Hiragana and Japanese Writing System Study Notes

Hiragana Chapter Revision Sheet

Hiragana Symbols

• The following are the Hiragana characters:

  • Nouns and Sounds:

    • ん (n)

    • わ (wa)

    • ら (ra)

    • や (ya)

    • ま (ma)

    • は (ha)

    • な (na)

    • た (ta)

    • さ (sa)

    • か (ka)

  • Vowels:

    • あ (a)

    • い (i)

    • う (u)

    • え (e)

    • お (o)

  • Additional Characters:

    • り (ri)

    • み (mi)

    • ひ (hi)

    • に (ni)

    • ち (chi)

    • し (shi)

    • き (ki)

    • る (ru)

    • ゆ (yu)

    • む (mu)

    • ふ (fu)

    • ぬ (nu)

    • つ (tsu)

    • す (su)

    • く (ku)

    • れ (re)

    • め (me)

    • へ (he)

    • ね (ne)

    • て (te)

    • せ (se)

    • け (ke)

  • Object Marker:

    • ろ (ro)

    • よ (yo)

    • も (mo)

    • ほ (ho)

    • の (no)

    • と (to)

    • そ (so)

    • こ (ko)

  • Additional Consonants:

    • だ (da)

    • ざ (za)

    • が (ga)

    • じ (ji)

    • ぎ (gi)

    • ず (zu)

    • ぐ (gu)

    • で (de)

    • ぜ (ze)

    • げ (ge)

    • ど (do)

    • ぞ (zo)

    • ご (go)

    • ぱ (pa)

    • ば (ba)

    • ぴ (pi)

    • び (bi)

    • ぷ (pu)

    • ぶ (bu)

    • ぺ (pe)

    • べ (be)

    • ぽ (po)

    • ぼ (bo)

Japanese Writing System

Overview

• Three sets of scripts used in Japanese:

  1. Hiragana:

     • A set of 46 alphabet symbols without inherent meaning.

     • Each symbol represents a particular sound in the Japanese phonetic system.

     • Generally characterized by curvy and simple appearances.

  2. Katakana:

     • Another set of 46 alphabet symbols that correspond to the Hiragana set.

     • Primarily used for writing borrowed words, foreign names, and onomatopoeic expressions.

     • Typically has a straighter and more angular design compared to Hiragana.

  3. Kanji:

     • Characters originally adopted from Chinese, modified for Japanese pronunciation, readings, and meanings.

     • Each Kanji character has at least one meaning, with many having more than one reading (on'yomi and kun'yomi).

     • Generally perceived as more complicated than Hiragana and Katakana.

  4. Rōmaji:

     • The use of English alphabet letters to convey the reading of written Japanese words and names.

Using Titles with Names

Title Usage

• Commonly used titles in Japanese include:

  • さん (san):

    • A common title used to address individuals of any gender in a respectful manner.

    • Examples:

      • With first names:

      • Jack さん

      • Jill さん

      • With surnames:

      • Mr/Mrs/Ms/Miss Suzuki さん

  • くん (kun):

    • A title typically used for boys and men in more casual contexts.

    • Example:

      • Jack くん

  • せんせい (sensei):

    • The term for 'teacher', also used to address teachers directly.

    • Examples:

      • Mrs. Falloon → Falloon せんせい

      • Mr. Williams → Williams せんせい

  • みなさん (minasan):

    • This means 'everyone' and is used to address a whole group in formal situations.

Punctuation Marks

Full Stop and Comma

• Punctuation Marks in Japanese:

  • A full stop in Japanese is marked by 。

  • A comma is represented by 、

Vocabulary Checklist

Understanding and Memorization

• Assess comprehension of the chapter with the following prompts:

  • Do you understand everything in this revision sheet?

  • Do you know all the new words you have learned in this chapter?

  • Can you read and write all the Hiragana symbols?

Vocabulary Words

• Color Vocabulary:

  • black: ＿＿ ＿＿

  • white: ＿＿ ＿＿

  • blue: ＿＿ ＿＿

  • red: ＿＿ ＿＿

  • green: ＿＿ ＿＿

  • yellow: ＿＿ ＿＿

  • purple: ＿＿ ＿＿

  • brown: ＿＿ ＿＿

• Animals:

  • dog: ＿＿ ＿＿

  • cat: ＿＿ ＿＿

  • fish: ＿＿ ＿＿

  • bird: ＿＿ ＿＿

  • horse: ＿＿ ＿＿

• Common Terms:

  • teacher: ＿＿ ＿＿

  • common title: ＿＿ ＿＿

  • male title: ＿＿ ＿＿

  • everyone: ＿＿ ＿＿

  • what: ＿＿ ＿＿

  • it is: ＿＿ ＿＿

  • yes: ＿＿ ＿＿

  • no: ＿＿ ＿＿

  • delicious: ＿＿ ＿＿

  • Mt Fuji: ＿＿ ＿＿