Basics of Japanese Language 2

かseries (Ka gyou):

With the following visual stroke-by-stroke guide, you will learn to write hiragana characters  か、き、く、け, こ (ka, ki, ku, ke, ko).

Ka

This numbered stroke guide will teach you how to write "ka".
Sample word: かさ (kasa/khasa), umbrella


Ki

Learn how to write the hiragana character for "ki" in this simple section.
Sample word: きた (kita), north


Ku

Only one stroke, this hiragana character will be easy to remember.
Sample word: くるま (kuruma), car


Ke

Follow the numbered stroke guide to draw the character "ke".
Sample word: けむり (kemuri), smoke


Ko

Only two strokes, this visual guide will show you how to correctly write the hiragana character "ko".
Sample word: こえ (koe), voice



がseries (Ga gyou):

Ga series is similar to Ka series. The only difference is to add the ten ten(”).
We can add “ten-ten” marks to the k, s, t, and h lines of the Japanese syllabary changing the syllables into their gutteral equivalents. An example would be when we place a “ten ten” mark after a voiced k it becomes its’ gutteralized g. In other words, ka, ki, ku, ke, ko becomes ga, gi, gu, ge, go.
か、き、く、け、こ becomes  が、ぎ、ぐ、げ、ご

か + ” =  が or  ga
き + ” =  ぎ or  gi
く + ”  =  ぐ or  gu
け + ” =  げ or  ge
こ + ” =  ご or  go

Basics of Japanese Language

In this series of Japanese learning we will be learning the Japanese scripts, stroke order for letters with the pronunciation and basic vocabulary.

In Japanese language there are three types of scripts.

1. Hiragana
2. Katakana
3. Kanji

We will first start with Hiragana script:
Hiragana is used in many cases, such as writing articles or miscellaneous words that have no kanji form:

Hiragana

あ series:

With the following visual stroke-by-stroke guide, you will learn to write hiragana characters あ、い、う、え、お (a, i, u, e, o).

A - あ

Follow the stroke order to write the hiragana character for "a". This hiragana character is used in words like あさ (asa), which translates to "morning".

Be sure to always use the proper stroke order when practicing. Not only is it correct, but it is also a great way to help you to remember how to draw the character.


I - い

This stroke-by-stroke guide will teach you how to write い. conveying the "i" syllable, い is also used in words like いぬ (inu), which means "dog".


U - う

One of the simpler hiragana characters, う is used in words like うみ (umi), which means "sea".


E - え

Be sure to follow the stroke numbers when writing え. え is used in words like えき (eki), which is the Japanese word for "station".


O - お

Learn how to write the hiragana character for "o" in this simple lesson. This character is used in words like おかね (okane), meaning "money".