Katie
Japanese Alphabet\ basic Japanese help?! Hi! I'm a total noob... Can someone help me? I'm trying to learn Japanese but the alphabet is too confusing X_X I'm trying the 'original' alphabet ( not Kanji or the foreign one) but theres so many... does anyone know an easier way to learn? Also can anyone help me, by gving me some basic\helpful\common japanese words\sentences? (Can you give the answer in Japanese and English writing? So I can learn better? ^_^) ARIGOTOU GOZAIMASU!
May 18, 2010 11:28 PM
Answers · 3
3
Well... not Kanji or the foreign one, in Japanese, we don't have alphabets; however, there are two kinds of Japanese original letters called "Hiragana" or "Katakana". Both "Hiragana" and "katakana" have 50 charactors each, but we usually use just 46 charactors each. You could check those charactors at this page: http://www.ivysoho.net/mojimoji/kidsa.htm There is also a good website where helps you memorizing "Hiragana" and "katakana": http://www.realkana.com/hiragana/ For very simple Japanese expression: Hello-> ko n ni chi wa(こんにちは) see you later-> ma ta ne(またね) bye-> sa yo na ra(さよなら) thanks-> a ri ga to u(ありがとう) yes-> ha i(はい) no-> i i e(いいえ) These are very very basic japanese daily expressions, hope you can enjoy with them=)
May 19, 2010
You mean hiragana? Try smart.fm.... it's great! They have hiragana, katakana, and kanji lists. They also have lists for learning basic phrases, words, etc. Send me a message if you're interested, and I'll send links to courses that would be helpful... ^-^ BTW, "Arigatou gozaimasu". ありがとうございます Gambatte! 頑張って <with kanji, as it's actually written> がんばって <hiragana only> Try your best! <Kinda like we use "Good luck!">
May 19, 2010
Japanese has 3 writing systems. The Kanji and 2 phonetic syllabary called Hiragana ひらがな and Katakana カタカナ. Hiragana is used generally just for native Japanese words (names, etc.) while Katakana is used for foreign loan words (names) or for special emphasis. For example .... Hiragana words: ねこ (neko) - Cat いぬ (inu) - Dog たなか (Tanaka) - Someone's name Katakana: レース (re-su) - Lace クリスマス (kurisumasu) - Christmas ビクトリア (bikutoria) - Victoria I would suggest starting with Hiragana, definately learn these. Then learn Katakana. They are not difficult to learn, but will definately help your Japanese language study.
May 19, 2010
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