Before learning the third and final writing system of Japanese called “kanji,” it’s important for you to master hiragana and katakana. Today, we’ll go through the final things you need to know to completely master these two writing systems!
* We were given permission to share this manga by Manga de Japan. More details about them below.
To learn and use Japanese, hiragana and katakana are extremely important. It’s kind of like how in order to learn English, you have to learn the alphabet. Hiragana and katakana are written in different ways, but their number and pronunciation are exactly the same.
In hiragana and katakana, there are some very special letters that are necessary to write down certain sounds:
- dakuten and handakuten
- sokuon and yō-on
Let’s start with dakuten and handakuten!
Did you get that? Remember that there are two dashes (top right corner) for dakuten and a circle (top right corner) for handakuten. The possible pronunciations in Japanese can be greatly expanded by using dakuten and handakuten. The following is a list of hiragana and katakana where you can “attach” dakuten and handakuten.
How does that feel? In this way, the sokuon and yō-on also play a very important role. The following is a list of hiragana and katakana that can be accompanied by sokuon and yō-on.
What do you think? Good on you for persisting in learning Japanese! Once you’ve mastered these details about hiragana and katakana, then you’ll be ready to move onto the real core of the Japanese language: kanji! Let’s keep going together!
What Is Manga de Japan?
Manga de Japan is a website that aims to promote Japanese culture through manga. It is available in both Japanese and English and provides a truly unique perspective into Japan, so please check it out if you liked this manga and want to read more!
For more details, please see the video below or check out their website here: https://mangadejapan.com/
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The information in this article is accurate at the time of publication.
