Part 1

あ (A) and か (Ka) Rows

Part 2

さ (Sa) and た (Ta) Rows

Part 3

な (Na) and は (Ha) Rows

Part 4

ま (Ma) and や (Ya) Rows

Part 5

ら (Ra) Row and わ,を,ん

Part 6

20 Dakuon and 5 Handakuon

Part 7

Small っ and 19 Long Vowels

Part 8

36 Hiragana Combination

Learn Hiragana Alphabet

Introduction to the Japanese Alphabet

The Japanese don’t have a traditional alphabet like English. Instead, it has four scripts, with three commonly used: Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji. The fourth, Romaji, is mostly for Japanese books aimed at foreigners or typing on keyboards.

Hiragana is the main script for native Japanese words and grammar. It's simple, rounded characters are beginner-friendly. Katakana is used for foreign words, with angular characters that you’ll often see in menus and ads. Kanji has characters borrowed from Chinese, each representing an idea or concept. It’s the most complex, with thousands of characters.

Together, these scripts form the core of Japanese writing. Each plays a unique, yet complementary role in expressing the language.

Hiragana: The Most Common Japanese Script

Hiragana is the primary and most common script in Japanese. It consists of 46 basic characters, each representing a single sound. These characters are simpler than Kanji, making them easier to learn. Hiragana is essential for beginners because it allows for basic communication and helps learners understand Japanese sentence structure. Each Hiragana character represents one syllable, covering all Japanese sounds. Children and beginners start with Hiragana to build a strong foundation.

How Hiragana is Used

Hiragana is used for native Japanese words, grammar particles, and verb endings. You'll often see it in books, signs, and children's materials, as well as in words without Kanji. It’s also used in combination with Kanji to complete sentences, making it a vital script for reading and writing in Japanese.

Basic Hiragana alphabet

To learn the Japanese alphabet Hiragana, start with learning the 46 basic Hiragana characters from the first-row あ (a)、い (i)、う (u)、え (e)、お (o). And then the second row か (ka), き (ki), く(ku), け (ke), こ (ko) until you finish learning the rest of them.

Advanced Hiragana alphabet

The next thing you are going to go through is the advanced alphabet, which will introduce to you other rules and concepts of the Japanese alphabet. It’s like a big sandbox for you to start building complex sounds using the existing one. You can have a brief look to get an idea of what they are:

- Special versions of characters: using a basic with a dash or a dot next to them like ひ (hi) -> ぴ (pi), or は (ha)->ば (ba) creates more room to form words that are difficult to form with the basic alphabets

- Special Characters: “っ” (small tsu), elongated vowels ああ (a~), いえ (i~), or おう (o~), which add flavor and depth to the world of pronunciations.

- “Combo Characters”: Explore combinations like “にゃ” (nya), and “きゃ” (kya), which add new sounds and dimensions to the language.

How to Learn Hiragana: Writing, Reading, and Pronunciation

Learning Hiragana involves three essential steps:

1. Start with simple test: begin with the あ (a), い (i), う (u), え (e), お (o) row to build your confidence, then move through each line systematically.
2. Practice writing each character by following the correct stroke order. This helps you remember the shapes and form characters correctly.
3. Practice reading by speaking words aloud to get familiar with the sounds. Hiragana pronunciation is straightforward. Each character has a fixed sound, making it easier to learn.

Mastering Hiragana is your first step in learning Japanese. With practice, you’ll be able to read, write, and speak basic Japanese quickly.