Writing 1.0 The Hiragana Chart
Completion requirements
Writing 1.0 The Hiragana Chart
Let's take a look at the Hiragana Chart. There
are
different ways that the Hiragana chart is represented. We will look at a
few samples. It is up to you to decide which chart presentation you
prefer and which one makes it easiest for you to remember.
CHART #1
This chart is read from left to right and then top to bottom, like English writing.
The first five characters are A, I, U, E, O. The next five characters are KA, KI, KU, KE, KO and then SA, SHI, SU, SE, SO and so forth.
The letters under each character are the Romaji for that character.
The first five characters are A, I, U, E, O. The next five characters are KA, KI, KU, KE, KO and then SA, SHI, SU, SE, SO and so forth.
The letters under each character are the Romaji for that character.
Please note that the characters written here are in Japanese font. Computer fonts are different from the way we write by hand.
There are little ticks and checks on many of these characters that are stylized but they would NOT be used in hand written characters.
Please use these charts to understand how the Hiragana sounds are formed (K sound plus A sound = KA, S sound plus A sound =SA, etc).
Hand written characters are different and do not look identical to this computer font.
For instructions on how to write the characters by hand, watch the videos in the following sections.
There are little ticks and checks on many of these characters that are stylized but they would NOT be used in hand written characters.
Please use these charts to understand how the Hiragana sounds are formed (K sound plus A sound = KA, S sound plus A sound =SA, etc).
Hand written characters are different and do not look identical to this computer font.
For instructions on how to write the characters by hand, watch the videos in the following sections.
CHART #2
This chart is read from top to bottom and from left to right, in the form of traditional Japanese writing and reading.
The order of the characters is the same as the chart above: A, I, U, E, O followed by KA, KI, KU, KE, KO and so forth.
The order of the characters is the same as the chart above: A, I, U, E, O followed by KA, KI, KU, KE, KO and so forth.
As you can see, there is a very distinct pattern in the order of the characters. Almost all the characters end in the vowel sounds of the first Hiragana line (a, i, u, e, o).
Pronunciation
Listen to the full pronunciation of the chart to hear the patterns. Read along using one of the charts above.
Order
No matter which chart you pick, you must remember the order of the characters.
A Line then the KA Line and then the SA Line and so forth.
Try and think of a creative way to help you remember the order of the lines!
You could create a sentence and the first letter of each word would be one of the lines of the Hiragana chart.
For example: A Kid Saw That...
A Line then the KA Line and then the SA Line and so forth.
Try and think of a creative way to help you remember the order of the lines!
You could create a sentence and the first letter of each word would be one of the lines of the Hiragana chart.
For example: A Kid Saw That...
Extra Resources
Click here for a paper print out of the Hiragana chart in Flash Card form. You can cut the cards, write the corresponding Romaji characters on the back and quiz yourself.
If you prefer studying on your smart phone, there are many Hiragana apps to help you memorize the characters.
You will also need to know how to write all the Hiragana characters by hand in this course. There will be videos showing the stroke order and papers to practice on.