Japanese: Hiragana Basics
Master the fundamental building blocks of the Japanese writing system with these essential Hiragana flashcards. This deck covers the basic characters, important sound modifications, and common writing conventions. Perfect for beginners looking to build a strong foundation in Japanese reading and writing.
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What is hiragana mainly used for?
Native Japanese words, grammatical particles and verb and adjective endings (okurigana).
How many basic hiragana are there?
46: five vowels, 40 consonant-vowel syllables and ん (n).
Write the hiragana for a.
あ
Write the hiragana for i.
い
Write the hiragana for u.
う
Write the hiragana for e.
え
Write the hiragana for o.
お
Write the hiragana for n.
ん
What does dakuten (゛) do?
Voices a sound: か ka → が ga, さ sa → ざ za.
What does handakuten (゜) do?
Turns the h-row into p-sounds: は ha → ぱ pa.
What does a small っ do?
Doubles the following consonant, adding a short pause: きっと kitto.
What do small ゃ, ゅ and ょ do?
Combine with an i-row syllable into one sound: き + ゃ = きゃ kya.
How are long vowels written in hiragana?
Add あ after a-sounds, い after i- and usually e-sounds, う after u- and usually o-sounds: おかあさん, せんせい, とうきょう.
How is the particle は pronounced?
Wa, although the character is normally ha.
How do hiragana and katakana differ in use?
Hiragana writes native words and grammar; katakana writes loanwords, onomatopoeia and emphasis.