m - Japanese Teaching Ideas

Three types of writing
私
は
カナダ
• Kanji
• Hiragana
• Katakana
に
行きます。
Kanji
漢字
• Chinese or native-Japanese origin
• used for whole words
• used for parts of words such as verbs
Hiragana
•
•
•
•
ひらがな
48 characters
phonetic syllabary
used for Japanese words with no kanji
used for grammar such as prepositions,
verb conjugations
Katakana
•
•
•
•
カタカナ
48 characters
phonetic syllabary
used for foreign words
used to show emphasis ie onomatopoeia
Romaji
ローマ字
• roman alphabet used to show the
pronunciation of Japanese words
• used for learners of Japanese only
Pronunciation
はつおん
• 5 short vowels pronounced
a
あ
i
い
u
う
e
え
o
お
• Similar to: Ah, we soon get old.
• long vowel sounds
ā
ああ
ii or ī
いい
ū
うう
ē or ei
ええ
えい
ō
おう
おお
• doubling of a single vowel so should
have a long continuous sound
• all other sounds are formed with a
consonant and a vowel
k
ka ki
ku
s
sa shi su se so
さしすせそ
t
ta chi tsu te
to
たちつてと
n
na ni
nu ne no
なにぬねの
h
ha
m
ma mi mu me mo
まみむめも
y
ya
yo
や ゆ よ
r
ra
ri
ru
re ro
らりるれろ
g
ga
gi
gu
ge go
がぎぐげご
z
za
ji
zu
ze
zo
ざじずぜぞ
d
da ji
zu de
do
だぢづでど
b
ba bi
bu be
bo
ばびぶべぼ
p
pa pi
pu pe po
ぱぴぷぺぽ
hi fu
ke ko
he ho
yu
かきくけこ
はひふへほ
• ん ‘n’ is the only independent sound
• nasal sound
• syllables beginning with b,m,p the ‘n’
sound is more like ‘m’
• four double consonants - kk, pp, ss, and tt
• in hiragana they are represented by a small
tsu っ
• double consonants indicate a small pause so
the mouth can prepare for the pronunciation
of the next syllable
• consonants combine with ya, yu and yo
k
kya
kyu
kyo
きゃ
きゅ
きょ
s
sha
shu
sho
しゃ
しゅ
しょ
c
cha
chu
cho
ちゃ
ちゅ
ちょ
n
nya
nyu
nyo
にゃ
にゅ
にょ
h
hya
hyu hyo
ひゃ
ひゅ
ひょ
m
mya myu myo
みゃ
みゅ
みょ
r
rya
ryu
りゃ りゅ りょ
g
gya
gyu gyo
ぎゃ
ぎゅ
ぎょ
j
ja
ju
jo
じゃ
じゅ
じょ
b
bya
byu
byo
びゃ
びゅ
びょ
p
pya
pyu
pyo
ぴゃ
ぴゅ
ぴょ
ryo