Japanese: Start Here

Practise: Japanese flashcards and quizzes (works on any phone).

Core lists: vocabulary by theme · everyday phrases · example sentences

Japanese is on my list of languages to learn. So far I have been working on reading and writing: the two kana charts and my teacher’s notes are below.

1. Writing systems and pronunciation

Japanese mixes three scripts, often in one sentence:

Each kana is one syllable: a vowel (a i u e o, said as in Spanish) or a consonant + vowel (ka ki ku ke ko). A long vowel (ō, ū) is held twice as long, and that changes meaning: obasan (aunt) vs obāsan (grandmother). Pitch is fairly flat; don’t stress syllables the English way.

2. Core grammar

• Word order is subject–object–verb, and the verb comes last: Watashi wa kōhī o nomimasu. (私はコーヒーを飲みます) I drink coffee.
• Particles mark each word’s role: wa (topic), ga (subject), o (object), ni (to, at), de (at, by means of), no (of, ’s), ka (question).
• No articles, no plurals, no gender: hon is “a book”, “the book” or “books”.
• Polite verbs end in -masu: tabemasu (eat), tabemasen (don’t eat), tabemashita (ate).
• “X is Y”: X wa Y desu. Watashi wa VikiD desu. I am VikiD.
• Questions: add ka at the end: Nihongo o hanashimasu ka? Do you speak Japanese?

3. Essential phrases

4. Vocabulary

• Japanese: Colours

The learning path

1. Japanese: Start Here (you are here)
2. Japanese: Colours
3. Japanese: Vocabulary
4. Japanese: Everyday Phrases
5. Japanese: Example Sentences

Links

• Tofugu: katakana chart