Basic Japanese Language I

“TANOSHII NIHONGO” Course

 •
カタカナ 46 characters (divided into 6 groups)
• Try to study one group in 30 minutes or less
• Write your start time and end time for each group
• The position of the stroke number is where the stroke
writing begins
Part 1: Katakana -After this section, I will be able to:
Communicative Mou sukoshi! Yokatta! Subarashii!
Criteria (More practice!) (Good!) (Excellent!)
1) Read Katakana
2) Write Katakana
Process:

Write /
Story /
1 2 practice
Keyword
5x↑
3 1 Group

5 4

next Self-Test
Group *no looking at materials
 Start time: :
Katakana # 01/46, Group 1 (1/8 characters)

Imagine: A simple version of Hiragana “り” *In Katakana, a dash (“ー”) is

used to show a prolonged sound
Katakana # 02/46, Group 1 (2/8 characters)

Imagine: A simple version of Hiragana “へ” *This is the only Hiragana

character that is exactly the same in Katakana
Katakana # 03/46, Group 1 (3/8 characters)

Imagine: A simple version of Hiragana “か” *The last Hiragana stroke is

omitted
Katakana # 04/46, Group 1 (4/8 characters)

Imagine: A simple version of Hiragana “き” *The last Hiragana stroke is

omitted
そ
Katakana # 05/46, Group 1 (5/8 characters)

Imagine: A simple version of Hiragana “そ” *This is equal to the 1st 2 strokes of
the “そ” version above. The 2 Katakana strokes are ALIGNED AT THE TOP.
Katakana # 06/46, Group 1 (6/8 characters)

Imagine: A simple version of Hiragana “せ” *The 2nd Hiragana stroke is

omitted
Katakana # 07/46, Group 1 (7/8 characters)

Imagine: A simple version of Hiragana “や” *The 2nd Hiragana stroke is

omitted
 End time: :
Katakana # 08/46, Group 1 (8/8 characters)

Imagine: A simple version of Hiragana “な” *Only the 1st 2 Hiragana strokes
are written *NOTE: Katakana is used a lot in foreign names & words
Katakana Self-Test, Group 1 (8 characters)
# Nihongo English Katakana # Nihongo English Katakana
例 Rina Rina *name リナ 8 kari-na Karina
1 heri helicopter 9 ga-ze gauze
2 ka- car 10

3 Kari Cali 11 *NOTE:

To make the “g” & “z”
4 ki- key 12
sounds, add [  ] to
5 ka-ki- car keys 13 the “k” and “s”
6 so-ri- sorry 14
characters
Ex. ga = ガ
7 riyaka- rear car 15

Reflection: Did I use my imagination in simplifying the

Hiragana to get the equivalent Katakana?
 Start time: :
Katakana # 09/46, Group 2 (1/4 characters)

Imagine: 2 strokes; same as the Kanji for “2” (“二” = “NI” in Nihongo)
Katakana # 10/46, Group 2 (2/4 characters)

Imagine: 3 strokes; tilted version of the Kanji for “3” (“三” = 3

pieces = “MI”ttsu in Nihongo)
Katakana # 11/46, Group 2 (3/4 characters)

Imagine: When you cut the TAIL using a DAGGER,

“BLOOD” (= “CHI” in Nihongo) will come out
 End time: :
Katakana # 12/46, Group 2 (4/4 characters)

Imagine: A simple version of Hiragana “は” *No horizontal line/loop; Only

tilted lines
Katakana Self-Test, Group 1 & 2 (12 characters)
# Nihongo English Katakana # Nihongo English Katakana
例 sochi Sochi ソチ 8 ba- bar
1 soni- Sony 9 banana banana
2 ni-na Nina 10

3 miri millimeter
11
!
*NOTE:
4 zemi seminar 12

To make “ze” and

5 nachi Nazi 13
“ba”, add [  ] to “se”
6 chiri Chile 14 & “ha”
7 habana Havana 15
Ex. ze = ゼ
Reflection: Did I use my imagination to picture the Katakana?
 Start time: :
Katakana # 13/46, Group 3 (1/7 characters)

Imagine: Looks like Hiragana “こ” *Connect the 1st stroke to the 2nd stroke
Katakana # 14/46, Group 3 (2/7 characters)

つ
Imagine: Looks like Hiragana “つ” *Cut the upper portion of the Hiragana 2
times. The 3 Katakana strokes are ALIGNED AT THE TOP.
Katakana # 15/46, Group 3 (3/7 characters)

し
Imagine: Looks like Hiragana “し” *Cut the vertical portion of the Hiragana
2 times. The 3 Katakana strokes are ALIGNED VERTICALLY.
Katakana # 16/46, Group 3 (4/7 characters)

ん
Imagine: A simple version of Hiragana “ん” *Write only the 1st and last parts
of Hiragana “ん”. The 2 Katakana strokes are ALIGNED VERTICALLY.
Katakana # 17/46, Group 3 (5/7 characters)

Imagine: A simple version of Hiragana “も”

Katakana # 18/46, Group 3 (6/7 characters)

Imagine: A simple version of Hiragana “の” *Write only the 1st (middle) part
of Hiragana “の”
 End time: :
Katakana # 19/46, Group 3 (7/7 characters)

Imagine: A simple version of Hiragana “め” *Write only the 1st (middle) part
and last stroke of Hiragana “め”
 REMEMBER: Katakana is a simpler version of Hiragana;!
Katakana shi/tsu/n/so has the same stroke direction as!
Hiragana shi/tsu/n/so!
!

しつ
し→シ ! つ→ツ!
1) written up→down! 1) written left→right!
2) aligned vertically! 2) aligned horizontally!
3) last stroke ! 3) last stroke !
does not reach ! does not reach !
the top right corner the bottom left corner

んそ
ん→ン! ソ→ソ!
1) written up→down! 1) written left→right!
2) aligned vertically! 2) aligned horizontally!
3) last stroke ! 3) last stroke !
does not reach ! does not reach !
the top right corner the bottom left corner

25
Katakana Self-Test, Group 1 - 3 (19 characters)
# Nihongo English Katakana # Nihongo English Katakana
例 ko-chi coach コーチ 8 monako Monaco
1 riko- Ricoh 9 kyanon Canon
2 tsuna tuna 10 mekka Mecca
*NOTES:
3 natsu nuts 11

“ji” = “shi” + [  ]
4 shika-go Chicago 12
“p” sound = “h” + [ ]
5 pe-ji page 13 “kya” = “ki” + small “ya”
Double letters = use
6 pantsu underwear 14
small ”tsu” (mokkori→モッ
7 chikin chicken 15
コリ)
Reflection: Can I distinguish between “ツ” and “シ”? How about “ン” and
“ソ”? What are their differences?
 Start time: :
Katakana # 20/46, Group 4 (1/9 characters)

Imagine: A bowl of FOOD (“FU”~d)

Katakana # 21/46, Group 4 (2/9 characters)

Imagine: A bowl of SOUP (“SU”~p) *with a handle

Katakana # 22/46, Group 4 (3/9 characters)

Imagine: A bowl of NOODLES (“NU”~dles) *with a strand

of noodle at the side of the bowl
Katakana # 23/46, Group 4 (4/9 characters)

Imagine: A bowl of RAMEN (“RA”men) *with chopsticks

above the bowl
Katakana # 24/46, Group 4 (5/9 characters)

Imagine: A CRACK in the bowl is bad luck, so I am now

WORRIED (“WO”rried)
Katakana # 25/46, Group 4 (6/9 characters)

Imagine: From the bowl of ice cream, I will get one SCOOP
(s“KU”~p)
Katakana # 26/46, Group 4 (7/9 characters)

タ
Imagine: I will wipe the DROPS (stroke 3) of melted ice cream
from the bowl using a TOWEL (“TA”wel)
Katakana # 27/46, Group 4 (8/9 characters)

ワ
Imagine: To know from where to drink the tea, there is a LINE in
the center of the CHAWAN (cha“WA”n = Nihongo of “tea cup”)
 End time: :
Katakana # 28/46, Group 4 (9/9 characters)

ウ
Imagine: Leaking rain DROPS into the CHAWAN,
because of the strong “U”LAN
Katakana Self-Test, Group 1 - 4 (28 characters)
# Nihongo English Katakana # Nihongo English Katakana
例 purin pudding プリン 8 kukki- cookie
1 furamenko flamenco 9 baggu bag
2 su-pu soup 10 bata- butter
3 so-su sauce 11 kanada Canada

(River)
4 se-nu Seine
12 mosukuwa Moscow
5 kanu- canoe 13 tawa- tower
6 rabu love 14
*NOTES:
7 kokako-ra Coca-Cola 15 “d” sound = “t” + [ ]

Reflection: Did I imagine a common story to remember related

Katakana? *ex. Story of bowl of food, soup, noodles= フ、ス、ヌ
 Start time: :
Katakana # 29/46, Group 5 (1/9 characters)

Imagine: Under the RAYS OF LIGHT (strokes 3 & 4) of the LAMP

POST (strokes 1 & 2), there is a vendor selling HOPIA (“HO”pia)
Katakana # 30/46, Group 5 (2/9 characters)

Imagine: One stroke was removed from ホ (ho) → Remove one letter (h)
= “O”
Katakana # 31/46, Group 5 (3/9 characters)

Imagine: Two legs; Since there is a flood, the legs are

standing on the ROOF (“RU”~f)
Katakana # 32/46, Group 5 (4/9 characters)

Imagine: …You raise up one leg because the flood continues

to rise… RETREAT! (“RE”treat)
Katakana # 33/46, Group 5 (5/9 characters)

Imagine: Looks like Japan’s post office symbol → From your

postbox, the postman TAKES (“TE”iks) your mail
Katakana # 34/46, Group 5 (6/9 characters)

Imagine: It is your birthday; You OPEN THE TOP of your

POSTBOX because someone sent you a CAKE (“KE”ik)
Katakana # 35/46, Group 5 (7/9 characters)

ま
Imagine: A simple version of Hiragana “ま” *Write only the 1st and last parts
of Hiragana “ま”.
Katakana # 36/46, Group 5 (8/9 characters)

む
Imagine: A simple version of Hiragana “む” *Write only the 2 ending
strokes of Hiragana “む”.
 End time: :
Katakana # 37/46, Group 5 (9/9 characters)

ア
Imagine: The wide sleeves of the Kimono, which shows the
lady’s ARM (“A”rm)
Katakana Self-Test, Group 1 - 5 (37 characters)
# Nihongo English Katakana # Nihongo English Katakana
例 bosu boss ボス 8 shiti-basu city bus
1 botan button 9 ke-ki cake
2 oranda Holland 10 kechappu kechup
3 miruku milk 11 kurisumasu Christmas

4 so-ru Seoul 12 ge-mu game

5 kare- curry 13 amerika America

6 naporeon Napoleon 14 *NOTES:

“ti” sound = “te” + small
7 terehon telephone 15
“i”
Reflection: Was I able to use the [ ], [ ], small “ya”,
small “tsu”, and small “i” properly?
 Start time: :
Katakana # 38/46, Group 6 (1/9 characters)

Imagine: A submarine/underwater boat; in Germany, called

a U-BOAT (“YU”-BOAT)
Katakana # 39/46, Group 6 (2/9 characters)

Imagine: A small letter “i” (with a long dot at the top)

Katakana # 40/46, Group 6 (3/9 characters)

Imagine: Fish eggs/Fish ROE (“RO”~) *Since there is no circle

in Kanji, a square shape is used
Katakana # 41/46, Group 6 (4/9 characters)

Imagine: Top view of a YOKE (“YO”~k), used so that 2

cattle will advance in the same direction
Katakana # 42/46, Group 6 (5/9 characters)

ト
Imagine: TOWING (“TO”~wing)
Katakana # 43/46, Group 6 (6/9 characters)

ヒ
Imagine: HEELS (“HI”~ls)
Katakana # 44/46, Group 6 (7/9 characters)

サ
Imagine: What sushi do you like? = SALMON (“SA”lmon)
Katakana # 45/46, Group 6 (8/9 characters)

エ
Imagine: What is found IN BETWEEN (2nd stroke) the CEILING
(1st stroke) and the FLOOR (3rd stroke)? = AIR (“E”~r)
 End time: :
Katakana # 46/46, Group 6 (9/9 characters)

ネ
Imagine: A captain (stroke 1) is riding a ship (stroke 2), which hits an iceberg
(stroke 3), causing a crack (stroke 4) → NAVAL (“NE”ival) DISASTER
*BONUS: Katakana (Special characters)
*To input Nihongo and/or small
ア イ ウ エ オ characters in your computer/device:

D ディ ドゥ 1) install [Japanese ! Google Japanese

keyboard/input] in Input, Japanese
F ファ フィ フェ フォ your device. keyboard

2) To type a small character, type “x”

T ティ トゥ before it, or click the [大⇄小] button.
V ヴァ ヴィ ヴェ ヴォ Nihongo to input: Type in keyboard:

W ウィ ウェ ウォ ディズニーランド! de xi zu ni - ra n
(Disneyland): do
Je She Che Dyu
ウォーター (water): u xo - ta -
ジェ シェ チェ デュ パーティー (party): pa - te xi -

# Nihongo English Katakana # Nihongo English Katakana

1 harowi-n Halloween ハロウィーン 5 firipin Philippines フィリピン

2 mineraru wo-ta- mineral water ミネラルウォーター 6 pa-ti- party パーティー

3 haiwei highway ハイウェイ 7 je-muzu James ジェームズ

4 dizuni-rando Disneyland ディズニーランド 8 fasshon fashion ファッション

Katakana Self-Test, Group 1 - 6 (46 characters)
# Nihongo English Katakana # Nihongo English Katakana
例 nyu-su news ニュース 8 yo-guruto yogurt
1 yu-moa humor 9 bi-ru beer
aisu
2 kuri-mu ice cream 10 ko-hi- coffee
3 ro-ma Rome 11 sakka- soccer
4 baruserona Barcelona 12 erebe-ta- elevator
5 yo-roppa Europe 13 eakon aircon
6 nyu-yo-ku New York 14 mayone-zu mayonnaise

7 toronto Toronto 15 inta-netto internet

ヨッシャー！I can now write all 46 Katakana! グッジョブ！!
Total time: ______ minutes Date: ______________