For most students the hiragana syllabary is the first area of study they focus on when learning Japanese. Hiragana is considered as the basic alphabet of Japanese. One phenomenonI have noticed over years is that many students memorise the Hiragana syllabary, but few actually end up reading Hiragana at a proficient level.

This  is a result of a lack of hiragana practice -- reading hiragana with kanji characters in the context of meaningful sentences

In this video we will do some hiragana practice involving reading hiragana with a little kanji. Yes, it may be a little challenging, but watch the video a few times and see what you can learn.

Japanese Hiragana Practice Video Lesson

www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zeJ0geBuvw

If you want to learn how to read Kanji in context with Hiragana and Katakana please check out Read Japanese Fast - http://readjapanesefast.com

Learning to read Japanese is probably the most challenging aspect of studying the Japanese language. Most students find it far too confusing and time consuming to learn to read and give up. After spending a few months learning Hiragana and Katakana the prospect of learning a few thousand Kanji becomes too overwhelming.

However, learning to read Japanese doesn’t have to be a painful and confusing experience. A product called Read Japanese Fast has helped hundred of students become proficient readers of Japanese.

Most students make the mistake of learning to read Japanese in parts. First, students learn Hiragana, then Katanana. After this they learn a large number of grammar rules. Then comes learning hundreds of Kanji.  Doing all of this would take several months of considerable study time with little results.  Read Japanese Fast teaches students how to read Kanji in context in 30 days.

Try Read Japanese Fast

What is the Methodology Behind Read Japanese Fast

The methodology behind Read Japanese Fast is “You have to practice reading Japanese in order to become proficient at reading Japanese.” Rather than learn Hiragana, Katakana, grammar and Kanji in parts, it is far more effective to practice reading Hiragana, Katakana and Kanji in context progressively.

The creators of the program argue that  you need is to be shown how to read Japanese.  In their own words. “You need someone to guide you as you attempt to read. Think of it as like having a reading coach – who can explain cultural elements, confusing grammar and ambiguous wording.”

This is what Read Japanese fast is all about. They basically reverse what most Japanese teachers would have you do – “You don’t memorize kanji in order to read, you read Japanese in order to memorize kanji and vocabulary.”

What is Read Japanese Fast?

Read Japanese Fast is an online membership site dedicated to helping students learn to read Japanese, to the point where students can confidently read kanji in context.  The online course takes you through 20 pieces of writing word-byword, phrase-by-phrase with video tutorials. No other product does this.

Here is a sample of one of the “read Kanji in context” lessons

Does Read Japanese Fast Really Work?

You might be very sceptiacle of a product that claims it can have you reading Japanese in 30 days or less. However, the course is not aimed at complete beginners. It is for students of Japanese who have studied and attained a basic Japanese. To program challenges you to commit 1 hour a day for the first 10 days, and then at least 2 hours a day and for the rest of the program. You have to put in some focused study time to get results.

“In one week I learned how to apply my Japanese better than in all the many hours of memorizing grammar rules.  I would definitely recommend “Read Japanese Fast” to anyone who wants to learn and use Japanese…fast!”   - Paul Muscst Mesa, Arizona

“It’s a simple solution for learning Japanese by focusing on real-world reading & listening skills. Through a set of downloadable video, audio and text lessons it explores ways to master the complete Hiragana, Katakana alphabets and hundreds of Kanji.” – Yahoo Answers

Advantage of Read Japanese Fast

• You will be reading Japanese on completion of the course
• Expert insight on the cultural aspects of written Japanese
• Proven Advice To Read Japanese And Memorize Hundreds Of Kanji – By A Japanese Native And Language Expert

Disadvantages of Read Japanese Fast

• The videos can only be watched online in the members area. They can’t be downloaded
• After the first 10 days the course becomes very challenging requiring at least 2 hours of study per lesson.

The Final Verdict

Having a Hiragana chart over your study desk will help you master the Hiragana syllabary. As Japanese has three scripts – kanji, hiragana and katakana, you need all the help you can get when you start to learn how to read and write Japanese.  However, there are a few flaws with the common Hiragana chart which I will explain in this post.

First, lets talk about the three Japanese scripts a bit more. Kanji is used for semantics, while hiragana and katakana are sound scripts. Hiragana is used to indicate verb inflections, particles and simple words for which kanji are not required, or suitable. Katakana for loan words.

When learning to read Japanese you should start with Hiragana. I have read arguments that Katakana is better to learn first for non-native speaker. The idea being learners can relate to Katakana easily as it deals with foreign words.  While this might be true, it won’t help you with your general understanding of Japanese. Unlike Hiragana, Katakana isn’t used for verb inflections, particles and other grammatical elements. Nor is it used with Kanji. Katakana is the script you should learn last as it won’t introduce you to any fundamentals of Japanese.

So Hiragana and Katakana are two writing systems both denoting the same thing – a set of 46 individual syllables that can be arranged in a table called the gojuuon, meaning “the 50 sounds” after the classical table that contained 50 sounds. These writing systems are represented to learners with romanized charts. The problem with the common romanized Hiragana chart is it can inadvertently teaches sounds, such as “tu” or “si”, which in fact do not exist. In particular, ra, ri, ru ,re ,ro sounds are not actually r sounds and really shouldn’t be learnt as such.  In reality, these sounds have a consonant that can be pronounced anywhere from a soft “r”, to a normal “l” to a mix form of r/l/d.

So it is import to remember that a rominalized Hiragana chart is to help you identify characters, rather than teach you sounds. How do you learn the sounds? With our video lessons.

If you would like a series of 15 video lessons to teach you the sounds of the the Hiragana syllabary as well as some Hiragana charts and flash cards then sign up below. Also a set of flash cards would come in handy too. We are got them for you. Just sign up below to get your hands on the Hiragana chart and flash cards.

Can you read Hiragana?

And I mean actually read Hiragana – words, phrases and paragraphs.  Don’t make the mistake thinking that if you can identify Hiragana on flash cards it means you are reading Japanese. So can you really read Hiragana?

How would you like to be reading Hiragana and 80 Kanji in just 14 days?

I have just released a new product called Read hiragana Fast.

Read Hiragana Fast teaches you how to read and write Hiragana. A lot
of students memorize Hiragana, but never really learn to read. My
product is designed to get you reading Hiragana and 80 kanji in only
14 days. The product has a 14 day, step by step plan.

Read Hiragana Fast has 36 video tutorials, 3 ebooks and 2 sets of flash
cards. It is a complete learning package. In fact it is a membership
site where Kaoru and I coach you how to read Hiragana.

Check out some sample video tutorials at ; http://www.readhiragana.com/

The stroke order for the “a hiragana” character is represented in the image below. As you can see three strokes are required. Writing out characters is the best way to learn and memorize the kana alphabets, hiragana and katakana. Grab a piece of paper and try to write the “a hiragana” character now. Getting the correct balance and smoothness with the curves will take a while. I found learning to write hiragana charaters to be a very relaxing exercise. It takes a certain about of concentrateion, but is stimulating in a passive kind of way. Strokes for both the kana alphabets and kanji generally move from left to right and from top to bottom. The “a hiragana” in particular is very beautiful.

]]> http://talksushi.com/a-hiragana/feed/ 1 http://talksushi.com/hiragana-lessons-1/ http://talksushi.com/hiragana-lessons-1/#comments Thu, 30 Oct 2008 07:40:25 +0000 Nick http://talksushi.com/?p=171

Welcome to the first Hiragana Lesson. In this lesson you can learn the first five vowels of Hiragana. Your road to learning to read Japanese starts here. Hiragana is what you should learn first when starting to learn Japanese. Please repeat aloud as you watch this video.

The romaji hiragana for these characters is:  A I U E O

Now test yourself with these questions

• What is ai in English?
• What color is ao?
• How do you say “house” in Japanese?
• What does ue mean?
• How do you say “many” in Japanese?
• What family member name is oi?