KANA MNEMONICS

Richard Brooksby, Ravenbrook Limited, 2005-07-02

RATIONALE

Short vowels are used for short sounds. Short vowels are followed by stops
whenever possible. Long vowels are used for long sounds, followed by liquids
of possible (except N or M). Vowels follwed by N or M are used for nasalized
syllables.

If possible, each row has both a noun and a verb, or a word which is
both, so that it can be used in stories. Vivid images are chosen where
possible, to help with memory.

This is a "LinkWord" mnemonic technique

<http://www.psychwww.com/mtsite/forlangu.html#LinkWord>.

EXAMPLES

幹事会　（てんじかい）　exhibition

An exhibition of huge kites, so large than ten jeeps were required to

pull one kite, making it a TEN JEEP KITE.

観光　（かんこう） sightseeing, tourism

Sightseeing is about seeing what's around the next corner. In case you run
out of corners, carry a spare CAN of CORNERS to pop open.

通訳　（つうやく） interpretation

A strange meeting in the animal kingdom required one interpreter on each side:
a TOUCAN and a YAK.

おみやげ souveneers

I had to get souveneers for an ODD MIX of relatives. While the talkative shop
assistant was YAPping I went round the shop to GET them.

郵便局　（ゆうびんきょく） post office

The post office is inenefficient. They employ loutish YOUTHs who just throw
the mail in the BIN, then run to the KIOSK to get some ramen from the COOK.

MNEMONICS

あ act, ant, axe

い ick, id, if, it, is
う up, us, usher
え end, ebb, ed, egg
お ox, odd, op., oz, obelisk, obese, occult, ocelot, octopus
か cap, cad, cab, cat
き kit, kick, kid, kip
く kook, coop, cook
け keg
こ cog, cot, cod, cop, cox

かあ car
きい key
くう cool
けい quay
こう corner, core

かん can, candle
きん kindle
くん kunst
けん Ken (and Barbie)
こん con, combo

きゃ kayak
きゅ cube
きょ kiosk

が gap
ぎ gig, git
ぐ good, goose
げ get, getup
ご god, go, got

があ gala
ぎい ghee
ぐう goo
げい gay
ごう gold, golf

がん gang, ganja
ぎん ginko
ぐん goon, gun
げん gentle, Ghent
ごん gone, gong

ぎゃ gear
ぎゅ goo
ぎょ gyro

さ sad
し ship
す soot
せ said, sex, sec, seven
そ sock, sob, soccer, sod, soppy

さあ salad
しい sheep
すう soon, soup
せい say
そう sword
さん sand, sank
しん shin
すん soon, sun
せん send, cent
そん song, son

しゃ shack
しゅ shoe
しょ shop

ざ zap
じ jib, jeep, jig
ず zoo, zulu
ぜ zebra, zest
ぞ Zorro

ざあ
じい jeer
ずう zoo
ぜい
ぞう

ざん zany, Zanzibar
じん zinc, zing, zip
ずん
ぜん Zen
ぞん zonked

じゃ jack
じゅ juice
じょ jog

た tab, tap, taxi, tack

ち cheese, chick
つ two, toot, tuba, tube
て teddy, text
と top, tot, toxin

たあ tar
ちい cheer
つう toucan
てい table
とう told, torpid
とお

たん tank
ちん chin
つん toon
てん ten
とん ton

ちゃ chat
ちゅ chug, chuck
ちょ chock, chop

だ dad, dab, dash

ぢ dig
づ duke
で dead, debt
ど dog, dock

だあ dark
ぢい deep
づう dood
でい day
どう dough

だん dandy
ぢん din
づん doom
でん den
どん don, donkey

な nap, nag, gnat

に nip, nib
ぬ noose, nuke
ね neck, never
の no, not, noddy, knock

なあ
にい
ぬう [very rare]
ねい
のう

なん
にん nimble, nimrod, ninny
ぬん
ねん nemesis, nematode
のん

にゃ near
にゅ new
にょ gnocci

は hat, hack, hag, happy, hatch

ひ hit, hip
ふ foot
へ head
ほ hop

はあ hard, heart
ひい heat, heap
ふう food, fool
へい hay
ほう horse, horny

はん hand
ひん Hindu
ふん fun, funky, fund
へん hen
ほん honk
ひゃ hear, hyena, hydra
ひゅ human
ひょ hyottoko, hypo, hydro

ば bat
び bib, bitch, big, bit
ぶ book
べ bed, beg, bet
ぼ box

ばあ barber, basket
びい beach
ぶう boot, booze
べい bay
ぼう bore, boring

ばん band
びん bin
ぶん bun
べん bend, bent
ぼん bond, bongo

びゃ beer, bylaw
びゅ beauty
びょ beyond

ぱ pad, pat
ぴ pig
ぷ put, pub
ぺ peck, peg
ぽ pot, posh, pod

ぱあ
ぴい
ぷう
ぺい
ぽお

ぱん
ぴん
ぷん
ぺん
ぽん

ぴゃ piano, pyre
ぴゅ puke, pew
ぴょ peony, pyro

ま map, mat, mack, mad

み mid, meet, mix, MIG
む moot, move, mud
め medal, measure, meadow
も mop, mob, mock

まあ
みい
むう
めい
もう

まん man
みん minute, minimum
むん moon
めん men
もん monkey, month, monster

みゃ miander, myna
みゅ music, muon
みょ meal, myopic

や yap
ゆ unit, uvula, useful, U-turn
よ yacht

やあ yard, yarn
ゆう youth
よう yaw

やん yam, yank
ゆん yummy
よん yonder

ら rat, rack
り rig, rip
る rook, rug
れ red, wreck
ろ rock, rod

らあ raft
りい reason, reef
るう ruby, roof
れい rare, ray
ろう raw

らん ran, random, rank

りん rink, rinse
るん rune, run
れん rend, Ren (& Stimpy)
ろん Roman, wrong, romp

りゃ react, rhea
りゅ reunion, lieu
りょ lion, riot

わ whack, wag, wax

ん noon
を water, wash, whopper

こう corner
かん can
りょう Rio
ない night
がう gouge
げい gay
じょう jaw
だん Dan
やく yak
けん Ken
てい table
たい tie

A. REFERENCES

B. DOCUMENT HISTORY

2005-07-04 RB Created from paper notes.

C. COPYRIGHT AND LICENCE

$Id: //info.ravenbrook.com/project/etp24/doc/2005-07-04/kana-
mnemonics/index.txt#3 $