The character お (pronounced “oh”) is the fifth and final vowel in the Japanese gojūon sequence: i.e. a, i, u, e, o. Though it’s the last of the vowel group, it’s just as essential — appearing in hundreds of common words, polite expressions, and foundational grammar patterns. Whether you’re greeting someone with おはよう (ohayou – […]
Category: hiragana
When you’re learning Japanese, each kana character you study isn’t just a symbol to memorize — it’s a piece of a larger linguistic puzzle that reveals how the Japanese language works. The hiragana character え (pronounced “eh”) is one of the five foundational vowels and a sound you’ll encounter constantly in everyday conversation, reading, and […]
The hiragana character う (pronounced “oo”, like in “food”) is the third vowel in the Japanese gojūon order (i.e. a, i, u, e, o) and a fundamental sound in the language. As with its vowel siblings, う is clear, consistent, and essential for forming words, conjugating verbs, and expressing tone in both written and spoken […]
When you’re just starting out with Japanese, few characters are as important to your foundation as い. It’s the second vowel in the gojūon order (i.e. a, i, u, e, o) and one of the five core sounds that appear in nearly every aspect of Japanese speech and grammar. Like its vowel siblings, い is […]
Learning Japanese is like piecing together a puzzle — every character you master reveals more about how the language works. The hiragana character あ (pronounced “ah”) is one of the most essential pieces of that puzzle. It’s the very first sound in the gojūon order (i.e. a, i, u, e, o), and the starting point […]
Okurigana (送り仮名 – literally: “accompanying characters”) are characters that appear after a kanji character in a Japanese word. They are used to indicate the inflection or pronunciation of the kanji, and are typically written in hiragana. For example, in the word “読よめる” (yomu, meaning “can read”), the kanji is “読” and the okurigana are “め” […]
Come across the word Furigana in the context of Japanese kanji and wondering what it means? Furigana (振り仮名 – literally: “assigned characters”), also known as ruby text or ruby characters, are small kana characters that are written above or to the side of a kanji character in a Japanese word. They are used to indicate […]