Hiragana:
[ a ]
[ ka ]
[ sa ]
[ ta ]
[ na ]
[ ha ]
[ ma ]
[ ya ]
[ ra ]
[ wa, wo, n ]
[ ゐ and ゑ (ancient hiragana in disuse) ]
Katakana:
[ a ]
[ ka ]
[ sa ]
[ ta ]
[ na ]
[ ha ]
[ ma ]
[ ya ]
[ ra ]
[ wa, wo, n ]
[ ヰ and ヱ (ancient katakana in disuse) ]
Welcome to the first installment of the hiragana lessons. In this lesson you are going to learn how to read and write the Japanese vowels, "あ", "い", "う", "え" and "お".
| Brush Stroke: |  |
|---|---|
| Sound: |
a as in alright. |
| Mnemonic: |
It's an apple. First you draw the leaves on the stem, then you draw the stem down into the apple, and then you draw the round fruit. |
| Example: |
|
| Brush Stroke: |  |
|---|---|
| Sound: |
i as in the beginning of irritate or like the first e in evening. Also called a 'long' e in some English elementary schools. |
| Mnemonic: |
Itch - It's a hooked hand reaching to scratch a back. First you draw the hand, then you draw the back. |
| Example: |
|
| Brush Stroke: |  |
|---|---|
| Sound: |
|
| Mnemonic: |
U - It's the lowercase u from the Latin alphabet. Tilt your head to the left, it's a sideways u. |
| Example: |
|
| Brush Stroke: |  |
|---|---|
| Sound: |
e as in envy or egg |
| Mnemonic: |
equal sign the = equal sign has an "h" on it! First draw the equal and then the "h" under it, don't forget a long tail on the h. |
| Example: |
|
| Brush Stroke: |  |
|---|---|
| Sound: |
|
| Mnemonic: |
Oh! - It's a shocked face saying "Oh!". First draw the eyebrow on the left, then the side of the face and mouth. Finish with the eyebrow on the right. Both are raised since he's quite surprised. |
| Example: |
|
The Long Vowel Sound
One can extend the vowel sound of a kana by affixing either a あ、い、or う depending on the vowel. The vowel would be extended for one more mora, or beat. In most cases: あ follows あ; い follows い or え; う follows う or お.
There are rare exceptions where an え vowel is extended by adding え or an お vowel is extended by お. Some examples of this include おねえさん (oneesan or onēsan), おおい, and おおきい (ōkii).
One giveaway to an English-speaking accent in Japanese speech is the use of a diphthong for the elongated "e" sound (Such as the sound in "Eight"). In actuality, "えい" is pronounced correctly by speaking the え sound twice as long as normal.
It is important to make sure you hold the vowel sound long enough because you can be saying "middle-aged lady" （おばさん）(obasan) instead of "grandmother" （おばあさん）(obaasan or obāsan) if you do not stretch it out correctly.