Mastering kana

So I’ve started learning Japanese. I know from my experience learning Korean that getting familiar with the writing system is crucial, and relying on romanisation will only hurt your pronunciation in the long term. 

While there are a lot of resources out there saying they can teach you hangul or hiragana in a hour, realistically it’s going to take you longer to get comfortable with the writing system. 

Below is a list of the resources (all free!) that I used to really get comfortable with hiragana and katakana. Hopefully they can help you too ~~

Hiragana Memory Hint (mobile app) - this app teaches you hiragana using mnemonic pictures. I’ve never used mnemonics before so I was a bit unsure but honestly they helped me learn 80% of the characters. I like this app because they remind you of the mnemonic every time you do a quiz - even when you get the answer right. It’s important to note that the mnemonics they use focus more on the pronunciation rather than the associated romaji spelling.

HirKat (mobile app) - while the memory hint app is good it has some weak points namely the quizzes are too easy (they give you a second chance and the fonts used are ones that closely resemble the mnemonic) and it only teaches the base hiragana (it doesn’t go into が、ば、ぱ or any of the small　や、ゆ、よ sounds like ちゃ). HirKat doesn’t have these weaknesses so it is a good way to review your knowledge after you have completed a row in the Memory Hint app. 

Kanji Teacher (mobile app) - despite the name the app also has a kana teaching section. While Kanji Teacher uses some mnemonics the Memory Hint ones are much better in my opinion. What Kanji Teacher does that the early app’s don’t is that it will give you hard quizzes (9 possible answers), the quizzes develop over time so hiragana you have ‘learnt’ don’t show up anymore, and it will teach and test your writing (including the stroke order). I would note that the app has a lot of customization options and features so it can be overwhelming to navigate - my advice would be to use the ‘kana tutor’ button to walk through the tests. 

Minato - Hiragana A1 Self-Study Course (web based course) - this is one of the courses available on https://minato-jf.jp/Home/Index. You need to make an account to access the course but all of the self-study courses are free. The first half of the course will introduce hiragana and test your reading and listening skills. The second half of the course is the best part though - it will teach you small　つ sounds like きって, long vowel sounds and how to type hiragana on a computer keyboard! They also have some printable pdfs to practice your handwriting. 

As for katakana; HirKat and Kanji Teacher also teach katakana in the same app, there is a katakana version of Memory Hint called Katakana Memory Hint and there is a Katakana Self-Study Course on Minato which is similar to the hiragana one. 

笑わせられなかったらゴメンネ。/  warawase rarenakatta ra gomen ne. / Forgive me when I can’t make you smile.

プライバシー＝家庭には存在しない言葉 / puraibashi- = katei niwa sonzai shinai kotoba. / Privacy = A word that does not exist here at home.

 嫉妬するのは嫌だけど、自分に嫉妬するのは好き。/ shitto surunowa kirai dakedo, jibunni shitto surunowasuki. / I hate 2 feel jealous, but I love 2 feel jealous of me. 

曇ったメガネにあなたの名前を書いた。/ kumotta megane ni anatano namae wo kaita. / "Just written your name on my fogged glass.“ 

アイフォーン::::::アイパッド:::::欲しい:::::金がない / aipho-n:::::aipaddo:::::hosii:::::kanega nai. / iPhone :::: iPad ::::: i want ::::: i don’t have money.

ええ、わたし頭で物を動かそうとしていたわ。/ ee, watashi atama de mono wo ugokasou to shiteita wa. / "Yes, I’ve tried to move an object by thought." 

あたしもあなたが必要なの。誰だって誰かが必要なのよ。 / atashi mo anata ga hituyou nano. daredatte darekagahituyounanoyo. / "I need you, too. Everybody needs somebody." 

writinredhead:

xumodeshagua:

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sangetsuei:

Anybody else really dislikekatakana?

I got no problem with kanji and hiragana. Katakana letters just make No. Sense.

I get that it’s useful and all.

I just don’t like it.

Kanji? Piece of cake

Katakana? Can jump off a cliff

I still dont remember all the katakana even after years of learning

Bruh so glad I’m not the only one! I’ve been studying since 2014 and katakana still break my neck, especially シ ツ ノ ソ ン