print | close Japanese Syllabaries

As noted in the unit The Japanese Language: Speaking and Writing, the Japanese language is written using a combination of two syllabaries (hiragana and katakana) and Chinese characters. In English each letter represents a consonant or a vowel, but in Japanese each symbol represents a complete syllable.

Hiragana is used for inflected word endings, grammatical particles and other words. Katakana is used for foreign loan words, foreign names and for emphasis.

Exercises

1) Try writing some of the Japanese words you have known using hiragana:

sushi

teriyaki

karate

samurai

kamikaze

2) Foreign words are written in katakana. Complete the following chart by writing these words following the Japanese pronunciation. Try saying them as well.

3) Japan has also borrowed many words from various languages. Sometimes these words are abbreviated. Complete the following chart.

4) Try writing your name in katakana. As each letter needs to become a syllable, your name may become unrecognizable to you!

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Recommended Website

• Irasshai: The Japanese Language and Culture Distance Learning Course
(www.gpb.org/peachstar/irasshai)
Companion website to an award-winning language and culture television show of the same name on Georgia Public Broadcasting. See especially the Student Notebook section featuring helpful audio charts of hiragana and katakana, interactive exercises to complete online, and a complete database of language and culture lessons.