KERO LEARNS JAPANESE YouTube
All hiragana lessons

SENSEI’S QUICK LESSON

What is ひらがな?

Hiragana. The first letters every Japanese learner meets. Kero too!

Sensei, Kero’s calm teacher.

Sensei explains

  1. CARD 1 OF 4

    Japanese has three kinds of letters

    English has one alphabet. Japanese mixes three, sometimes in the same sentence.

    • けろkeroHiragana: the first one you learn
    • アイスaisuKatakana: words from other countries
    • 山yamaKanji: signs that mean an idea

    Everyone starts with hiragana.

  2. CARD 2 OF 4

    One letter, one sound

    In English, the letter A can sound different in different words. Hiragana never changes. Each letter always makes the same sound.

    • あaAlways “a”, like in “ah”

    There are 46 main letters to learn.

  3. CARD 3 OF 4

    Five sounds start it all

    Hiragana is built on five sounds. Add a K sound to them and you get the next five.

    • あいうえおa i u e oThe first five sounds
    • かきくけこka ki ku ke koAdd a K sound

    Kero’s name uses け from this row: け + ろ = けろ.

  4. CARD 4 OF 4

    The glue of Japanese

    Hiragana holds Japanese sentences together. Books for young children in Japan are written all in hiragana.

    That is why Kero starts here too!

4 QUICK QUESTIONS

Did it stick?

Everything here was on the cards. No tricks!