The First 15 Sounds: A, K, and S Rows

Let's begin by learning the five basic vowel sounds of Japanese. These are the foundation for every other sound.

The Vowel Row: あ (a), い (i), う (u), え (e), お (o)

Japanese has five pure vowel sounds. They are short and crisp.

• あ (a)

  • Romaji: a
  • Sound: "ah" as in "father".
  • Memory Tip: It looks like a woman (a) screaming "Ah!" with her hands in the air.
  • Writing Note: Start with the horizontal stroke, then the angled stroke, and finish with the loop.
  • Example Word: あお (ao) — blue.

• い (i)

  • Romaji: i
  • Sound: "ee" as in "see".
  • Memory Tip: It looks like two i's (i) standing next to each other.
  • Writing Note: Write the left stroke first, then the right stroke.
  • Example Word: いえ (ie) — house.

• う (u)

  • Romaji: u
  • Sound: A sound between "oo" in "moon" and "u" in "put". Your lips do not round as much as in English.
  • Memory Tip: It looks like the side view of a u (u) -shaped face, crying "Uu..."
  • Writing Note: One curved stroke from top to bottom.
  • Example Word: うえ (ue) — above.

• え (e)

  • Romaji: e
  • Sound: "eh" as in "red".
  • Memory Tip: It looks like a man with his arms out, saying "Hey!" (e).
  • Writing Note: Start with the center vertical stroke, then the horizontal one, and finish with the bottom curve.
  • Example Word: え (e) — picture.

• お (o)

  • Romaji: o
  • Sound: "oh" as in "boat".
  • Memory Tip: It looks like an o (o)lympic gold medal hanging on a ribbon.
  • Writing Note: Start with the short dash, then the main curved stroke.
  • Example Word: おおきい (ookii) — big.

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The K Row: か (ka), き (ki), く (ku), け (ke), こ (ko)

Now we add the consonant "k" to each vowel.

• か (ka)

  • Romaji: ka
  • Sound: "kah" as in "car".
  • Memory Tip: It looks like a ca (ka) r with a smashed front bumper.
  • Writing Note: Write the left part (similar to か) first, then add the two strokes on the right.
  • Katakana: カ (ka)
  • Example Word: かお (kao) — face.

• き (ki)

  • Romaji: ki
  • Sound: "kee" as in "key".
  • Memory Tip: It looks like a key (ki)!
  • Writing Note: The handwritten form often connects the bottom strokes. Start from the top horizontal line.
  • Katakana: キ (ki)
  • Example Word: きく (kiku) — to hear.

• く (ku)

  • Romaji: ku
  • Sound: "koo" as in "cool".
  • Memory Tip: It looks like the beak of a cuckoo (ku) bird.
  • Writing Note: One simple stroke, like a less-than sign (<).
  • Katakana: ク (ku)
  • Example Word: く (ku) — nine.

• け (ke)

  • Romaji: ke
  • Sound: "keh" as in "kettle".
  • Memory Tip: It looks like the ke (ke) l of a boat.
  • Writing Note: The vertical stroke goes straight through the horizontal ones.
  • Katakana: ケ (ke)
  • Example Word: け (ke) — hair.

• こ (ko)

  • Romaji: ko
  • Sound: "koh" as in "coat".
  • Memory Tip: It looks like two co (ko) ins stacked on top of each other.
  • Writing Note: Write the top horizontal line first, then the bottom one.
  • Katakana: コ (ko)
  • Example Word: こ (ko) — child.

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The S Row: さ (sa), し (shi), す (su), せ (se), そ (so)

Now we add the consonant "s" to each vowel. Pay special attention to し (shi).

• さ (sa)

  • Romaji: sa
  • Sound: "sah" as in "saw".
  • Memory Tip: It looks like a sa (sa) tellite with a broken antenna.
  • Writing Note: The handwritten form often connects the last two strokes. It looks similar to き (ki), so be careful.
  • Katakana: サ (sa)
  • Example Word: さくら (sakura) — cherry blossom.

• し (shi)

  • Romaji: shi
  • Alt Romaji: si
  • Sound: "shee" as in "sheep".
  • Memory Tip: It looks like a fishhook — you shout "Shee!" when you catch one.
  • Writing Note: A single, simple curving stroke.
  • Katakana: シ (shi)
  • Example Word: すし (sushi) — sushi.

• す (su)

  • Romaji: su
  • Sound: A soft "soo", like the "sue" in "suit".
  • Memory Tip: It looks like a sue (su) d person hanging their head.
  • Writing Note: Start with the short vertical stroke, then the main looping stroke.
  • Katakana: ス (su)
  • Example Word: す (su) — vinegar.

• せ (se)

  • Romaji: se
  • Sound: "seh" as in "set".
  • Memory Tip: It looks like a sa (se) ying "Say what?" with a hand to the ear.
  • Writing Note: Looks like a squared-off き (ki). Write the vertical stroke first.
  • Katakana: セ (se)
  • Example Word: せかい (sekai) — world.

• そ (so)

  • Romaji: so
  • Sound: "soh" as in "sew".
  • Memory Tip: It looks like a zi (so) g-zag stitching pattern.
  • Writing Note: It can be written in one or two strokes. The one-stroke version is a cursive "Z" shape.
  • Katakana: ソ (so)
  • Example Word: そ (so) — that (thing near the listener).

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Basic Grammar Patterns

With the words you've learned, you can already make simple sentences using these fundamental grammar patterns.

1. A です。 (A desu.)

   • Meaning: "It is A." This is the basic statement form. です is the polite copula (like "is/am/are").
   • Example: さくら です。 (Sakura desu.) — It is a cherry blossom.

2. A ですか。 (A desu ka.)

   • Meaning: "Is it A?" Adding か (ka) at the end makes it a question.
   • Example: すし ですか。 (Sushi desu ka.) — Is it sushi?

3. A ではありません。 (A dewa arimasen.)

   • Meaning: "It is not A." This is the negative form.
   • Example: せかい ではありません。 (Sekai dewa arimasen.) — It is not the world.

4. A も B です。 (A mo B desu.)

   • Meaning: "A is also B." The particle も (mo) means "also".
   • Example: いえ も おおきい です。 (Ie mo ookii desu.) — The house is also big.

5. A と B です。 (A to B desu.)

   • Meaning: "It is A and B." The particle と (to) connects nouns, meaning "and".
   • Example: かお と いえ です。 (Kao to ie desu.) — It is a face and a house.