< Japanese < Kana < Lessons < Hiragana

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) ]

In this lesson you are going to learn how to read and write "ま", "み", "む", "め" and "も".

Brush Stroke:
Sound:

ma

Mnemonic:
  • My ma (mother) has power lines running through her front yard (because ま looks like power lines).
  • Looks like the mast of a ship.
Example:
  • まくら (makura) pillow
  • まく (maku) to sow (seeds)
  • まち (machi) town
Brush Stroke:
Sound:

mi

Mnemonic:
  • I am the little line on the right. The big, curling line on the left is elaborately pointing at me (mi).
  • Silly me (mi), I started to draw a 7, then changed my mind and drew a 2, then changed my mind and drew a four.
Example:
  • みせ (mise) store
  • みみ (mimi) ear
  • みず (mizu) water
Brush Stroke:
Sound:

mu

Mnemonic:
  • It looks like the face of a sad cow (moo!). The bottom trough is his nose and the short lines are the eyes.
Example:
  • むし (mushi) insect
  • むすめ (musume) daughter
  • むい (mui) unintentional
Brush Stroke:
Sound:

me

Mnemonic:
  • The two middle lines met (me) in the center of the ring.
  • It is a knot tied around your finger to jog your memory.
  • You can tell it's different from nu (ぬ) because it's less of a mess.
Example:
  • め (me) eye
  • めん (men) cotton
  • めす (mesu) female (animal)
Brush Stroke:
Sound:

mo

Mnemonic:
  • This is a very greedy symbol. It already has two lines, and it's waving it's arm, gesturing for more.
  • It is a fish hook with two pieces of bait to catch more fish.
Example:
  • もも (momo) peach
  • もん (mon) gate
  • もり (mori) forest
This article is issued from Wikibooks. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.