Module 2 Lesson 1 | Sounds in Japanese and Introduction to Japanese
Writing Systems
Objectives
Identify and differentiate between the basic sounds (vowels and consonants) in the
Japanese language.
Recognize and distinguish the 46 hiragana characters, both in standalone form and in
combination with other characters.
Differentiate between hiragana, katakana, and kanji scripts, understanding their
respective purposes and contexts in written communication.
Sounds in the Japanese Language
Sound is a fundamental aspect of any language, including Japanese. The Japanese language
features unique sounds, vowels, consonants, and an intriguing pitch accent system. In this lesson,
we will explore the various components of sound that contribute to effective communication in
Japanese.
Japanese Vowels and Consonants:
Japanese features five distinct vowel sounds: "a," "i," "u," "e," and "o." Unlike some languages,
Japanese vowels are consistently pronounced and each has a clear, distinct sound.
Consonants in Japanese are relatively straightforward as well. They are mostly pronounced with
minimal variations in sound. It's important to note that there are no consonant clusters like "str"
or "spl" in English.
Syllable Structure:
Japanese syllables are composed of a consonant followed by a vowel or a single vowel sound.
This structure gives Japanese its distinctive rhythmic flow.
Pitch Accent:
In Japanese, pitch accent plays a significant role in communication. The pitch or tone at which a
syllable is pronounced can change the meaning of a word. This means that a word could have
different meanings based on how its syllables are pronounced with high or low pitch.
Introduction on 3 Writing Systems:
The Japanese language is unique due to its utilization of three distinct writing systems: Hiragana,
Katakana, and Kanji. Each system serves a specific purpose in written communication.
Hiragana:
Hiragana is a syllabary consisting of 46 basic characters. It is used for writing native Japanese
words, grammatical elements, and particles. Hiragana is the first writing system taught to
Japanese children as it forms the foundation of reading and writing. The characters are
curvaceous and flowing in appearance.
Kanji Writing System:
Kanji, borrowed from Chinese, is a logographic writing system in Japanese. Each character
represents a word, concept, or idea. The complex nature of Kanji allows for conveying nuanced
meanings. Over time, the Japanese developed their own readings for these characters, further
enriching the language. Kanji is used for nouns, verbs, adjectives, and more.
Katakana Writing System:
Katakana, like Hiragana, consists of 46 characters, but it serves a different purpose. It is
primarily used for foreign loanwords, onomatopoeia, technical terms, and names of plants and
animals. Katakana characters are sharper and have a more angular appearance compared to
Hiragana.
104 Hiragana Sounds:
Hiragana may seem complex, but it follows a consistent pattern. The basic 46 characters
represent sounds such as "a," "ka," "sa," etc. By adding diacritics (voiced and unvoiced marks) to
these basic characters and combining them with "ya," "yu," and "yo," the total number of sounds
reaches 104. Practice is crucial for accurate pronunciation and reading.
Module 2 |Lesson 2 – Katakana Writing System
Learning Nihongo is not only about learning new words or phrases and making
use of them to construct sentences. When one decides to learn Japanese, he / she
should be ready to learn a whole new set of characters.
The Japanese have three writing systems : Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji.
Among the three, Hiragana is the first to be introduced to Japanese language learners.
This lesson is all about Katakana.
Objectives
At the end of this lesson, you should be able to :
1. determine the sounds present in your name, and
2. write your name in Katakana using the sounds identified.
Another writing system the Japanese make use of is Katakana.
Katakana, which means “fragmentary kana” ,is characterized by short, straight
strokes and angular corners. It is used when writing down names of people, and things
that are not of Japanese origin. That is, if your name is not a Japanese name, use
Katakana.
The Long Vowel Sound
Long vowels have been radically simplified in Katakana. Instead of having to think
about vowel sounds, all long vowel sounds are denoted by a simple dash ( ー ).
1. メール (me-ru) - email
2. ケーキ (ke-ki) - cake
Chart 1.
Basic Katakana and Additional Katakana Sounds
Chart 2
Contracted Katakana Sounds
Additional Letters
These additional letters are invented in modern era to describe the sound of
foreign languages.
Examples
ファ[fa] ティ[ti] ドゥ[du] ウェ[we] フォ[fo]
ァ, ィ, ゥ, ェ and ォ(small ア[a] イ[i] ウ[u] エ[e] オ[o]) are attached after particular
letters.
Examples
ヴァ[va] ヴィ[vi] ヴ[vu] ヴェ[ve] ヴォ[vo]
ヴ is used for [v] sound.
Writing / Drawing Katakana Characters
Just like in the Hiragana lesson, learning the stroke order in drawing each
Katakana character is necessary. The chart that follows show you the stroke order
(numbered) .
