Lesson Goal
In this lesson, you will learn what hiragana is and how to start reading it.
Understand Hiragana
Learn what hiragana is and why it matters.
Read Sounds
Practice the basic Japanese sounds.
Learn 46 Characters
See the basic hiragana chart.
Read Words
Read simple beginner words in hiragana.
Build Foundation
Prepare for Japanese phrases and grammar.
What Is Hiragana?
Hiragana is one of the basic Japanese writing systems. It is usually the first writing system beginners learn.
Why Hiragana Is Important
Hiragana helps you read and understand Japanese. You will see hiragana in textbooks, lessons, grammar explanations, daily words, signs, notices, furigana, and JLPT materials.
Important Idea
Each hiragana character usually represents one Japanese sound. Once you learn the sounds, you can start reading many simple Japanese words.
The Five Basic Vowels
The first hiragana characters to learn are the five basic vowels.
Basic Hiragana Chart
Here are the 46 basic hiragana characters. You do not need to memorize everything in one day.
| a | i | u | e | o | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vowels | あ | い | う | え | お |
| K | か | き | く | け | こ |
| S | さ | し | す | せ | そ |
| T | た | ち | つ | て | と |
| N | な | に | ぬ | ね | の |
| H | は | ひ | ふ | へ | ほ |
| M | ま | み | む | め | も |
| Y | や | ゆ | よ | ||
| R | ら | り | る | れ | ろ |
| W | わ | を | |||
| N | ん |
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Recommended Study Order
Do not try to learn all hiragana at once. Study one row at a time.
Step 1
あ い う え お
Step 2
か き く け こ
Step 3
さ し す せ そ
Step 4
た ち つ て と
Row Practice
Practice each row slowly. Say the sounds out loud.
Important Notes
し is “shi”
し is read as shi, not si.
ち is “chi”
ち is read as chi, not ti.
つ is “tsu”
つ is read as tsu, not tu.
ふ is “fu”
ふ is a soft fu sound.
は as a particle
は is usually ha, but as a particle it is pronounced wa.
を as a particle
を is usually used as a particle and pronounced o.
Reading Practice: Easy Words
Try reading these words. Read each word aloud three times.
Reading Practice: Useful Phrases
At first, you can read slowly. Slow reading is okay.
How to Practice Hiragana
Use this simple method.
Look
Look at the character.
Say
Say the sound out loud.
Write
Write it by hand.
Read
Read a word with that character.
Review
Review again later.
Common Hiragana Mistakes
Learning too many characters at once
Do not try to memorize all 46 characters in one day. Study one row at a time.
Only looking, not saying
Say the sounds out loud. Your mouth needs practice too.
Forgetting review
Hiragana is easy to forget at first. Review every day for a few minutes.
Confusing similar characters
Some hiragana look similar, such as さ / ち, ぬ / め, は / ほ, and ね / れ / わ.
Practice: Match Hiragana and Romaji
Match the hiragana with the correct romaji.
Practice: Choose the Correct Reading
Q1. How do you read か?
A. ka
B. sa
C. ta
Answer:
Q2. How do you read し?
A. si
B. shi
C. chi
Answer:
Q3. How do you read つ?
A. tsu
B. su
C. to
Answer:
Q4. How do you read ん?
A. wa
B. n
C. o
Answer:
Practice: Read the Words
Read these words and write the romaji.
Speaking Practice
Read these hiragana aloud.
あ い う え お
か き く け こ
さ し す せ そ
た ち つ て と
な に ぬ ね の
は ひ ふ へ ホ
ま み む め も
や ゆ よ
ら り る れ ろ
わ を ん
Now read these useful phrases aloud.
こんにちは
ありがとう
すみません
わかりません
おねがいします
はじめまして
Mini Mission
Today’s mission is to choose one hiragana row and practice it.
Recommended first row
Write the row three times. Then read these words aloud: あい, いえ, うえ, えき, おちゃ.
I practiced this row: ＿＿＿＿＿＿
I wrote it three times: □
I read the words aloud: □
The easiest character was: ＿＿＿＿＿＿
The most difficult character was: ＿＿＿＿＿＿
Review
In this lesson, you learned the basics of hiragana.