Japanese Alphabet: An Easy Guide for Beginners (2023)

FAQs

What Japanese alphabet is the easiest to learn? ›

Hiragana and katakana are easy enough to learn – and will be a big help if you're thinking about travelling to Japan, or learning basic Japanese. Learning kanji is a little trickier, but we'll come to that later.

Japanese has two “alphabets” called hiragana (curvy like English cursive), and katakana (angular like English print). The two together are called kana. The third writing system, kanji, is not really an alphabet or a syllabary. Instead, it represents whole words.

So yes Oda hiragana you have a hiragana chart here hmm and as well as katakana. I think comedy

Always start with hiragana. It is the basic alphabet for japanese words, and will help you understand katakana, which is for western words, generally speaking. Without hiragana you won't understand kanji. For example にほんご (Japanese language) is the four hiragana (and four sounds) that make up the kanji, 日本語.

Why does the Japanese language have to use three different types of script; Kanji, Hiragana and Katakana? A. This is because each of the three types of script, Kanji, Hiragana and Katakana, has its own specific role. Let's examine a sentence like “I'm Anna,” WATASHI WA ANNA DESU.

Hiragana is the most commonly used, standard form of Japanese writing.

The Japanese "r" is different from the English "r". The sound is sort of between the English "r" and "l". To make "r" sound, start to say "l", but make your tongue stop short of the roof of your mouth, almost in the English "d" position. It is more like the Spanish "r".

あ (romaji a) The hiragana syllable あ (a). Its equivalent in katakana is ア (a).

Because it's easier spoken than written, the Japanese writing system and – naturally – the Japanese alphabet are “guilty” of making Japanese the hardest language to learn by a native English speaker along with Chinese, Korean and Arabic.

The Japanese language is considered one of the most difficult to learn by many English speakers. With three separate writing systems, an opposite sentence structure to English, and a complicated hierarchy of politeness, it's decidedly complex.

What is J in Japanese? ›

Letters: A = chi B = tsu C = te D = to E = na F = ni G = nu H = ne I = no J = ha K = hi L = fu M = he N = ho O = ma P = mi Q = mu R = me S = mo T = ya U... Japanese Alphabet.

The Japanese language relies on not one but three different alphabets — hiragana, katakana and kanji — which are differentiated both by their distinct appearances and by their use. No wonder Japanese is such a difficult language for English-speakers to learn!

As with anything, learning anything is totally dependent on the person who is learning. That said, it's possible to 'learn' both katakana and hiragana in a day.

Hiragana, though, are much simpler in both form and function. They take fewer strokes to write than all but the simplest kanji, and instead of representing concepts, hiragana are used for writing phonetically.

So being a beginner in Japanese, we will consider you like a “kid.” That being said, you need to learn Hiragana first before you learn Katakana and Kanji. In the Japanese language, Hiragana is the main phonetic writing system that is used to represent every specific sound.

In Japanese, there are no spaces between words, so kanji helps break words apart, making it easy to read. As I'm sure you can imagine, long sentences would get even more difficult to read, and when you don't know where one word begins and another one ends, reading errors can occur.

私の名前は [name]です。 watashi no namae wa [name] desu. My name is [name].

Can you speak Japanese with only hiragana? ›

It is actually possible to write anything in Japanese using only Hiragana and Katakana which are the phonetic systems. Kanji are ideograms, so they do not represent specific sounds but ideas. In Latin languages, kanjis would be like the root meanings of the words.

When written vertically, Japanese text is written from top to bottom, with multiple columns of text progressing from right to left. When written horizontally, text is almost always written left to right, with multiple rows progressing downward, as in standard English text.

Baka (馬鹿 or ばか) is a Japanese swear or curse word meaning idiot, jackass, dumbass, or unthinking fool. (Excuse our language, please!) That said, baka's meaning is highly contextual, as our resident Japanese expert explains: “Baka (馬鹿) means a fool or an idiot, and used as an insult.

How Long Does it Take to Learn Japanese on Average? With consistent studying and speaking, for about 30 minutes to an hour a day, you could speak at a conversational level in Japanese in about 3 months. It's all about using the right method, and I'll say it again: speak from day one!

The Japanese sound is more of a cross between the English R and L, so it's very difficult to distinguish the two, hence Engrish. A proper hard R is actually just as difficult to pronounce as an L for Japanese speakers, and the hardest words to pronounce are those with both sounds (for example, parallel).

The Feminine Pronoun: 私 (あたし) — Atashi

Although watashi is accepting of everyone, the pronoun atashi is primarily used by women. Japanese doesn't have helpful articles like the Spanish “el” or “la,” which can make learning about pronouns a little tricky. The vast majority of those using atashi are women.

The Meaning Behind W

The use of this w is derived from the Japanese word warau (笑う), meaning to laugh. While the symbol used in warau is a common replacement for lol when messaging in Japanese, simply adding on a w to your sentence can save you even more time.

Watashi (わたし/私)

Most-frequently-used word to say 'I/me. ' It's a modest way to express yourself in any situations. Also, it's used on a formal occasion or speak to someone who is superior.

You cannot efficiently communicate in Japanese in less than 7 days. However, you can definitely learn kana (katana + hiragana) in that period. If you know kana, you can read quite a bit, you just might not know what you are reading, but you will be able to reproduce the sounds.

Learn to Read Hiragana

The other two are katakana and kanji, but hiragana is where everything starts. The ability to read hiragana is going to be a prerequisite for most beginner Japanese textbooks and resources. It's the first thing you learn in a traditional classroom.

What is basic level Japanese? ›

The easiest level is N5 and the most difficult level is N1. N4 and N5 measure the level of understanding of basic Japanese mainly learned in class. N1and N2 measure the level of understanding of Japanese used in a broad range of scenes in actual everyday life. N3 is a bridging level between N1/N2 and N4/N5.

Kanji is the most challenging to learn among the 3 alphabets. The learning starts with the simpler and frequently used characters. Most Kanji characters are created by combining different elements. This makes it easier to express some complex concepts which are hard to convey with pictures alone.

たいと(taito) is the most difficult Japanese Kanji on the record with a total of 84 strokes. It is formed by combining 3 雲 (くもkumo) with 3 龍 (りゅうRyuu). 雲means cloud and 龍 means dragon in English.

As mentioned before, Mandarin is unanimously considered the most difficult language to master in the world! Spoken by over a billion people in the world, the language can be extremely difficult for people whose native languages use the Latin writing system.

Unlike other East-Asian languages, Korean isn't a tonal language. This means, that the meaning of the word doesn't change, regardless of what your accent is like. This makes learning Korean much easier than Japanese.

Japanese is slightly easier to learn. But, Chinese is much more widely spoken. Both languages have their pros and cons.

If you are a native speaker of English, learning Japanese can seem like an ambitious endeavor. In fact, the US Foreign Service Institute considers Japanese to be one of the most difficult languages to learn for an English speaker (along with Arabic, Chinese, and Korean).

Using the Kanji Character Ai

Writing love in Japanese is represented as the kanji symbol 愛 which means love and affection.

How to Write Your Name in Japanese - YouTube

How do you write T in Japanese? ›

Hiragana た is written in 4 strokes. The first and second stroke is written like a small letter T but the second stroke goes diagonally to the bottom left. This should be a bit left of the center to make space for the following strokes. The third stroke is a small curved stroke to the right of the T.

Re: How to memorize Hiragana

Write them down on a big sheet of paper and hang it up somewhere where you can see it a lot or in the bathroom. Imagine some stories with each of them. Make flashcards and review them at least 3 times a day. Exercise yourself to visualize them by reciting あ、い、う、え、お、か、き、く、け、こ etc.

Easiest (about 600 hours of study)

Of these, Spanish and Italian are the easiest for native English speakers to learn, followed by Portuguese and finally French.

It's unlikely you'll learn Japanese when you're asleep

Even if you are asleep listening to the best Japanese course on the planet, your brain is unlikely to register anything you hear, because while you're sleeping you're not really “hearing” it at all. While it's not possible to learn new information while you sleep.

Hiragana is the most commonly used, standard form of Japanese writing. It's used on its own or in conjunction with kanji to form words, and it's the first form of Japanese writing that children learn.

You are advised to start with hiragana, which is the most common and popular writing system for the Japanese language. After, you should proceed to learn katakana and kanji. The next things you need to practice are pronunciation and vocabulary.

Learn to Read Hiragana

The other two are katakana and kanji, but hiragana is where everything starts. The ability to read hiragana is going to be a prerequisite for most beginner Japanese textbooks and resources. It's the first thing you learn in a traditional classroom.

If you want to use Japanese textbooks and workbooks, you'll need to be able to read hiragana to get started. But, fortunately, it's really very easy to learn. You can learn hiragana in just a week (or even a day or two, if you're ready to buckle down!).

Why do Japanese read right to left? ›

Traditionally, Japanese was written in vertical columns. These columns were read from top to bottom and from right to left. This way of writing is called tategaki (縦書き) – which literally means 'vertical writing'.

In a sense, hiragana is the most commonly used, standard form of Japanese writing. Japanese vocabulary usually tends to be written in hiragana as opposed to katakana. Also, hiragana is used to write furigana, a reading aid that shows the pronunciation of kanji characters, which is sure to be helpful.

Because it's easier spoken than written, the Japanese writing system and – naturally – the Japanese alphabet are “guilty” of making Japanese the hardest language to learn by a native English speaker along with Chinese, Korean and Arabic.

Well, the truth is that you can learn Japanese without kanji. You can just concentrate on learning hiragana and katakana. This is because as long as you have a good understanding of hiragana and katakana, you can communicate to an extent in Japanese.

Speaking helps your accent

Like other languages, Japanese has a certain accent that most speakers will love to have. However, you will hardly know the accent if you only focus on reading. Learning to speak first will let you understand how you can pronounce different words even before you can read or write them.

The truth is that achieving a high level in Japanese (or any language for that matter) takes time. You can't expect instant results or fluency in a matter of weeks. But it's also important to remember that learning a new language is a process. You get the results incrementally as you progress, not all at once!

As mentioned before, Mandarin is unanimously considered the most difficult language to master in the world! Spoken by over a billion people in the world, the language can be extremely difficult for people whose native languages use the Latin writing system.

It is actually possible to write anything in Japanese using only Hiragana and Katakana which are the phonetic systems. Kanji are ideograms, so they do not represent specific sounds but ideas. In Latin languages, kanjis would be like the root meanings of the words.

What is the fastest way to learn hiragana? ›