Ch 1 ยท Lesson 4Japanese ยท Chapter 1 ยท Lesson 4 ยท Grammar primer
Hiragana, part 2: the rest of the chart
The remaining rows, the two little marks that turn k into g, the small ya, yu and yo, the small tsu and long vowels.
The short version
Two little marks double the chart
ใใ ใใ ใฐ ใฑใ
Why?Hide
Add two small strokes to and it becomes ; add them to ใ and it becomes ใ. The small circle turns into ใฑ. Twenty new sounds for the price of one rule, which is why the second half of the hiragana chart goes faster than the first.
The small tsu is a pause, not a sound
ใพใฃใฆใ
Why?Hide
A small ใฃ before a consonant doubles it: a beat of silence before the next sound. (kite, come) and ใใฃใฆ (kitte, a stamp) are different words, and the pause is all that separates them. Listen for the gap rather than for a letter.
Hiragana part 2: the other rows, dakuten, combinations and long vowels
The h, m, y, r and w rows, and ใ
| Row | Kana | Romaji |
|---|---|---|
| h | ใฒ ใต ใป | ha hi fu he ho |
| m | ใพ ใฟ ใ ใ | ma mi mu me mo |
| y | ใ ใ | ya yu yo |
| r | ใ ใ ใ ใ ใ | ra ri ru re ro |
| w | ใ | wa o |
| n | ใ | n |
ใต is fu, said with the lips close together rather than the teeth on the lip. The r is a light tap, between an English r, l and d. is read o and appears only as a particle. ใ is the only consonant that stands on its own: is san, is minna.
Two particles are spelled with the h row but read differently: the topic marker is read wa, and the direction marker is read e. So the greeting ends in wa.
Dakuten and handakuten
Two small marks change a sound. Two strokes (dakuten, ใ) voice the consonant; a small circle (handakuten, ใ) turns h into p:
| Base row | With the mark | Romaji |
|---|---|---|
| k | ใ ใ ใ | ga gi gu ge go |
| s | ใ ใ ใ ใ ใ | za ji zu ze zo |
| t | ใ ใข ใฅ | da ji zu de do |
| h + ใ | ใฐ ใณ ใถ ใน ใผ | ba bi bu be bo |
| h + ใ | ใฑ ใด ใท ใบ ใฝ | pa pi pu pe po |
ใข and ใฅ sound the same as ใ and ใ and are rare; when you hear ji or zu, it is almost always ใ or ใ. Course words to read: (doko, where), (dare, who), (mada, not yet).
Combined sounds: ใใ, ใใ, ใกใ
Any i-kana plus a small ใ, ใ
or makes one syllable. The small kana is written at half size, and that is the whole difference between ใใ (ki-ya, two beats) and ใใ (kya, one beat):
| i-kana | Combined | Romaji |
|---|---|---|
| ใ | ใใ ใใ | kya kyu kyo |
| ใ | ใใ ใใ ใใ | sha shu sho |
| ใก | ใกใ ใกใ | cha chu cho |
| ใ | nya nyu nyo | |
| ใฒ | ใฒใ ใฒใ ใฒ | hya hyu hyo |
| ใฟ | ใฟใ ใฟใ | mya myu myo |
| ใ | ใใ ใใ ใ | rya ryu ryo |
| ใ | ใใ ใใ ใ | gya gyu gyo |
| ใ | ใใ ใใ ใใ | ja ju jo |
| ใณ | ใณใ ใณใ ใณ | bya byu byo |
| ใด | ใดใ ใดใ ใด | pya pyu pyo |
(today) is read , kyล: one syllable kyo, then a long o.
Small ใฃ and long vowels
A small ใฃ doubles the consonant after it. You hear it as a tiny pause, a full beat long:
- chotto, a little, a moment-, issho, together
Long vowels take a full extra beat, and getting the length wrong can change the word. Hiragana writes them with an extra vowel:
| Long sound | Written | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ii | | |
| ลซ | an extra ใ | |
| ฤ | usually ใใ | |
| ล | usually ใใ | |
| ล | sometimes ใใ | |
Words with ใใ, such as , are spelled with i but usually said as a long e. Romaji writes long vowels with a macron (ล), or doubled (ou, oo): every typed answer here accepts any of them, and accepts them without the length too.
The look-alikes
A handful of pairs cause most misreadings. Learn the difference once, deliberately:
| Kana | Romaji | Tell them apart |
|---|---|---|
| ใฌ / ใ | nu / me | ใฌ ends in a little loop; ใ does not |
| ใ / / ใ | wa / ne / re | same left stroke; ใ curves, loops, ใ kicks out |
| ใ / ใก | sa / chi | ใ's bottom curve opens right, like a c; ใก's opens left, like a 5 |
| / ใป | ha / ho | 's upright pokes through its one bar; ใป has two bars, and the top one caps the upright |
| ใ / ใ | ru / ro | ใ ends in a loop; ใ does not |
Going further: Hiragana part 1: the vowels and the k, s, t, n rows and the rest of the guide, when you want them. This lesson does not need them.
Practice
Practise this lesson
10-question session
One question at a time, mixed across the exercises in this lesson. Miss one and it comes back round before the end. There are 20 in all: practise more afterwards if you want them.
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Lesson 4 of 29 in this chapter