Course description

1. Hiragana (ひらがな)

• Type: Phonetic syllabary (each symbol = a sound).

• Number of characters: 46 basic + diacritics (dakuten ゛, handakuten ゜).

• Purpose:

  • Writing native Japanese words not represented by Kanji

  • Grammar particles (は, が, を, etc.)

  • Verb and adjective endings

  • Furigana (pronunciation guides for Kanji)

• Example characters:

  • Vowels: あ (a), い (i), う (u), え (e), お (o)

  • K-row: か (ka), き (ki), く (ku), け (ke), こ (ko)

  • N: ん (n – nasal sound)

2. Katakana (カタカナ)

• Type: Phonetic syllabary (like Hiragana, different symbols).

• Number of characters: 46 basic + diacritics.

• Purpose:

  • Foreign loanwords (コンピュータ = computer)

  • Foreign names (ジョン = John)

  • Onomatopoeia (sound words)

  • Emphasis (like italics in English)

• Example characters:

  • A-row: ア (a), イ (i), ウ (u), エ (e), オ (o)

  • KA-row: カ (ka), キ (ki), ク (ku), ケ (ke), コ (ko)

3. Kanji (漢字)

• Type: Logographic characters (each symbol represents meaning + sound).

• Origin: Borrowed from Chinese, thousands of characters exist.

• Purpose:

  • Represent nouns, verbs, adjectives, and abstract concepts

  • Used together with Hiragana for verb endings and grammar

• Examples:

  • 水 (mizu) = water

  • 日 (hi / nichi) = sun, day

  • 食べる (taberu) = to eat

How Japanese Writing Works

• Combination of scripts:

  • Hiragana → grammar, word endings

  • Katakana → foreign words, names, emphasis

  • Kanji → main words / meanings

• Example sentence:

  • 私はコンピュータを使います。

    • 私 (Kanji) = I

    • は (Hiragana) = particle

    • コンピュータ (Katakana) = computer

    • を (Hiragana) = particle

    • 使います (Kanji + Hiragana) = use

• Learning tip: Start with Hiragana → Katakana → Basic Kanji (~200–300 for beginners)

What will i learn?

• Read and Write Hiragana
• Pronounce Japanese Words Correctly
• Understand Basic Grammar and Vocabulary
• Apply Knowledge in Real-Life Situations

Frequently asked question