MODULE 3- Hiragana

Overview: Module 3, Hiragana, highlights the nature of Japanese writing

system. As part of learning a foreign language, writing system is an
important aspect.
This module covers topics on components of Japanese writing
system, Hiragana and Hiragana characters.

Objectives:
On successful completion of the module, students will be able to:
1. be accustomed with Hiragana as one component of the Japanese
writing system;
2. write using Hiragana characters; and,
3. exude truthfulness and inventiveness in making bio data in Hiragana
and Nihongo.

Discussion:

Japanese Writing System

Hiragana is a Japanese syllabary, one component of the Japanese writing

system, along with katakana, kanji and rōmaji (Latin script). It is a phonetic
lettering system.
The word hiragana  means "ordinary" or "simple" and kana
means "simple".
Hiragana and katakana are both kana systems. With one or two minor
exceptions, each syllable in the Japanese language (strictly, each mora) is
represented by one character (or one digraph) in each system. This may be
either a vowel such as "a" ( あ ); a consonant followed by a vowel such
as "ka" ( か ); or "n" ( ん ), a nasal sonorant which, depending on the context,
sounds either like English m, n or ng ([ŋ]) when syllable-final or like the nasal
vowels.
Because the characters of the kana do not represent single consonants
(except in the case of ん "n"), the kana are referred to as syllabic symbols and
not alphabetic letters.
There are two main systems of ordering hiragana: the old-
fashioned iroha ordering and the more prevalent gojūon ordering.

The modern hiragana syllabary consists of 46 base characters:

 5 singular vowels
 40 consonant–vowel unions
 1 singular consonant
Evaluation:

Activity 1. Write a, e, I, o, u in Hiragana (strictly hand written). You may

practice first using a graphing paper. Turn in the picture of your work.

Activity 2. Make a short bio data containing your basic information such
as your name, address, birthday, age and other information about you (the more
information, the more scores). Put a 2x2 or passport size photo on the top right
corner of the paper. The first column should indicate the what information you
want to put and the second column should indicate the corresponding information
on the first column. In the first column, the blanks should be filled with the
Hiragana characters of the words below the blank (name etc.). Hiragana
characters should strictly be hand written. In the second column, your birthday,
age and other information except your name and address, should be written in
Nihongo and below that should be the English translation. Make your bio data
creative by adding colors or designs to it which may express your personality.
Turn in a picture of your bio data.

Information Provided 40%

Aesthetics or Beauty (your project should be appealing) 20%
Correctness of Hiragana characters 40%
Total 100%

Example:

Xam Jaerrus S. Merculio

(Hiragana Characters)
Namae (Name)

CLSU, Sci. City of Munoz, N. E.

(Hiragana Characters)
Jusho (Address)

Jugatsu ni-ju shichi-nichi

(Hiragana Characters) October 27
O tanjobi (Birthday)

Hachi
(Hiragana Characters) 7
Nenrei (Age)

Activity 3. Final Term Exam

Reference:

 Bowring, B. and Laurie, H. 2004. An Introduction to Modern Japanese: Book 1.  

United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press. p. 9. ISBN 978-
0521548878.

Japanese Calligraphy. Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2017-06-22.

Liu, X. 2009. Japanese Simplification of Chinese Characters in

Perspective. Southeast Review of Asian Studies. 31.