Lets Learn Japanese
Lets Learn Japanese
By
Masumi Kai
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transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise,
without the prior permission of the copyright owner.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Acknowledgements ..................................................................................................................................................... vii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This book was published with the support of a grant from the University of Guam.
PART ONE:
The Japanese language has three kinds of characters; hiragana, katakana and kanji. The Chinese character,
kanji, was brought from China. It is thought to have been introduced around the third or fourth century,
although this has not been proved. Kanji, which is an ideogram character (to represent meanings), started to
be used as a phonogram (to represent sounds) called Manyo-kana. As kanji became more widely used, it
was simplified. This simplified form became hiragana. Hiragana has a roundish shape as shown below, and
it was considered to be the letters for private use and female use.
ex. 安→ あ 以→ い 加→ か
Japanese word order and Chinese word order are different. Small size kanji (kun’ten)
were placed next to kanji to indicate the Japanese word order when reading classical
Chinese. Then it was simplified and became katakana. Many katakana were made
from a part of kanji as seen below. Katakana has rather straight lines.
ex. 阿 →ア伊→イ加→カ
example
of kun’ten
ex. 彼 は ミ ラ ー さ ん で す。
kanji hiragana katakana hiragana hiragana ‘he’ topic marker ‘Miller’ ‘Mr.’ ‘is’
‘He is Mr.
Miller.’
Japanese period and comma:
The Japanese language uses a maru (circle) at the end of sentences and ten (dot) for semantic separation in
a sentence. Traditionally Japanese does not use the question mark "?" for an interrogative sentence. Unlike
English there is no space between words. Instead a combination of the three kinds of characters can
indicate if it is a meaning word, a foreign word, or a functional word.
ex. 明日の朝、トムさんに会います。
tomorrow of morning Tom Mr. with meet
As in English, Japanese has several font types, some of which are a bit different. Below are examples. ex. き
=
Stroke end:
There are three features at the stroke ends of hiragana, katakana, and kanji. One is tome ( stop), the second is
hane (jump), and the third is harai ( sweep).
ex.
tome
さ=
hane
そ=
ふ= /
harai
ら=
り=
や=
Part One 4
BASIC SOUNDS ♪ ♫
aiueo あ い う え お k か
a i u e o ka
き く け こ さ し す
ki ku ke ko s sa shi su
せ そ た ち つ て と
se so t ta chi tsu te to n
な に ぬ ね の は ひ
na ni nu ne no h ha hi
ふ へ ほ mま
fu
みむめ he ho ma mi mu
me
も や (い) ゆ (え) よ
mo y ya yu yo r
ら り る れ ろ w わ (い)
ra ri ru re ro wa
(う) (え) を wo
(=o)
N
ん n
がぎぐ iueog
VOICED SOUNDS AND P-SOUNDS a ga gi gu
げ ご z ざ じ ず ぜ ぞ d だ ぢ
ge go za ji zu ze zo da ji
づ で ど b ば び ぶ べ ぼ p ぱ
zu de do ba bi bu be bo
ぴぷぺぽ pa pi pu pe po
Part One 6
きゃ きゅ きょ gy
Y-SOUNDS a u o ky kya kyu kyo
ぎゃ ぎゅ ぎょ sh しゃ しゅ
gya gyu gyo sha shu
しょ j じゃ じゅ じょ ch ち
ゃ
sho ja ju jo cha
ちゅ ちょ ny にゃ にゅ にょ hy
chu cho nya nyu nyo
ひゃ ひゅ ひょ by びゃ びゅ
hya hyu hyo bya byu
びょ my みゃ みゅ みょ ry りゃ
byo mya myu myo rya
りゅ りょ py ぴゃ ぴゅ ぴょ
ryu ryo pya pyu pyo
Listen to CD Lesson 1
for the sounds and the
stroke order.
PRACTICE WRITING
write!
あ
a to o
あおいえあおいいえ
aoieaoiie
い i
い
う u
う
え e
え
お o
お
Hiragana Practice ひらがな れんしゅう 7
What is
Part One 8
ka to ko
か ka
あかい えき き いけ ここ
red station tree/wood pond here あかいえききいけここ
Let’s write a sentence. In the sentence below, は (wa) is a topic marker meaning ‘as far as’, and です(desu)
corresponds to ‘is’ in English. は is read as ‘wa’ when it is used as a topic marker. The Japanese period is a small
circle ‘。’ at the lower left hand corner. Note that the Japanese word order is ‘Topic は noun です。’. Also notice
that the Japanese word order is ‘Topic は noun です。’.
1) (You are showing your friend around town)
き ki
く く ku
く く け ke
こ ko
かかか
ききき
けけけ
こここ
Now try CD L2 part 1 & L3 part 1.
What is wrong?
さ
sa to so sa
そそそ
Let’s read and write!
かさ おさけ いす せ そこ
umbrella alcohol chair height there
かさおさけいすせそこ
Let’s write words. In the second set of words below, の (no) is a connector between two nouns.
1) red umbrella 2) wood chair
あかいかさきのいす
a ka i ka sa ki no i su
し shi
し し し す su
せ せ se
せせ
そ so
さささ
すすす
Hiragana Practice ひらがな れんしゅう 9
What is wrong?
Part One 10
ta t o to
た ta
write!
た
What is wrong?
たかいくつつくえのした
ta ka i ku tsu tsu ku e no shi su
ち chi
と
つ tsu
て te
と to
ちち
つつ
てて
na t o no
な na
な
What is wrong?
Let’s write
words.
1) your dog 2) this cat
あなたのいぬこのねこ
a na ta no i nu ko no ne ko
に ni
に
ぬ nu
ね ne ね
ぬ
の no Hiragana Practice ひらがな れんし
のの
Part One 12
write!
ha t o ho
は
は ha
このひとへたです。
ko no hi to he ta de su
ひ ひ hi
ふ
ひひ
へ へ he
ふ fu
へ
ほ ho
ほほ
ま ma
なまえ うみ むすめ あめ
name ocean daughter rain なまえうみむすめあめ
もも かきます まち
peach to write/ to draw town/big city ももかきますまち
Let’s write words.
1) daughter’s name 2) blue ocean
む す め の な ま え あ お い う み mu su me no na ma e a o i u mi
み み mi
み み む mu
め me
も mo
ままま
むむむ
めめめ
ももも
Hiragana Practice ひらがな れんしゅう 13
What is wrong?
Part One 14
write!
ya to yo
や
What is wrong?
や ya
やまのゆきたかいやま
ya ma no yu ki ta ka i ya ma
ゆ yu
よ yo
ゆゆ
よよ
ら ra
1) temple in
Spring
は る の お て ら ha
ru no o te ra
しろいくすりとあおいくすり
shi ro i ku su ri to a o i ku su ri
り ri
る
る ru
れ
れ re
ろ
Hiragana Practice ひらがな れんし
ろ ro
りり
Part One 16
write!
wa to n
わ
What is wrong?
わ wa
わたし かわ なまえをかきます
1) my
major
わたしのせんもん
wa ta shi no se n mo n
2) I read a book.
わたしはほんをよみます。
wa ta shi wa ho n wo yo mi ma su
を wo
ん n
をを
んん
Now try CD L2 part 5 & L3 part 5.
ga gi gu ge go
まんが おんがく かぎ かぐ
Let’s write
words.
1) Japanese magazine (a magazine written in the Japanese language) 2) Japanese souvenir (a souvenir from a trip to Japan)
にほんごのまんがにほんのおみやげ
ni ho n go no ma n ga ni ho n no o mi ya ge
Hiragana Practice ひらがな れんしゅう 17
Part One 18
za to zo
za ji zu ze zo
かんざし かんじ ちず
みず ごぜん かぞく
わたしはかんじをかきます。
wa ta shi wa ka n ji wo ka ki ma su
da ji zu de do
1) Where is the
telephone?
でんわはどこですか。
de n wa wa do ko de su ka
Hiragana Practice ひらがな れんしゅう 19
Part One 20
ba to
bo
ba bi bu be bo
かばん えび しんぶん
Let’s write a
sentence.
1) I read a
newspaper.
わたしはしんぶんをよみます。
wa ta shi wa shi n bu n wo yo mi ma su
pa pi pu pe po
*ぺんぎん たんぽぽ
わたしはえんぴつをかいます。
wa ta shi wa e n pi tsu wo ka i ma su
Note: This
word is usually
written in
katakana.
Hiragana Practice ひらがな れんしゅう 21
Now try CD L3 part 8
and L4 part 1 to part 6.
Part One 22
STOPPED
SOUNDS
Stopped sounds are indicated by small ‘つ’ (tsu). ‘つ’ is quarter size.
1) (I) buy a
stamp.
きってをかいます。
ki tte wo ka i ma su
2) I play a musical
instrument.
わたしはがっきをひきます。
wa ta shi wa ga kki wo hi ki ma su
つ
Now try CD L4 part 7.