Learn Hiragana

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ひらがな

 
 
 
 
 

 
 

Hiragana is one of Japan's three writing systems, alongside Katakana and Kanji. It has its roots in the ancient Japanese script known as Manyogana which used Chinese characters to represent native Japanese words. As the need for a more phonetic writing system arose, Hiragana emerged around the 8th century as a simplified form of Kanji characters. Originally, it was used exclusively by women for personal communication, but over time, its usage expanded to encompass all aspects of the Japanese language.

Hiragana is fundamental to the Japanese writing system and is employed for various purposes. One of its primary functions is to represent native Japanese words, providing the building blocks for grammar and sentence structure. Unlike Kanji, which can have multiple readings, Hiragana maintains a consistent phonetic sound for each character, contributing to its simplicity and ease of use.

Another crucial role of Hiragana is the addition of grammatical elements, such as particles, verb and adjective endings, and conjugations. By using Hiragana, the function and context of words within sentences become clear, making it indispensable for constructing meaningful and coherent communication.

In addition to its grammatical significance, Hiragana is used for writing the furigana, small characters placed above or beside Kanji, to aid in pronunciation, especially for learners or when reading complex texts.

Furthermore, Hiragana is frequently seen in children's books, manga, and simple written communication, as it provides a readable and approachable script for early learners of the language.

Overall, Hiragana serves as the backbone of Japanese writing, providing phonetic representation, grammatical clarity, and accessibility for learners, making it an essential and widely used component of the Japanese language.

Gojūon (五十音) – Basic Hiragana


a

i

u

e

o

n

ka

ki

ku

ke

ko
 

sa

shi

su

se

so
 

ta

chi

tsu

te

to
 

na

ni

nu

ne

no
 

ha

hi

fu

he

ho
 

ma

mi

mu

me

mo
 

ya
 
yu
 
yo
 

ra

ri

ru

re

ro
 

wa
   
wo
 

Dakuten (゛)


ga

gi

gu

ge

go

za

ji

zu

ze

zo

da

ji

zu

de

do

ba

bi

bu

be

bo

Handakuten (゜)


pa

pi

pu

pe

po

Yōon (拗音)

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