Basic Japanese Writing Lecture Notes

Introduction to Japanese Writing

• Japanese Alphabets
  • Hiragana: Basic Japanese script, each character represents one syllable sound.
  • Katakana: Used mainly for foreign words, similar syllables to Hiragana but different characters.
  • Kanji: Represents words or concepts; numerous characters with various readings, more complex to master.
• Learning Focus: The series focuses on Hiragana and Katakana.

Hiragana Learning

First Lesson

• Hiragana Vowels: あ (a), い (i), う (u), え (e), お (o)
  • Mnemonics:
    • あ: Like an apple.
    • い: Two eyes.
    • う: Boxer getting punched.
    • え: Energetic ninja.
    • お: UFO with a floating stroke.
• Usage: Hiragana used for particles, adjective/verb endings, and words without Kanji.
• Furigana: Hiragana used to show pronunciation of Kanji.

Second Lesson

• Characters: か (ka), き (ki), く (ku), け (ke), こ (ko)
  • Dakuten (voiced sounds):
    • か becomes が (ga)
    • き becomes ぎ (gi)
    • く becomes ぐ (gu)
    • け becomes げ (ge)
    • こ becomes ご (go)
• Mnemonics:
  • か: Blade cutting a stick.
  • き: Like a key.
  • く: Cuckoo beak.
  • け: Looks like a keg.
  • こ: Two koi fish.

Third Lesson

• Characters: さ (sa), し (shi), す (su), せ (se), そ (so)
  • Dakuten:
    • さ becomes ざ (za)
    • し becomes じ (ji)
    • す becomes ず (zu)
    • せ becomes ぜ (ze)
    • そ becomes ぞ (zo)
• Mnemonics:
  • さ: Sad face.
  • し: Fishing hook.
  • す: Pirate’s straw.
  • せ: Mouse facing sideways.
  • そ: Zigzag sewing stitch.

Fourth Lesson

• Characters: た (ta), ち (chi), つ (tsu), て (te), と (to)
  • Dakuten:
    • た becomes だ (da)
    • ち becomes ぢ (ji)
    • つ becomes づ (zu)
    • て becomes で (de)
    • と becomes ど (do)
• Small つ (Chiisai tsu): Prolongs the consonant.
  • Examples: かっこいい, じっか

Fifth Lesson

• Characters: な (na), に (ni), ぬ (nu), ね (ne), の (no)
  • Mnemonics:
    • な: Knot.
    • に: Knee.
    • ぬ: Noodles with chopsticks.
    • ね: Snail.
    • の: No sign.

Sixth Lesson

• Characters: は (ha), ひ (hi), ふ (fu), へ (he), ほ (ho)
  • Dakuten/Handakuten:
    • は becomes ば (ba) / ぱ (pa)
    • ひ becomes び (bi) / ぴ (pi)
    • ふ becomes ぶ (bu) / ぷ (pu)
    • へ becomes べ (be) / ぺ (pe)
    • ほ becomes ぼ (bo) / ぽ (po)
  • Particles:
    • は as a particle is pronounced わ.
    • へ as a particle is pronounced え.

Seventh Lesson

• Characters: ま (ma), み (mi), む (mu), め (me), も (mo)
  • Mnemonics:
    • ま: Man in a mask.
    • み: Musical note.
    • む: Cow, moo.
    • め: Mess from noodles.
    • も: Monitor lizard.

Eighth Lesson

• Characters: ら (ra), り (ri), る (ru), れ (re), ろ (ro)
  • Mnemonics:
    • ら: Rabbit.
    • り: River.
    • る: Hand with ruby.
    • れ: Reindeer.
    • ろ: Dropped ruby.

Ninth Lesson

• Diagraphs (Yō-on)
  • きゃ, きゅ, きょ, etc.
  • Combination of consonant + や, ゆ, よ (small).

Tenth Lesson

• Characters: わ (wa), を (wo/o), ん (n)
  • Usage:
    • を used as an object particle.
    • ん never starts a word and varies in pronunciation.

Conclusion

• Mastery: 46 Hiragana characters, 101 syllable sounds.
• Japanese script learning: Continue with Katakana and Kanji for comprehensive language learning.
• Resources: Check out JapanesePod101.com for further lessons and materials.