If you’re new to this series, check out my previous posts under the “Japanese from Scratch” category.
The best way to practice writing is to use plain old-fashion pen and paper. You can download the Hiragana practice writing sheet here:
http://japanese-lesson.com/characters/hiragana/hiragana_writing.html
Here are the example words from the lesson with some additions for extra reading practice.
- あい – love
- あお – blue
- いえ – house
- うえ – above
- おい – nephew
- おう – to chase
- あう – to meet
Here’s a odd tidbit. Did you know what we call “green” for a green traffic light is called 「あお」 in Japan? Actually, it IS kind of blue in Japan depending on how you look at it so it’s not that strange.
The sound 「おう」 is also an interjection used to express an “informal affirmative response“. So next time somebody says, “Let’s do it!” You can respond 「おう！」 instead of “yeah!”. Practicing interjections in Japanese is a great way to start sounding and maybe even feeling a bit more Japanese.
Hungry for more? Check out my page on Hiragana.
My Youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/taekimjapanese
This is a really cool idea for a series. I think when people are learning a language, a big problem they have is mentally preparing for the immensity of the task. When you break things down into tiny bite-sized chunks, it makes everything feel a lot more doable.
It make it feel a lot more doable for the writer (me) as well!
finally another blog posttt!!!!!!! been waiting. smart.fm is my life.
(i’m katja on there. :3 add me)
This is a great idea to learn, hope to see more
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Now this video stands out! Not many Japanese language introductions out there mention pitch, which I think is a shame, because if people are aware of its existence from the very begining it’s easier to get used to it.
Also, I think this squared sheet thing is a very good idea, maybe I would have a better handwriting if I had used one of these…
Thanks for continuing to watch and providing feedback.
“Blue” is pronounced “Aoi” right? If so, why wouldn’t it be spelled with い? Wouldn’t it be あおい?
青 is a noun, 青い is a adjective.