Learn Hiragana: A Beginner's Guide to Japanese Writing

Introduction to Hiragana

What is Hiragana?
Hiragana is one of the three main scripts used in the Japanese writing system, alongside Katakana and Kanji. It is a syllabary, meaning each character represents a syllable or sound, and it's the first script learned by beginners in Japanese.

The Basics of Hiragana

The Structure of Hiragana
Hiragana consists of 46 basic characters, each representing a unique vowel or consonant-vowel combination. These characters form the foundation of the Japanese phonetic system and are essential for reading and writing. The chart below shows the characters in hiragana as well as their romaji.

Learning Hiragana

Starting with Vowels
Begin with the five basic vowels: あ (a), い (i), う (u), え (e), お (o). These vowels are crucial as they appear frequently in Japanese.

The vowels as they appear are not necessarily pronounced as one might expect:

• あ, or a, is pronounced like the a in father.
• い, or i, is pronounced like the e's in meet.
• う, or u, is pronounced like the o's in shoot.
• え, or a, is pronounced like the e in bet.
• お, or o, is pronounced like the o in story.

It's important to get the sounds of vowels down first and understand that even when represented with English letters (called romaji) they are not prounced the way they would be in English.

Once you understand how the vowels sound you can carry that knowledge into the consonant pairs. This will help you ensure you are using the correct pronounciations.

Understanding Consonants and Syllables
After the vowels, focus on the consonant-vowel syllables like か (ka), き (ki), く (ku), け (ke), こ (ko). Each syllable combines a consonant sound and a vowel. We recommend learning them in column sets. Once you've reviewed for a bit head on over to our practice tool and drill them until you've got them down!

Hiragana diacritical marks
Hiragana diacritical marks are small symbols added to certain hiragana characters to change their pronunciation. There are two main types:

• Dakuten (゛), often called "ten-ten": This mark looks like a small quotation mark. When added to a hiragana character, it alters the consonant sound to become voiced. For example, か (ka) becomes が (ga), さ (sa) becomes ざ (za), and so on.
• Handakuten (゜), or "maru": This mark is a small circle. It's used specifically with the "h" row of hiragana to change the sound to a "p" sound. So, は (ha) becomes ぱ (pa).

These marks are essential for expanding the range of sounds in the Japanese language and are straightforward to learn and apply. See the chart below showing all currently used diacritical marks.

Special Hiragana Characters
Learn about special characters like ん (n), which is the only consonant that does not need a vowel, and the small や (ya), ゆ (yu), and よ (yo), which modify other characters to create different sounds.

Hiragana Practice

Regular Practice
Consistent practice is key to mastering hiragana. Our tools help you study like flashcards, but they aren't a substitue for reading actual hiragana, they just help you get the characters down. Take things one column at a time and you'll master hiragana in no time!