Complete Hiragana Workbook

ひ
ら
が
な
Complete Hiragana Workbook
Table of Contents
1. Introduction …………….2
1. How to use the “Complete Hiragana workbook”
2. Hiragana at a glance
3. Hiragana writing tips
2. Hiragana Chart ………………4
3. Hiragana writing worksheet ……………..5
1. 46 basic Hiragana
2. Daku-on (Voiced and Semi-voiced Varieties)
4. Pronunciation Rules ………………….35
1. Chō-on (long vowel)
2. Soku-on (double consonants)
3. Yō-on (small ya yu yo with contracted sound)
4. Devoiced vowels
5. Pronunciation of ん
5. Hiragana in sentences ………………..42
1. Particles
2. Japanese sentences
6. Hiragana Flash Cards … appendix
7. Hiragana Flash Card Video … appendix
Chapters with this mark have accompanying videos.
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1
1. Introduction
1-1. How to use “Complete Hiragana Workbook”
orkbook”
This Complete Hiragana Workbook covers all you need for Hiragana
self-study. The accompanied tutorial videos clarify each Hiragana character’s
writing stroke order and its pronunciation.
Hiragana has 46 basic writing characters and 58 variations and
combinations. Moreover, there are some special pronunciation and writing
rules. You’ll learn all about Hiragana writing through this workbook and
tutorial videos. Throughout this workbook, over 100 words are introduced.
To make the most of your study, I recommend you go through each
lesson in the same order as this workbook.
Step 1 Print out all of this Hiragana Workbook.
Step 2 Look at the Katakana Chart (p4) and grasp the total picture of Hiragana
Step 3 Watch video tutorials and practise writing and pronouncing each
Hiragana letter. Do exercise accordingly.
Sept 4 Play with Flashcards and Flashcard videos every day.
1-2. Hiragana at a glance
Japanese is a syllable-timed language while English is stress-timed. That
means, you can understand how to read any Japanese words once you know
how to pronounce each Hiragana character and some pronunciation rules.
(on the other hand for English, you need to know the spelling as well as the
pronunciation. We never know how to pronounce an English word such as
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2
“photo” by just knowing how to read alphabet: a,b,c…). Japanese
pronunciation rule is very systematic, thus, once you know it, it’s much
easier for you to study Japanese further up to the upper level.
Each Japanese syllable is made up of either a single vowel: /a/, /i/, /u/, /e/ and
/o/ or a combination of a consonant plus a vowel. The only exception is the /n/,
/m/ or /ŋ/ sound which is represented by the character ん.
There are 46 basic Hiragana, 25 voiced or semi-voiced variations (called
“Daku-on) and 33 contracted sounds. Here, “voiced” means you use your
vocal cords to pronounce them. It begins with the consonants /b/, /d/, /g/, /j/
and /z/ and semi-voiced ones begin with /p/, that we call Daku-on. Contracted
sounds are basic Hiragana of the i-column combined with smaller versions of
the Hiragana from y-row.
Each Hiragana character takes one beat, “mora”. So please make sure to
pronounce each character with equal length and stress.
1-3. Hiragana writing tips
Stroke order is very important for writing well-balanced Hiragana.
Basically, all Japanese writing (Hiragana, Katakana and Kanji) write the
horizontal stroke first, then the vertical stroke if two lines are crossed. Of
course, there are some exceptions though.
If there are two parts, write the left side first then the right side, or write the
top part first then the bottom part.
Also, it’s important to pay attention to the direction and termination of each
stroke. In this workbook, you’ll see the following marks for each stroke end.
to stop the stroke.
to release the pen pressure.
to hook
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2. Hiragana Chart
Basic 46 Hiragana
Yō-on
DakuDaku-on
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3. Hiragana writing worksheet
3-1. 46 Basic Hiragana
Hiragana
あ
a
i
u
e
o
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a
i
u
e
o
Let’s practise writing words!
あ い
a
(love)
i
う え
u
(above)
e
あ お
a
o
(blue)
おおい
o
o
i (many)
いいえ
i
i
Copyright
e
(No)
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6
ka
ki
ku
ke
ko
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ka
ki
ku
ke
ko
Let’s practise writing words!
か き
ki (persimmon)
ka
くうき
ku
u
(air)
ki
お け
o
(pail)
ke
こ い
ko
(carp)
i
け い か く
ke
Copyright
i
ka
ku (plan)
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sa
shi
su
se
so
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sa
shi
su
se
so
Let’s practise writing words!
か さ
sa (umbrella)
ka
おかし
o
ka
shi (snack)
おすし
o
su
shi (sushi)
せかい
se
ka
i (world)
う そ
u
so
Copyright
(lie)
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10
ta
chi
tsu
te
to
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ta
chi
tsu
te
to
Let’s practise writing words!
たこ
ta
(octopus)
ko
けち
ke
chi (stingy)
つくえ
tsu
ku
e
(desk)
た す け て
ta
su
ke
te
(help! –in emergency)
とけい
to
ke
Copyright
i (clock / watch)
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Let’s practise more! (Review あ～と)
su
i
ka
shi
o (salt)
ko
ta
e
o
i
shi
chi
ka
te
a
tsu
i
a
shi
ta
ke
i
sa
chi
i
Copyright
sa
(watermelon)
(answer)
i (tasty)
tsu (subway)
(hot)
(tomorrow)
tsu (police)
i
(small)
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na
a
tsu
i
(hot)
ni
nu
ne
no
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na
ni
nu
ne
no
Let’s practise writing words!
な す
na
su
(eggplant)
に く
ni
ku (meat)
い ぬ
i
nu
(dog)
ね こ
ne
ko
(cat)
た の し い
ta
no
shi
i
(fun, enjoyable)
お か ね
o
ka
Copyright
ne
(money)
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15
ha
hi
fu
he
ho
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ha
hi
fu
he
ho
Let’s practise writing words!
は は
ha
ha
(my mother)
ひ こ う き
hi
ko
u
ki
(airplane)
ふ ね
fu
ne (ship)
へ そ
he
so (bellybutton)
ほ し
ho
shi
(stars)
せ い ふ く
se
i
fu
ku (uniform)
お は し
o
ha
Copyright
shi
(chopstick)
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ma
mi
mu
me
mo
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ma
mi
mu
me
mo
Let’s practise writing words!
な ま え
na
ma
e
(name)
み せ
mi
se
(shop)
む ね
mu ne (chest)
あ め
me (rain)
a
の み も の
no
mi
mo
no
(drink)
は ち み つ
ha
chi
Copyright
mi
tsu (honey)
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ya
yu
yo
ya
yu
yo
Let’s practise writing words!
ゆ き
yu
ki
(snow)
よ や く
yo
ya
ku (reservation)
や す い
ya
su
Copyright
i
(cheap)
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ra
ri
ru
re
ro
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ra
ri
ru
re
ro
Let’s practise writing words!
た か ら
ta
ka
ra
(treasure)
く す り
ku
su
ri
(medicine)
さ る
sa
(monkey)
ru
れ き し
re
ki
shi
(history)
ふ ろ
fu
ro
(bath)
ひ る や す み
hi
ru
Copyright
ya
su
mi
(lunch break)
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wa
wo
n
* the pronunciation of を is the same as お. However when you write on
a computer, type “wo” for を.
* を is a particle, direct object marker.
* When you write ん on a computer, type “nn”.
wa
wo
n
Let’s practise writing words!
わ に
wa
ni
(crocodile)
に ほ ん
ni
ho
Copyright
n
(Japan)
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ほ ん を か い ま す。
ho
n
o
(wo)
ka
i
ma
su.
(I ) buy a book. (ほん: book, かいます: to buy)
“。” indicates the end of a sentence. = “period”.
This circle should be placed in the bottom left corner.
Please note the difference between the handwriting style and
the printing style of the following Hiragana. Also, there is a
variety of style by using different fonts.
ささ きき りり むむ らら ふふ
sa
ki
ri
mu
ra
fu
Please note the following similar looking Hiragana.
(Please check the pronunciation of each letter.)
さち
いこ
れわね
つ し
あ お
ろ る
Copyright
まも
はほ
め ぬ
ら ち
り い
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Let’s review and practise!
1. Please fill in the chart.
A
I
U
E
O
K
(shi)
S
(chi)
(tsu)
T
N
(fu)
H
M
Y
R
(o)
W
(n/m/ŋ )
N
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2. Write following words in Hiragana.
1. uchi (home)
2. eki (station)
3. kutsu (shoes)
4. kami (paper)
5. kuruma (car)
6. sakana (fish)
7. toriniku (chicken)
8. hana (flower)
9. heya (room)
10. yasai (vegetable)
* The answers are on the last page.
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3-2. DakuDaku-on
ga
gi
gu
ge
go
ka
ki
ku
ke
ga
gi
gu
ge
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ko
go
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za
ji
zu
ze
zo
sa
shi
su
se
so
za
zi
zu
ze
zo
(*pronounce “ji”)
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Let’s practise writing words!
が め ん
ga
n (screen)
me
か ぎ
ka
gi
(key)
ぐ あ い
gu
a
i
(condition/ body condition)
か げ
ka
ge
(shadow)
ぎ ざ ぎ ざ
gi
za
gi
za
(jagged)
が い こ く ご
ga
i
ko
ku
go
(foreign language)
じ さ
ji
sa
(time difference)
し ず か
shi
zu
ka
(quiet)
か ぜ
ka
ze
(wind)
か ぞ く
ka
zo
Copyright
ku (family)
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da
あ
ji
zu
de
do
ta
da
chi
tsu
te
ji
zu
de
to
do
ぢ pronounce as “ji”(same as じ). However, writing on a computer,
type “di”.
づ pronounce as “zu”(same as ず). However, writing on a computer,
type “du”
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ba
bi
bu
be
bo
pa
pi
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pu
pe
po
ha
hi
fu
he
ho
ba
bi
bu
be
bo
pa
pi
pu
Copyright
pe
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po
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32
Let’s practise writing words!
た だ
ta
da
(free of charge)
は な ぢ
ha
na
di
*pronounce “hanaji” (nosebleed)
つ づ き
tsu
du
ki
*pronounce “tsuzuki” (continuation)
で ん わ
de
n
wa
(telephone)
と き ど き
to
ki
do
ki
(sometimes)
お ば け
o
ba
ke
(ghost)
え び
e
bi
(prawn, shrimp)
ぶ た
bu
ta
(pig)
べ ん り
be
n
ri
(convenient)
ぼ た ん
bo
ta
Copyright
n (button)
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Review of Daku-on
Fill in the chart below.
A
I
U
E
O
G
Z
(ji)
D
(ji)
(zu)
B
P
Write following words in Hiragana.
1. denwa
__________
(telephone)
2. kagi
__________
(key)
3. buta
__________
(pig)
4. gaikokugo
(foreign language)
5. jisa
(time difference)
6. anzen
(safe)
7. kazoku
(family)
8. tokidoki
(sometimes)
9. ebi
__________
(prawn, shrimp)
10. benri
__________
(convenient)
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4. Pronunciation Rules
4-1. ChooChoo-on (Long vowels)
There are five vowels in Japanese: /a i u e o/.
When a vowel is doubled e.g. /a/, it takes two beats and is expressed as
/aa/ or /ā/. It is the same for other vowels /i/, /u/, /e/ and /o/.
Also, when there is /e/ and /i/ or /o/ and /u/ it has two beats on the first
vowel, which are /ē/ or /ee/ and /ō/ or /oo/ respectively.
Example:
o ka
a a sa n → /okāsan/ : mother
おかあさん
いいえ
i i e → /īe/ : No
くうき
ku
u u ki → /kūki/ : air
ええ
ee →
おおい
ooi
oo →
くうこう
/ē/ : Yes (casual)
/ōi/ : many
ku
u u ko
ou
→ /kūkō/ : airport
えいが
e i ga → / ēga/ : movie
とうふ
to
o u fu →
おはよう
/tōfu/ : tofu (bean curd)
o ha yo
o u → /ohayō/ : Good morning (casual)
Thus, you need to differentiate between this long vowel and a normal vowel
carefully because sometimes it ends up as an entirely different word. For
instance, if you wanted say “your mother is calling”, it might be
misunderstood as “Mr. Oka is calling” if you say “okasan” not “okaasan”
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As explained above ( /e/&/i/ and /o/&/u/)
Combinations of the following letters have a sound of /ē/
(= /ee/).
えい
けい
せい
てい
ねい
へい
めい
れい
Combinations of the following letters have a sound of /ō/
(=/oo/).
おう
こう
そう
とう
のう
ほう
もう
よう ろう
Let’s practise!
ぼ う し
bo
u
shi
*bōshi , (hat, cap)
せ ん せ い
se
n
se
i
*sensē
(teacher)
き れ い
ki
re
i
*kirē
(beautiful, clean)
へ い わ
he
i
wa
*hēwa
(peace)
こ う こ う
ko
u
ko
u *kōkō
(high school)
き い ろ
ki
i
Copyright
ro
*kīro
(yellow)
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4-2. SokuSoku-on (Double Consonants)
Besides full-sized つ, you’ll see a small size of っ.
When you see this small っ, make the previous letter’s sound as “contracted”
and hold a breath for one beat.
Small っ doesn’t require “tsu” sound, but it takes one beat with the contracted
previous sound and double the following consonant.
Example:
いか
/i･ka/ (2 beats: squid)
いっか
/i･k･ka/
いつか
/i･tsu･ka/
(3 beats : a whole family)
(3 beats: Day 5th)
1. きて /ki･te/
2. きって /ki･t･te/
5.
6.
もて
もって
/mo･te/
/mo･t･te/
3. けして
4. けっして
7.
8.
かて
かって
/ka･te/
/ka･t･te/
/ke･shi･te/
/ke･s･shite/
い っ か
In horizontal writing,
the small っ is written in the
lower half of the square.
い
っ
In vertical writing, the small
っ is written in the right half
of the square.
か
Let’s practise writing!
き っ ぷ
kippu (ticket)
ざ っ し
zasshi
(magazine)
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4-3. Yō
Yō-on (small ya yu yo with contracted sound)
Small や, ゆ and よ are added to i-column
of Hiragana (left in the red circle).
きゃ(kya)
きゅ(kyu)
きょ(kyo)
しゃ (sha) しゅ(shu)
しょ(sho)
ちゃ(cha)
ちゅ(chu) ちょ(cho)
にゃ(nya)
にゅ(nyu)
にょ(nyo)
ひゃ(hya)
ひゅ(hyu)
ひょ(hyo)
みゃ(mya) みゅ(myu) みょ(myo)
りゃ(rya)
りゅ(ryu)
りょ(ryo)
ぎゃ(gya)
ぎゅ(gyu)
ぎょ(gyo)
じゃ(ja)
じゅ(ju)
じょ(jo)
びゃ(bya)
びゅ(byu)
びょ(byo)
ぴゃ(pya)
ぴゅ(pyu)
ぴょ(pyo)
Although each of this contracted sound is composed of two characters (one
big and one small), it represents only one beat, just like a single hiragana
character.
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Small や, ゆ, よ are written in the lower half of the square, if they are
written on a horizontal line. They are written in the right half of the square
in vertical writing.
Example:
ひやく
ひゃく
hiyaku (leap)
hyaku (hundred)
Let’s Practise!
お ち ゃ
ocha
(tea)
き ょ う
kyou *pronounce “kyō” –long vowel- (today)
じ ゅ う し ょ
juusho
*-long vowel- (address)
じ ど う し ゃ
jidousha
*pronounce “jidōsha” -long vowel- (car)
ぎ ゅ う に ゅ う
gyuunyuu *-long vowel- (milk)
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4-4. Devoiced Vowels
Devoiced Vowels
There are four voiceless consonants in Japanese sound, /k
k/, /ss/,/tt/ and /h
h/.
A vowel becomes voiceless when the vowels (i and u) falls between the
voiceless consonants
Example:
すし
su
ushi
(Compared to すま su
u ma
,which requires a “u” sound)
くつ
ku
utsu (Compared to くに ku
u ni
, which requires “u” sound)
きく
kiiku (Compared to きぬ kii nu
, which requires “i” sound)
When the vowels (i and u) follow one of the voiceless consonants and ends a
word, these vowels are whispered.
Example:
～です。~ desu
u. ( end of a noun phrase: e.g. Watashi wa
Yamada desu
u.)
すし
su
ushii (Compared to すみ su
u mii)
くつ
ku
utsu
u (Compared to つり tsu
u rii)
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4-5. Pronunciation of ん
Pronunciation of ん is basically the same as the English /n
n/, and requires
the same length of time as all the other Hiragana sounds.
However, there are some exceptions as follows:
ん before /b
b/, /p
p/ or /m
m/ sound becomes /m
m/ sound.
ん before /k
k/ or /g
g/ sound becomes /ŋ
ŋ/ sound.
Example
/n
n/ sound:
ほんとう
/m
m/ sound: しんぶん
ho n tō
みんな
mi n na
shi n bu n
てんぷら
te n pu ra
おんがく
o n ga ku
うんめい u n mē
/ŋ
ŋ/ sound: てんき
Copyright
te n ki
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5. Hiragana in sentences
5-1. Particle
The particle is something like a preposition in English, however, the concept
of the Japanese particle is quite different from the one in English.
The Japanese particle itself doesn’t have meaning but it indicates the
relationship between the subject, object and verb.
The details about the particle will be explained in many grammar books and
will not be explained in this section.
There are many types of particles and each particle has several functions as
well. In this section, three particles will be introduced: は, へ and を.
は：as a particle, pronounced as “wa”, exactly the same pronunciation of
わ.
は is a topic marker and translated like “as for”, “regarding”
Example
わたしは
は がくせいです。watashi wa gakusē desu.
: I’m a student. (As for I, student.)
きのうは
は あめでした。kinō wa ame deshita.
: It rained yesterday. (As for yesterday, it was a rain)
Please note that は is pronounced as “ha” if it’s used as a word.
わたしは
は はいしゃです。watashi wa haisha desu.
: I’m a dentist. (As for I, dentist.)
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へ: as a particle, is pronounced as “e”, exactly the same pronunciation as
え.
へ is a direction marker.
Example
えき へ いきます。 eki e ikimasu.
: (I) go to the station.
Please note that へ is pronounced as “he” if it’s used as a word.
へや へ もどります。 heya e modorimasu.
: (I) go back to the room.
を: is only used as a particle. Direct object marker.
を is pronounced “o”, and it pronounces same as お.
Example
おすしを
を たべます。 osushi o tabemasu.
: (I) eat sushi.
にほんごを
を べんきょうします。 nihongo o benkyō shimasu.
: (I) study Japanese.
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43
5-2. Japanese sentences
Let’s practise writing sentences! (Trace the sentences below and
write the copy on the second line)
1. わたしは がくせいです。
I’m a student.
watashi wa gakusē desu.
2. あした びょういんへ いきます。
I’m going to the hospital tomorrow.
ashita byōin e ikimasu.
3. まいにち やさいを たべます。
(I) eat vegetable everyday.
mainichi yasai o (wo) tabemasu.
4. おげんきですか。
How are you?
ogenki desu ka?
(“ka” is a question marker)
5. はい、げんきです。
Yes, I’m fine.
hai, genki desu.
(“、” is a punctuation.)
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Answer of page26
1. uchi (home)
2. eki (station)
3. kutsu (shoes)
うち
えき
くつ
4. kami (paper)
かみ
5. kuruma (car)
くるま
6. sakana (fish)
さかな
7. toriniku (chicken)
とりにく
8. hana (flower)
はな
9. heya (room)
へや
10. yasai (vegetable)
やさい
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© 2010 www.LearnJapanese123.com
All rights reserved
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