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Page 1 of 2 For most learners, Japanese writing looks really strange and complex in the beginning.
It does take some time and training to learn to read and write, but it's really worth it. Even
learning just a little bit will dramatically help you when learning to speak the language as well as when trying to
figure out things in Japan. This article describes the very basics of the Japanese written language.
For the first steps in learning Japanese, you actually don't have to
learn the Japanese characters. As most people find them hard to learn,
some may be discouraged and drop out. It doesn't have to be that way!
Try to learn a little at a time, for if you do want to learn Japanese,
it will become necessary to know how to read.
The japanese writing system actually consists of three different sets
of letters. All of them originate in the old chinese writing system, but
has changed a lot since they were imported to Japan.
The three character sets, Kanji, hiragana and katakana, are all mixed
in ordinary Japanese. To simplify it, kanji is often used for the base
meaning of a word, hiragana for gluing things together to form a
understandable sentence and katakana for foreign loan-words.
Let's look at an example. Try to guess what the sentence means. You will find the answer in the bottom of this page.
Kanji
First of all,
there is the set of characters that are called Kanji, they are often
complex, consisting of many lines. They look similar to chinese
characters. Each of the characters represents an
idea, and can often be pronounced in a few different ways.
Example of Kanji:
| Kanji |
|
Pronouncation |
|
Meaning |
| 人 |
|
hito |
|
person |
山
|
|
yama |
|
mountain |
龍
|
|
ryuu
|
|
dragon
|
The japanese language also has two sets of phonetic characters, ie.
each character representing a sound, hiragana and katakana.
Hiragana
Hiragana is the character set used
in native Japanese, for grammatical constructs and for modifying
words. You can recognize that a character probably belongs to the hiragana alphabet if it is
simple and curvy. Here are some examples of hiragana alphabet.
わたしは にほんじん です
|
watashi wa nihonjin desu |
I am japanese |
| これ は ほん です |
kore wa hon desu
|
This is a book
|
Katakana
The other character set, Katakana, is mainly used for loan words, but
you may also see it for example in manga, used for sounds or to strenghten a word.
It's main characteristic is the straight lines with sharp edges. Here
are some examples of the Katakana alphabet.
ホテル
|
hoteru
|
hotel
|
アメリカ
|
amerika
|
America
|
リモコン
|
rimokon
|
remote control
|
Read more about Japanese script in the next lesson, Hiragana Basics.
Answer
The sentence in the introduction to this chapter, "pasokon o kaimasu" means "(to) buy a computer". As the pronoun is usually omitted in Japanese, this makes a perfectly complete sentence. In most cases it would actually mean "I will buy a computer" as this basic, but quite ordinary, Japanese has no difference between "to buy" and "will buy".
Written by OrangeBlueZ, on 20-10-2008 20:26
That... That clarifies so much for me. I better start picking up what I can for each.  |
aarigatou ne..
Written by awon, on 11-10-2008 03:47
sou desu ka...
watashi ga shiawasei desu...
hontouni boku ga tasukete |
DiepLe
Written by Inu_Kiri, on 06-10-2008 17:46
I've only stared to learn...but through practice I can read better than I can speak!  |
yay
Written by Lokies, on 18-09-2008 23:24
Good thing this was here  |
excellenet explanation
Written by manuntun, on 11-08-2008 04:46
very helpful article. I am now trying to study kanji, 2 characters per day |
Written by DiepLe, on 23-07-2008 09:34
I'm almost fluent but I cant read worth a damn!
The reading is the hard part I'm convinced. |
Re: New Learner
Written by johan, on 28-06-2008 08:33
I think it is always best to have a combination of ways when learning a language.
I believe that the very best way of learning is to
- have private lessons with a proper teacher and curriculum
- being able to use your Japanese (it helps a lot being in Japan)
- drill kanji and vocabulary every day. For instance in the Flash Card Trainer.
It is not possible for most people to do all of that, so then I would just recommend to go along with your curiosity and try to communicate as much as you can at the level you are. Take it step by step in your own pace and make sure you have fun while doing it. Communicating, for instance with a pen pal or even talking to the local sushi restaurant owner (if Japanese) may give you a kick. |
New Learner
Written by ReRe, on 27-06-2008 15:22
what is the best way to learn japanese, for someone that learns languages kinda slow. |
Learning
Written by Singaporu, on 22-06-2008 05:04
tis website let me learn japanese fast      |
...
Written by Kitsune Reikon, on 18-06-2008 17:45
well this will take me a while, but im glad it's here |
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