Learn Hiragana - Kantan Kana Lesson 1 Learn to Read and Write Japanese

[AnimeLuver4778]

Should i learn hiragana or intruduce my self and stuff? Which should i start with??

[JustinDTran]

Learned hiragana in a couple of weeks and making significant progress on katakana. Easy.

[20070257R]

can any one explain which is useful hiragana or kanji or kantan kana?

can u differentiate?

[TehRealAssassin]

@20070257R Well, first of it's カタカナ(katakana),簡単仮名(kantan kana, means Simple kana and is not an alphabet). All are needed and all are useful, however hiragana is the most important, I started learning Japanese 9 months ago and started with hiragana, it was a really good choice and I could read alot of things. I would avoid kanji for now, focus on hiragana then after that try katakana.

[TehRealAssassin]

@TehRealAssassin Also it seems alot of people go blindly into learning Japanese, I highly suggest not doing this, research about the Japanese language before even attempting to learn it. Well, if you ask, people will help you, but it is still better understand what you are about to do next.

[MisterEclipse96]

@TehRealAssassin Hey, on my computer what you put are just boxes for me, how do I change that?

[TehRealAssassin]

@MisterEclipse96 That means Japanese text is not installed on your PC/Laptop. I'm sorry but Japanese text was automatically on my PC so I'm not quite sure how to do it... I think you just need to download something from Microsoft.

[MisterEclipse96]

@TehRealAssassin Thanks, also, in Japanese writing do you write the characters up and down or regularly (left to right)? Also, since they don't do the second Alphabet for free do you know any other videos that help teach the second one?

[TehRealAssassin]

@MisterEclipse96 Japanese normally write left to right, however writing from top to down is fine aswell. Hm, personally I don't recommend any videos, I did look at these videos at the very start, however I learnt both alphabets from charts on Google images. :P (I learnt both alphabets in a day, so I guess it works how I did it)

[1994dannylee]

@20070257R Exactly, Kanji is Chinese characters, it's very hard for beginners to learn, but when you're confident enough, try it~! ;)

[trun0jay]

Is there any kind of pen I should be writing the characters with? Should I buy one with a thicker nib?

[tulae]

@trun0jay No, try it with a regular pen or pencil. What do you think Japanese kids in school write with to take notes and do homework? The marker she's using accentuates the curves well, but they won't appear in pencil writing.

[rebelde354]

konnichi wa sensei san, watashi no namae ha jorge no mekishiko jin desu, hajimemashite, sus calses son muy interesantes, gracias. supaingo hanashimasu, dozo joroshiku ja mata ne. English 60%. onamae ha kudasai, you said your name very fast, moo ichi do kudasai but slowly, ja mata ne.

[whataboutkris]

its hard i cant learn it!!!!

[haifa301]

WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HIRAGANA, KATAKANA AND KANJI???? WHICH ONE IS FAMOUS? SHOULD WE LEARN THE THREE OF THEM? CONFUSED! ANYONE?

[tulae]

@haifa301 Just like you need to know lowercase and UPPERCASE to read normal English, you need to know all three to read normal Japanese.

[LoveCandyGuys58]

i got all excited when I saw it was a face... ;) AT 2:45

[reeman48]

:( It is very hard because I want to learn Japanese but I can not

[japanesepod101]

@reeman48 yes, you can! :]

[MikuMikuBeatGirl12]

Also, I started learning Japanese in July :3 I'm self teaching, and I'm 12. I surprisingly know a lot.

[tulae]

@MikuMikuBeatGirl12 That's great! If you study enough, you may be able to take more advanced Japanese classes in high school if they offer it

[MikuMikuBeatGirl12]

Japanesepod101,

Your lessons help a lot! They are at a very steady pace, and the teachers use examples to help, along with the stroke order. Thank you very much!!

[rainandmoonlight]

Do I need to learn how to SPEAK Japanese before I do this? Or can I learn this first?

[Zealot1123]

@rainandmoonlight i would say learn to write and read it then learn how to say it

[rainandmoonlight]

@Zealot1123 All right, thanks. I'm actually considering saving up for Rosetta Stone, though I know this is cheaper. I used Rosetta Stone for French, so I'm already used to it. Thanks though! :)

[adammasterson6]

this is so helpful thanks :)

[MissMere001]

@younes727 exactly!! but from New Zealand for me!

[Ithaljim]

う is that u?

[LARC1100able]

@Ithaljim yes

[katta1206]

i can't hear what she said 04:08. s:

[katta1206]

Can someone help me?

they first two she said isn't it, a and i ?

But the others i can't hear what she said, are ther someone that, can tell me that ?

[CrazyLittleGirlKato]

i thought that aoi is blue = . ="

[chocolatehippocool]

Hmmm the way I write them didn't look so edgy. But I guess she knows what she's talking about.

[KiRbY3397]

So out of the three different writings of japanese, do people learn them all? Or is there a writing that most japanese people use?

[FuroraCeltica]

i started learning Japanese today. I found the hirigana for "a" surprisingly hard to write. Once I saw you do it, I could do it

[likinroxas]

@younes727 me and you have the same thoughts

as soon as i learn the language im moving or atleast visit japan

[LuciaHane]

isn't hane,also a feather? :)

[THEunknown9810]

Thank you very much , I admire u because u speak both languages so professionally thank u again

[teklacukierek]

Does it matter which bit of the letter is thicker and which bit is thinner? As in, can you write it with a biro?

[saturnclouds]

Much easier than i had expected it to be... its still a much more complicated language though than english, and very unique...

i think its very awesome how certain symbols come together to create lots of word combos, interesting.

[linet4]

Learn japanese.... Challenge accepted!!

[kait155]

loved it soo much , now i can write these characters they look coooool :P thanx for the vid ^^

[IIIIIawesIIIII]

this is wonderful, thank you very much! :)

[Themuffinz101]

Lol the music in the background

[snowy9431]

Thank you for the wonderful teaching! Your name reminds me of the spirited away. Chrio!

[puketinho]

i just have started it as a fun, i like your voice, i hope i will continue.

[NoDreddy]

Japanese language its very beautifel hard but beautiful.I love Japan,culture,Tokyo,people.

I want to move in Japan on 2017 maybe.

I have 16 years now.Respect from my beautiful country too Romania.From Bucharest.

[SexyCornflake1]

I wish it had the English lettering under it so I can actully remember what I'm writing.

[AnimeLuv9000]

@JenniferJuhas

When typing on a phone or computer I think it is but traditionally it's read from the top right down and then to the next column on the left.

[JenniferJuhas]

Is Japanese read left to right like English?

[headbutt1010]

OMG i am so glad i have national internet cause i was flown out to japan when a company liked my drawings and now i am totally lost on what to do and all i here is blah blah blah blah blah japanese :)

[SuperrrrrrYoo]

I was trying to remember it without playing this video,Is "Au" meaning of "Blue"?

[HanaYuki12]

@SuperrrrrrYoo it "aoi" not 'au"...

[katta1206]

@SuperrrrrrYoo No '' Blue '' is '' Ao '' :D

[gamer42399]

is this the japanese alphabet

[ericoneill34]

When I use Google Translate to sound out words like Blue, it sounds nothing like "ah-oh". Should this be of concern to me? Google Translate says blue is ブルー.

Furthermore, I really appreciate this program and will most assuredly learn plenty from it, so thank you!

[ale15926]

@ericoneill34 Synthesized speech is not always accurate, specially the one Google Translate uses.

[andres81231]

IMは、日本の話すことを学ぶが、その簡単に私のために書き、話­すことよりも、入力する！ ：）

[SelenaGomezFL]

im very good at writing "e" and "u" and "o" i still need to work on "I" and "a"

[yutachan1993]

whats that backgroung music, i want to get it for my phone?

[iiida5]

What do you mean, when you say "ALMOST every word". Can't you write every word you want, in hiragana?

[misantropicall]

whats the meaning of hane? I use it a lot in Go 1:55

[121itzel]

you should show how each word is spelled :)

[Netchku]

Can somone explain how a and i spell love? because im looking and writing this all down with out knowing what it all means.

[PrettyBrownEyes112]

@Netchku i was thinking the SAME thing when i started learning japanese. like i did , you have to stop trying to associate japanese words/characters with american ones. You just have to accept and try to remember the japanese words and before you know it you'll know hiragana like a pro ^_^

[121itzel]

@Netchku I know right ? XD lol i was confused at first but this is why a+i = iie which is when you put them together makeks the sound ie and e would make i think this is why but this is how i remember it iie = ayee

[DJCh3NzO]

YOU'RE HOT LOL

[Oextarification]

it still seems so hard e_e by the way, you are soooo neat while writing. ;)

[Dragonmem88]

I fail badly at this. I don't understand any of it. Ima just give up -.-

[imtheonlysane1here]

@Dragonmem88 It's easier to learn to recognize the kana before learning the actual steps to writing it. Use your imagination and connect each kana with an image associated with the sound. For example, the kana for 'e' looks like an h, so think "eh"; the kana look like an h, so it's the other letter in 'eh', an e. The kana for 'i' looks like 2 i's tilted at an agle without dots. A little imagination goes a long way with these.

[Ameed1992]

I want the music......

[asuka0tayuya]

I don't know how you did it, but thanks to Chihiro-san I know all the hiragana characters <3 thank you!

[MrWereTurtles]

Can you tell us how to spell the words :(

[dinobublz]

AMAZING ENGRISH!!!

[gohanDaniel1]

がんばてねみんあ

[dinobublz]

@gohanDaniel1 yesh i will!!!

[gohanDaniel1]

@dinobublz it took me four days to master hiragana and katakana and i think you can do it

[dinobublz]

@gohanDaniel1 WTF!!??? u must've been WAY into it...i have like a almost 2 weeks and i still need to master hiragana...

[gohanDaniel1]

@dinobublz yes i had to master it because i made a promise to my Japanese friend and i told her i will master it and i also would like to move to Japan so i must study harder but i still think you can do it

[dinobublz]

@gohanDaniel1 lolz me too Japan is a beautiful place...I also wants to go to Rome and Egypt some day -_- sigh......

[gohanDaniel1]

@dinobublz cool man if you want to learn japanese character quickly visit this site

[gohanDaniel1]

@gohanDaniel1 i have send it to your message the site

[dinobublz]

@gohanDaniel1 i will thnx agen

[karolbeatbox]

IU (to speak) in 2:40 looks like a sad emoticon.

[fubuki67]

it easy



[InspirationzEL]

This is awesome!

[AwayD]

wasn't "ie" "no"?

[japanesepod101]

@AwayD ""iie" (with a long vowel in there) means "no" :) They're very similar, so be careful!

[CoolGirlKitty2]

@japanesepod101 how do i know when to use hiragana,katakana or kanji?

cause i seen them sometimes mixed so im bit confused.

[MiniMagicGirl]

i wonder did Mina-san learn this from watching it the first time...

ugh i have alot of remembering to do >.<

[iSketchSometimes]

is kantan kana the same as katakana? or what exactly IS the difference?

[japanesepod101]

@iSketchSometimes "Kantan Kana" is the name of this series = "kantan" means "easy", and "kana" refers to both hiragana and katakana :)

[pinkagony13]

@nayli1000 'Ao' is a noun, while 'aoi' is an adjective. It means the same thing but it is spelled differently depending on how you're using it.

[mattafields]

i just didn't get the names also whats hate since theres love

[Clawdia13]

Can anyone help me ??

I want to say "Yes , here it's bedtime." in japanese and I'm a bit confuse..is it correct this way ?? : "はい、ここでそれは就寝時間です。" ?

[BlazeWolf9511]

this helped alot thank u

[UchihaGrand]

I typed in " I love to speak " on google translate from english to Japanese and it didnt look like love next to speak is there different ways of putting them together?

[UchihaGrand]

I'm 12 and i love Japan and the culture and everything else but to clear my mind it is read right to left like english right?

[mrankhrm]

@UchihaGrand the traditional way of writing in japanese is up to down, but due to western influence it is sometimes left to right. but if you read a japanese newspaper or magazine it would be the traditional way.

[l0Like0It0Like0That]

@nayli1000 I'm not sure, but I think "i" makes it an adjective ("ao" is a noun)

[nd321123]

do u need to know how to SPEAK japanese to do this like example to spell cute dont u need the japanese version of cute? ( kawaii )

[nd321123]

how come sometimes when i type like ex: on my ipodtouch i dont found all of the katakana characaters on there like can u spell half the word with hirigana chacacters?

[BloodyViolet314]

OMFG!! I get it!! :D

[parisgala88]

@HinataGirlForeva i think 'de' is written で. its like 'te' but with two lines. it belongs in another list called the dakuon i think. they are characters that are written same as the hiragana but you add two little lines and it gives a different sound. e.g 'ka' is か but 'ga' is が etc.

[ania0the0amazing]

This is so hard!!!DX

[MrPyro145]

Im really confused with how to say them. Like Eh and Oh sound like 2 of them. Could you type in english how to say all 5 of them. Its Ah,Eh,Oh, but then the other 2 sound just the same could you help me out plz.

[bornokmcbread]

I thought when it is written horizontally, you will read it from right to left? In the last recap, the AO which is blue is written as "A O". So if you read it from right to left, it is "O A".

[japanesepod101]

@bornokmcbread It's read from right to left when it's written vertically, but not horizontally :)

[bornokmcbread]

@japanesepod101 Thanks for clearing that up! I'm really studying and when i first saw the japanese characters, i was like "ngee, so hard" but when i watched your clip last night, i find it easier.. Thanks for the post...

[Laurenn489]

@bornokmcbread i dont get all that....

[bornokmcbread]

@Laurenn489 read it again

[Guyinurshado]

Is it just me, or does "To speak" look like a face?

[sidonot]

i think it would be moore easier if you write in the word in english like AI or wa ta shi wa etc , coz i dunno what is uu or uh

[dragonia00]

@sidonot but, i dont think we should depent ( spelled wrong ? lol ) on romanji too much

[jafetrese]

i love hiroko more.. ^^

[OhhEmGeez]

that does not look like gaara's tattoo :P

[jafetrese]

@OhhEmGeez gaara's 'ai' is written in kanji...

[OhhEmGeez]

@jafetrese i was kidding... notice the ":P"

[UzumakiSoupFTW]

@OhhEmGeez Lol gaara's tatoo is either kanji or katakana, the "love" in this video is hiragana

[sakura8112]

this really helps! :O but am i the only one who dont hear sound at some points? :/

[lovesanimals1001]

How do you know what the word means without somebody telling you. Like if you pick to letters from the choce of letters ou shown us how will you know what they mean together ?

[paexou]

Watashi wa anata no kyujou issho ni ongaku totemo suki desune.

Ganbatte onegaishimasu. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu.^^

[RyuuMakato42]

Your penmanship is REALLY good.

[MrJakeKetchup]

Is it possible to write quickly when writing japanese or does it normally take a while since i see alot of detail in a word or letter ?

[MultiLyka21]

thank you for making this video~!!! I really love it,And now I could get closer to my favorite animes because of your videos~!!! :) thank you very much *bow*

[Nicro327]

これがすき

[aussiechick00]

@Nicro327 karegasuki indeed

[swordpetals]

いう

あお

うえ

気に

指さす 似合う せこい!る時間

I have no clue.

[redvipers2009]

i love it !! sugoi !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :))

[sinorsaint]

The pronounciation of AU and AO are the same...i can't tell the difference :P

[sinorsaint]

I'd like to know, when do you use the vertical style of writing? and when do you use the horizontal type of writing? Domo arigato gozaimasu!

[thedemonfox98]

@japanesepod101 What is OI was it nephew bad english sry

[josyylonen]

What is easier, speaking or writing Japanese??

[Megatwilightwarrior]

@josyylonen depends. but it seems most people have trouble writing it.

[Losalus]

@Hotpink066 But horizontally it's read left to right.

[TAToutik]

Oh c'mon... I mean, "u so" (it's my first day :C)!... Persona 3 is haunting me everywhere I go... She has the same name as one of the characters in that game...

[MinixAnime]

This is very helpful ^^.Thank you so much for posting these wonderful videos!

[Melicioel7]

I "ai" u Chihiro-sensei  ^^

[Nicro327]

Oh, and is there another one for katakana?

[Nicro327]

Lol after I finished watching all these videos I had memorized all the hiragana. I felt like I still wouldn't be able to read, so then a while later I got up and started cleaning the house. Then I found a really old japanese pokemon card.... And I shat bricks when I was able to read it :o

[TreeClanProductins]

@Nicro327 what pokemon was it?

[Nicro327]

@TreeClanProductins I think it was a squirtle.

[HayleeAngalil]

I have been watching this for a while, and clicked back to A as soon as the film was done. I have an account on the japanesepod101 site, and I have to ask permission for the "special offer" first from my parents. I really love japanese, it is my favourite language ( btw, Does hana mean flower?)

[japanesepod101]

@Hotpink066 That is correct! One correction though, when Japanese is written top to bottom, it is read right to left.

[HesDaryl]

@japanesepod101 which is more common?do people usually write downwards or sideways?

[nd2309Fantastic]

@japanesepod101

wait, so if you writing japanese..... do know need to no the japanese saying of it. like if i wanted to write cute? would i use cute or kawaii?

[bobjob777]

@Hotpink066 In English we write left to right not right to left.

[FloriduhhGoon]

How to write, Your pretty. Because you are. Love I'm so cheesy

[lilm2k8]

Stop being mean. They ate both as good as eachothet

[mssunnify223]

i love this! Thanks so much!

[BlazingCobaltX]

"Ao" and "aoi" are the same, right?

[david2869]

Doesn't "ie" mean "no" as well as "house"?

[KiriouSs]

Thank you very mucho mr.arigato^^.

[TimeManInJail]

FOR RAW MANGA!

[Cyrus150]

and does oi mean "hey" as well as nephew??

[Cyrus150]

and I thought blue was Aoi?

[Cyrus150]

I thought to speak was "hanasu"?

[sakuranamikaze1]

haha i first i was watching this and then i realized that my name is already japanese haha "tori"

[PanteraRosa91]

fantastic video, thank you so much for this

[ImSoSick04]

what is the letter that's like Z  is it P or E??

[katttttttttttttie]

@ImSoSick04 e

[ImSoSick04]

what is ku? the last lesson.. =)

[ImSoSick04]

i wannna learn japaneeeeeseeeee!!! :D

[linnealoumagic]

so nice thanks:D But is it that she is saying ai is? Love?

[SoraCloud9]

where's hiroko!? i was learning so much with her!! NOOOOOO...i hate change =.=

[liledd8728]

@SoraCloud9

[TheTaze2000]

Can you also write it sideways, because you're writing it down. I just want to know.

[japanesepod101]

@TheTaze2000 Yes! That is okay too.

@japanesepod101