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Teach Yourself Japanese - How to get started

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By Research Analyst


Japan Signs
Japan Signs

Learn to write Japanese - How to get started

If you are learning the Japanese language to be able to communicate in real life situations at work or for your school project, you must know how to write Japanese.

You probably already know that to learn Japanese writing, start with hiragana and katakana, then kanji. Hiragana and katakana are simpler than kanji, and have only 46 characters each. It is possible to write an entire Japanese sentence in hiragana. Imagine what it would be like if you could like many children's books write in hiragana only. Japanese children start to read and write in hiragana before making an attempt to learn some of the two thousand kanji commonly used so knowing how to write Japanese will help improve your understanding of the language.

While learning Japanese, many people think that learning to speak the language is more difficult than learning to write it. The kind of scripts you use depends on the kind of sentence you want to write. Some Japanese textbooks state that the Hiragana symbol comes to use only when a particular thing cannot be written in Kanji and that the Katakana symbol comes to use only for writing foreign words or words that were adopted by the Japanese system gradually.


Hiragana Chart
Hiragana Chart

Hiragana Chart

There are 46 hiragana characters for 46 different sounds.

Hiragana are used for expressing grammatical elements such as particles, and endings of adjectives and verbs which show tenses.

Kanji are used for expressing meaningful elements such as nouns and stems of adjectives and verbs.

Japanese is written in a combination of three scripts:

  • hiragana,
  • katakana,
  • kanji.

Kanji represents ideas or objects.

Hiragana expresses the grammatical relationships between them.

Katakana is used for words of foreign origin.

Hiragana and Katakana characters represent one syllable and have no meaning other than the representation of sound. Japanese sentences can be written in either hiragana or katakana only even though Japanese is usually written in a combination of three scripts, There are 46 basic hiragana characters (see chart).

Some Japanese Words and Phrases:

Hello. こんにちは。Konnichiwa. (kon-nee-chee-WAH)

How are you? お元気ですか。O-genki desu ka? (oh-GEN-kee dess-KAH?)

Fine, thank you. 元気です。Genki desu. (GEN-kee dess)

What is your name? お名前は何ですか。O-namae wa nan desu ka?　(oh-NAH-mah-eh wah NAHN dess-KAH?)

My name is ____ . 私の名前は ____ です。 Watashi no namae wa ____ desu. (wah-TAH-shee no nah-mah-eh wa ____ dess)

Nice to meet you. 始めまして。Hajimemashite. (hah-jee-meh-MOSH-teh)

Please. (request) お願いします。Onegai shimasu. (oh-neh-gigh shee-moss)

Please. (offer) どうぞ。 Dōzo. (DOH-zo)

Thank you. どうもありがとう。Dōmo arigatō. (doh-moh ah-ree-GAH-toh)

You're welcome. どういたしまして。 Dō itashi mashite. (doh EE-tah-shee mosh-teh)

Yes. はい。 Hai. (HIGH)

No. いいえ。 Iie. (EE-eh)

Excuse me. すみません。 Sumimasen. (soo-mee-mah-sen)

I'm sorry. 御免なさい。 Gomen-nasai. (goh-men-nah-sigh)

Goodbye. (long-term) さようなら。 Sayōnara. (sa-YOH-nah-rah)

Goodbye. (informal) それでは。 Sore dewa. (SOH-reh deh-wah)

I can't speak Japanese [well]. 日本語「よく」話せません。 Nihongo [yoku] hanasemasen. (nee-hohn-goh [yo-koo] hah-nah-seh-mah-sen)

Do you speak English? 英語を話せますか。 Eigo o hanasemasuka? (AY-goh oh hah-nah-seh-moss-KAH?)

Is there someone here who speaks English? だれか英語を話せますか。 Dareka eigo o hanasemasuka? (dah-reh-kah AY-goh oh hah-nah-seh-moss-KAH?)

Help! たすけて! Tasukete! (tah-soo-keh-teh!)

Look out! あぶない! Abunai! (ah-boo-NIGH!)

Good morning. おはようございます。 Ohayō gozaimasu. (oh-hah-YOH go-zigh-moss)

Good evening. こんばんは。 Konbanwa. (kohm-bahn-wah)

Good night (to sleep) おやすみなさい。 Oyasuminasai. (oh-yah-soo-mee-nah-sigh)

I don't understand. わかりません。 Wakarimasen. (wah-kah-ree-mah-sen)

Where is the toilet? トイレはどこですか。 Toire wa doko desu ka? (toy-reh wah DOH-koh dess kah?)

Resource list of japanese words. http://www.takase.com/Names/JapaneseWordList.htm



The Japanese language is spoken by more than 130 million people including people in Japan, residents of a number of other countries with some of the larger Japanese speaking communities are found in

  • Australia
  • Brazil
  • Peru
  • The Philippines
  • Singapore
  • South Korea
  • Taiwan
  • United States of America
  • The state of Hawaii

Resource: http://www.japaneselearning.com/At this site learn about Japan Hiragana Katakana Kanji and Japanese Culture, ask questions in the forum.

Translation Tools Online:

http://www.appliedlanguage.com/free_translation.shtml - Professional translation and interpreting service, free online translation tools.

Google Translate Google's free online language translation service instantly translates text and web pages Text and Web, Translated Search · Dictionary · Tools

translate.google.com

Currently, Google offers translations between the following languages:

  • Arabic
  • Bulgarian
  • Chinese (Simplified)
  • Chinese (Traditional)
  • Croatian
  • Czech
  • Danish
  • Dutch
  • Finnish
  • French
  • German
  • Greek
  • Hindi
  • Italian
  • Korean
  • Japanese
  • Norwegian
  • Polish
  • Romanian
  • Russian
  • Spanish
  • Swedish
  • Portuguese

  • Learn Japanese Through Hiragana Translation

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  • Learning With Hiragana Charts

    Hiragana charts are best used as a reference to ad you when learning the Japanese language. Most people think that a Hiragana chart alone can help them understand the Japanese language. However, these charts should be used as a tool that will assist you with learning. - 8 months ago

  • Japanese Software Vs Conventional Methods

    If you are trying to learn the Japanese language then the worst thing you can do is learn from a method that does not teach you the real language. Many methods focus on words instead of conversations so you never learn the context in which the words should be spoken. Similarly, you also do not learn the proper pronunciation. - 8 months ago

  • Learning How to Write Japanese?

    If you are planning on learning a second language, and a Japanese is the language you have chosen then you should learn how to write Japanese as well. The written language is part of the overall language so you should not overlook it. Learning how to hear and understand language as well as speak it is a great start but if you truly want to know the language you should learn how to read it and write it as well. - 8 months ago

  • Who Else Wants to Translate Japanese to English Quickly?

    If you want to be able to translate Japanese to English, you have several options you can do. You could spend hundreds of dollars on software at that translates the words for you. The downside to software is that it is never 100% accurate and it costs a lot of money. - 8 months ago

  • Learning Japanese Meanings - Tips

    If there is one skill that you can learn, which will benefit you in many ways, it is learning another language. Whether you want to visit a country that does not speak your current language, or you simply just want to learn the language of other cultures, it can help you a lot in life. Language is very powerful and having a second language that you know fluently can help you in life and in business. - 8 months ago

  • Can You Learn Japanese Online?

    I wish I could tell you all that I clicked on a website and after a few hours, I could speak Japanese. I also wish I could tell you that I took some class and was instantly fluent. But, I can't. There is no such thing as an easy way to become fluent in Japanese. - 9 months ago

  • Can You Learn to Write Japanese?

    Most of us have been forced into a language class at one time or another. Perhaps you had a semester of Spanish in high school. In my school district, we had to endure two years of torturous drills and memorization in either Spanish or French. Because I was a lazy kid (and something of a lazy adult!), I chose Spanish. - 9 months ago

Comments

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soyelude profile image

soyelude  says:
14 months ago

You amaze me....i simply wonder where you get all these stuff from. Well done RA.

Research Analyst profile image

Research Analyst  says:
14 months ago

American travelers will be happy to know that Japanese is more or less monotone, and actually has the same phonemes as Italian and Spanish. As a result, Japanese is extremely easy to pronounce, has a relatively small sound inventory, and generally has much shorter sentences than English.

einron profile image

einron  says:
14 months ago

Thank you Research Analyst! I learnt Japanese when I was young and your hub brought up memories of my youth. However, I have forgotten what I have learnt when I was young. I have studied katakana and hiragana but not kanji for it involves Chinese characters which I find difficulty to remember. I did not go to a Chinese school. If you know Chinese, you will find kanji easier to learn.

Japanese is much easier to learn than French with its feminine and masculine forms. In Canada, it is advantageous to learn French as a second language. I did manage to pass my Grade 13 in French, but just the same as in Japanese, I have forgotten almost all of it because I had no occasion to speak it.

God bless.

Research Analyst profile image

Research Analyst  says:
14 months ago

einron - thanks for sharing its nice to know about your experiences.

kawaiixdevil profile image

kawaiixdevil  says:
6 months ago

wow.. i really enjoyed your blog ^ ^

kootonii desu, hajimemashite~

hehe i love japanese<33

Research Analyst profile image

Research Analyst  says:
6 months ago

Japanese is fun and handy for international business travelers.

Japanese words  says:
4 months ago

Great article. One quick point though is that Kanji is the alphabet borrowed from the Chinese system and Hiragana and katakana were created as simplified versions. With Hiragana being used for Japanese words and katakana being used for foreign words.

silverfx profile image

silverfx  says:
4 months ago

Good article! Although I'm happy to say I knew everything, it was still extremely informative :)

Harvey  says:
3 months ago

This is a good introduction to Japanese writing. Next up Katakana and Kanji! Keep it up!

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