Japanese Writing Tutorial Part 2: Mastering Hiragana141

Introduction

In the previous tutorial, we covered the basics of Japanese writing, including the two syllabaries, hiragana and katakana. In this tutorial, we will dive deeper into hiragana, its character set, pronunciation, and usage in Japanese writing.

Hiragana Character Set

Hiragana consists of 46 basic characters, which represent the sounds of the Japanese language. These characters are divided into vowels and consonants, with each consonant having multiple pronunciations depending on the vowel that follows it.

Vowels

There are 5 basic vowels in hiragana:
あ (a)
い (i)
う (u)
え (e)
お (o)

Consonants

There are 41 basic consonants in hiragana. Most consonants have three pronunciations: a plain pronunciation, a voiced pronunciation (pronounced with a "b" sound), and a "n" pronunciation. The following table shows the basic consonants and their pronunciations:| Character | Plain | Voiced | "n" |
|---|---|---|---|
| か | ka | ga | n |
| き | ki | gi | n' |
| く | ku | gu | n |
| け | ke | ge | n' |
| こ | ko | go | n |
| さ | sa | za | n |
| し | shi | ji | n |
| す | su | zu | n |
| せ | se | ze | n' |
| そ | so | zo | n |
| た | ta | da | n |
| ち | chi | ji | n' |
| つ | tsu | dzu | n |
| て | te | de | n' |
| と | to | do | n |
| な | na | n | |
| に | ni | n | |
| ぬ | nu | n | |
| ね | ne | n | |
| の | no | n | |
| は | ha | ba | n |
| ひ | hi | bi | n |
| ふ | fu | bu | n |
| へ | he | be | n |
| ほ | ho | bo | n |
| ま | ma | ma | m |
| み | mi | mi | m |
| む | mu | mu | m |
| め | me | me | m |
| も | mo | mo | m |
| や | ya | | |
| ゆ | yu | | |
| よ | yo | | |
| ら | ra | | r |
| り | ri | | r |
| る | ru | | r |
| れ | re | | r |
| ろ | ro | | r |
| わ | wa | | w |
| を | wo | | |

Pronunciation

To pronounce hiragana characters correctly, it is important to understand the concept of morae. A mora is a single unit of sound in Japanese. Most hiragana characters represent one mora, but certain characters, such as ん (n) and っ (voiced consonant marker), are silent and do not represent a mora. The pronunciation of hiragana characters depends on the following factors:
The type of character (vowel or consonant)
The position of the character in the syllable
The presence of a voiced consonant marker

Usage

Hiragana is used in a variety of ways in Japanese writing:
To write native Japanese words: Hiragana is used to write words that do not have Chinese-derived characters (kanji). These words include grammatical particles, conjunctions, and auxiliary verbs.
To indicate the pronunciation of kanji: Hiragana characters can be used to indicate the pronunciation of kanji, particularly for unfamiliar or ambiguous characters.
For emphasis or clarification: Hiragana can be used to emphasize certain words or phrases in a sentence or to clarify the meaning of a kanji.
In children's literature and manga: Hiragana is often used in children's books and manga to make the text easier to read.

Conclusion

Mastering hiragana is an essential step in learning Japanese writing. By understanding the character set, pronunciation, and usage of hiragana, you will be able to write basic Japanese words and phrases and communicate effectively in Japanese.

2024-11-04

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