ へ ほ
M | ま み む め も
Y | や ゆ よ
R | ら り る れ ろ
W | わ を
N | ん
DIACRITICS ( GOJUON WITH ( HAN ) DAKUTEN )
だくてん ( dakuten )
DAKUTEN
The “ in the symbol is called
” ten ten “.It is like an onomatopeic sound for when you draw the two
lines.
Ex: か ( ka ) & が ( ga )
Note that there are only four columns that change when the “ is added.
1st Column: K Column
か ( ka ) = が ( ga )
き ( ki ) = ぎ ( gi )
く ( ku ) = ぐ ( gu )
け ( ke ) = げ ( ge )
こ ( ko ) = ご ( go )

2nd Column: S Column
さ ( sa ) = ざ ( za )
し ( shi ) = じ ( ji )
す ( su ) = ず ( zu )
せ ( se ) = ぜ ( ze )
そ ( so ) = ぞ ( zo )

3rd Column: T Column
た ( ta ) = だ ( da )
ち ( chi ) = ぢ ( di / dzi )
つ ( tsu ) = づ ( du / dzu )
て ( te ) = で ( de )
と ( to ) = ど ( do )
4th Column: H Column
は ( ha ) = ば ( ba )
ひ ( hi ) = び ( bi )
ふ ( hu ) = ぶ ( bu )
へ ( he ) = べ ( be )
ほ ( ho ) = ぼ ( bo )
HANDAKUTEN
Now, let us move on to °
The ° is often called maru. This means circle in Japanese.
Note that ° is only added into one column ONLY.
は ( ha ) = ぱ ( pa )
ひ ( hi ) = ぴ ( pi )
ふ ( fu ) = ぷ ( pu )
へ ( he ) = ペ ( pe )
ほ ( ho ) = ぽ ( po )
DIAGRAPHS ( yoon )
“よおん”
– is a combination of the consonant of i-column sylabbles and ya, yu, and yo.
There are four different hiragana that are shrunken down and placed next to other hiragana to make new sounds.
Now let us see what sounds can we make if we add different hiraganas to や, ゆ and よ.

| き + や/ゆ/よ |
1.) き + や = きゃ ( is pronounced like the ” kya ” in ” backyard ” )
きや and きゃ are pronounced differently. きや has two distinct syllables and きゃ has only one。
2.) き + ゆ = きゅ ( is pronounced like a short ” kyou ” in ” thank you ” )
3.き + よ = きょ ( is pronounced like
the ” kyo ” in ” book yoga ” )
べんきょう ( benkyou – study )
きゅうり ( kyuuri – cucumuber )

| し + や / ゆ / よ |
1.) し + や = しゃ ( is pronounced like
the ” sha ” in ” shaft ” )
2.) し + ゆ = しゅ ( is pronounced like a short ” shoe ” )
3.) し + よ = しょ ( is pronounced like a short ” show ” )
しゅみ ( shumi- hobby)
いしゃ ( isha – doctor )
しょうねん ( shounen – boy )

| ち + や / ゆ / よ |
1.)ち + や = ちゃ ( is pronounced like the ” cha ” in ” chat ” )
2.) ち + ゆ = ちゅ ( is pronounced like a short ” chew ” )
3.) ち + よ = ちょ ( is pronounced like the ” cho ” in ” choke ” )
おちゃ ( ocha – tea )
ちゅうごく ( chuugoku – china )
ちょうちょう ( chouchou – butterfly )

| に + や / ゆ /よ |
1.) に + や = にゃ ( is pronounced like the ” nya ” in ” kenya ” )
2.) に + ゆ = にゅ ( is pronounced like the ” nyou ” in ” than you ” )
3.) に + よ = にょ ( is pronounced like the ” nyo ” in ” Yin yoga ” )
にゃん ( nyan – meow )
にゅうがく ( nyuugaku – entering school )

| ひ + や / ゆ / よ |
1.) ひ + や = ひゃ ( is pronounced like
if you were saying ” hi – ya ” really fast while doing karate)
2.) ひ + ゆ = ひゅ ( is pronounced like a short ” hue ” )
3.) ひ + よ = ひょ ( is pronounced like a short breathy ” H ” and ” yo ” like you are calling someone )
ひゃく ( hyaku – one hundred )
ひょう ( hyou – leopard )

| み + や / ゆ / よ |
1.) み + や = みゃ ( is pronounced like the ” mya ” sound in ” Myanmar ” )
2.) み + ゆ = みゅ ( is pronounced like the ” mu ” in ” music ” )
3.) み + よ = みょ ( is pronounced like the ” myo ” in ” Bikram yoga “)
みゃく ( myaku – pulse )
びみょう ( bimyou – subtle )

| り + や / ゆ / よ |
1.) り + や = りゃ ( is pronounced as
” rya ”
2.) り+ ゆ = りゅ ( is pronounced as
” ryu ” )
3.) り + よ = リょ ( is pronounced as
” ryo ” )
にゃん – ( nyan – meow )
ひゃく – ( hyaku – hundred )
りゅうがくせ ( ryuugakuse – exchange student )
リょうり ( ryouri – cooking )
REMINDER: PRONOUNCING り MAY BE DIFFICULT BECAUSE IT IS A MIX OF RI, LI AND DI, AND IT WILL BE MUCH HARDER IF YOU WILL ADD や, ゆ,
and よ.
HINT: TRY YOUR BEST TO PRONOUNCE THE り SOUND AND THEN ADD や, ゆ AND よ UNTIL IT BECOMES ONE SYLLABLE.
DIAGRAPHS WITH DIACRITICS

| ぎ + や / ゆ / よ |
1.) ぎ + や = ぎゃ ( is pronounced like the ” gya ” in ” big yard ”
2.) ぎ + ゆ = ぎゅ ( is pronounced like the ” gyou ” in ” dig you ” )
3.) ぎ + よ = ぎょ ( is pronounced like the ” gyo ” in ” egg yolk ” )
ぎゅうにく ( gyuuniku – beef )
きんぎょ ( kingyo – gold fish )

| じ + や / ゆ / よ |
1.) じ + や = じゃ ( is pronounced like the ” jo ” in ” jock ” )
2.) じ + ゆ = じゅ ( is pronounced like the ” ju ” in ” juice ”
3.) じ + よ = じょ ( is pronounced like a short version of ” Joe ” )
にんじゃ ( ninja – ninja )
かいじゅう ( kaijuu – monster )
じょうず ( jouzu – good at )

| び + や / ゆ / よ |
1.) び + や = びゃ ( is pronounced like the ” bya ” in ” fab yard ” )
2.) び + ゆ = びゅ ( is pronounced like
the ” byou ” in ” rub you ” )
3.) び + よ = びょ ( is pronounced like the ” byo ” in ” superb yolk ” )
さんびゃく ( sanbyaku – three hundred )
びょういん ( byouin – hospital )

| ぴ + や / ゆ / よ |
1.) ぴ + や = ぴゃ ( is pronounced like the ” pya ” in ” swamp yard ” )
2.) ぴ + ゆ = ぴゅ ( is pronounced like the ” pyou ” in ” help you ” )
3.) ぴ + よ = ぴょ ( is pronounced like the ” pyo ” in ” skip yoga ”
はっ ぴょう ( happyou -announcement )

Lastly, we have the っ often called the ( ちいさい ) [ っ ] ( chiisai tsu or small tsu ) . This っ is used mainly to make double consonant sounds.
がっき ( gakki – musical instrument)
ざっし ( zasshi- magazine )
きっぷ ( kippu- ticket )
もっと ( motto- more )
けっこん ( kekkon- marriage )
いっしょ ( issho – together )
はっパ ( happa- leaf )

I wish you good study, good exam.
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