Getting Started with Hiragana
Getting Started with Hiragana
Hiragana is one of the three writing systems used in Japanese, alongside Katakana and Kanji. It's often the first writing system that Japanese learners encounter.
What is Hiragana?
Hiragana is a phonetic writing system consisting of 46 basic characters. Each character represents a specific sound (mora) in Japanese. Unlike English, where letters can have multiple sounds, each Hiragana character has a consistent pronunciation.
Why Learn Hiragana First?
1. Foundation: Hiragana is used for native Japanese words and grammatical elements
2. Pronunciation: Learning Hiragana helps you understand Japanese pronunciation
3. Reading: Many learning materials use Hiragana for pronunciation guides (furigana)
4. Building Block: It's the foundation for learning Katakana and understanding Kanji readings
The 46 Basic Characters
The Hiragana characters are organized into rows based on their consonant sounds:
- Vowels: あ (a), い (i), う (u), え (e), お (o)
- K-row: か (ka), き (ki), く (ku), け (ke), こ (ko)
- S-row: さ (sa), し (shi), す (su), せ (se), そ (so)
- T-row: た (ta), ち (chi), つ (tsu), て (te), と (to)
- N-row: な (na), に (ni), ぬ (nu), ね (ne), の (no)
- H-row: は (ha), ひ (hi), ふ (fu), へ (he), ほ (ho)
- M-row: ま (ma), み (mi), む (mu), め (me), も (mo)
- Y-row: や (ya), ゆ (yu), よ (yo)
- R-row: ら (ra), り (ri), る (ru), れ (re), ろ (ro)
- W-row: わ (wa), を (wo), ん (n)
Understanding Stroke Order
Stroke order (筆順, hitsujun) is crucial when learning to write Hiragana. Following the correct stroke order helps you:
- Write characters more quickly and naturally
- Create better-looking, balanced characters
- Remember characters more easily through muscle memory
- Recognize handwritten text more accurately
Basic Stroke Order Principles
1. Top to Bottom: Strokes generally flow from top to bottom (e.g., き ki)
2. Left to Right: Write from left side to right side (e.g., は ha)
3. Horizontal Before Vertical: When strokes cross, horizontal comes first (e.g., た ta)
4. Center Before Sides: Central strokes often come before outer strokes
5. Complete One Side First: Finish enclosed areas before adding closing strokes
Examples of Stroke Order
- あ (a): 3 strokes - Start with the horizontal line, then the curved left stroke, finally the sweeping right stroke
- き (ki): 4 strokes - Horizontal line, vertical line, then two diagonal strokes
- す (su): 2 strokes - Horizontal curve at top, then long swooping bottom stroke
- め (me): 2 strokes - Large loop first, then the inner curved stroke
Practicing correct stroke order from the beginning builds proper habits that make writing feel natural and automatic.
Visual Mnemonics: Making Characters Memorable
Visual mnemonics help you create strong mental associations between a character's shape and its sound. Here are some popular examples:
Vowel Mnemonics
- あ (a): Looks like an "a"pple with a stem on top
- い (i): Two vertical lines like the letter "i" with a dot
- う (u): Looks like an "u"mbrella handle or someone saying "ooo"
- え (e): An "e"xciting person waving their arm
- お (o): Someone saying "oh!" with an open mouth (the loop)
Consonant Row Mnemonics
- か (ka): A person doing a high kick (ka-rate kick)
- き (ki): A key with a distinctive shape
- く (ku): A bird's beak saying "coo coo"
- さ (sa): A samurai sword cutting downward
- し (shi): A fishhook catching a fish
- た (ta): Looks like a "ta-da!" with arms raised
- の (no): A "no" sign making a circle
- は (ha): Someone saying "ha ha" while laughing
- ま (ma): A mask with eye holes
- ゆ (yu): A hook that catches you
Create your own mnemonics that make sense to you! The more personal and silly they are, the better they stick.
Real Japanese Words to Practice
Once you learn a few characters, you can start reading real Japanese words! Here are some common words using basic Hiragana:
Simple Two-Character Words
- いえ (ie): house
- め (me): eye
- て (te): hand
- あお (ao): blue
- あか (aka): red
- はい (hai): yes
- いいえ (iie): no
- ここ (koko): here
- そこ (soko): there
Common Three-Character Words
- ねこ (neko): cat
- いぬ (inu): dog
- さけ (sake): salmon or alcohol
- かさ (kasa): umbrella
- はな (hana): flower or nose
- そら (sora): sky
- うみ (umi): sea
- やま (yama): mountain
- かぜ (kaze): wind
- あめ (ame): rain or candy
Useful Everyday Words
- おはよう (ohayou): good morning
- ありがとう (arigatou): thank you
- さようなら (sayounara): goodbye
- すみません (sumimasen): excuse me/sorry
- おいしい (oishii): delicious
- かわいい (kawaii): cute
- たのしい (tanoshii): fun
Family Words
- おかあさん (okaasan): mother
- おとうさん (otousan): father
- おねえさん (oneesan): older sister
- おにいさん (oniisan): older brother
Building Your Vocabulary
As you learn more Hiragana characters, you'll notice you can read more words! Try these strategies:
1. Start with words you know: Look for Japanese words you've heard (sushi, karate, Tokyo)
2. Learn word families: Once you know いぬ (inu, dog), you can learn ねこ (neko, cat)
3. Use context: Even if you don't know all characters, context helps you guess meanings
4. Practice reading: Try to read Japanese product labels, manga, or children's books
Tips for Learning
1. Practice Daily: Even 10-15 minutes a day is better than long, infrequent sessions
2. Use Flashcards: The Hirakata app is perfect for this!
3. Write Them Out: Practice writing each character following proper stroke order
4. Learn in Groups: Focus on one row at a time (vowels first, then K-row, etc.)
5. Test Yourself: Use quiz mode to reinforce your learning
6. Read Real Words: As soon as you learn 5-10 characters, start reading simple words
7. Download Practice Sheets: Use our free printable charts for offline practice
Next Steps
Once you've mastered the basic 46 characters, you can move on to:
- Dakuten and Handakuten: Modified characters with diacritical marks (が, ば, ぱ, etc.)
- Contracted Sounds: Combination characters (きゃ, しゅ, ちょ, etc.)
- Reading Practice: Start reading children's books or simple manga
- Katakana: The second phonetic writing system
For more detailed guidance, check out our other articles:
Happy learning!