Basic Japanese Phrases

Basic Japanese Phrases 1

Hello                            こんにちは　　　　ko-n-ni-chi-wa                  

Good-bye　　　　　 さようなら                sa-yo-u-na-ra

Thank you　　　　　ありがとう                 a-ri-ga-to-u

I’m sorry　　　　　   ごめんなさい             go-me-n-na-sa-i

Yes　　　　　　　　はい                               ha-i

No　　　　　　　　 いいえ                           i-i-e

Basic Japanese Phrases 2 - Greetings

Good morning　おはよう（ございます） o-ha-yo-u (go-za-i-ma-su)

Good afternoon, Hello　　こんにちは                    ko-n-ni-chi-wa

Good evening　　　　　  こんばんは                    ko-n-ba-n-wa

Good night　　　　おやすみ（なさい）             o-ya-su-mi (na-sa-i)

Basic Japanese Phrases 3 - leaving and coming back

I’ll be back - you are leaving       いってきます              it-te-ki-ma-su

Come back soon -you are staying いってらっしゃい  it-te-rat-sya-i

I’m home.                            ただいま                      ta-da-i-ma

Welcome home.                  おかえり(なさい)         o-ka-e-ri (na-sa-i)

Basic Japanese Phrases 4 - Before and after you eat

Thank you for this meal -before you eat　
      いただきます           i-ta-da-ki-ma-su

Thank you for this meal -after you eat 
      ごちそうさま(でした)            go-chi-so-u-sa-ma (de-shi-ta)

Can't memorize Hiragana? Try these!

Make your own Hiragana cards!

Make Hiragana cards, and play card games with your friends.

This is how my 4 year-old son memorized all Hiragana letters. ^^


Things you need to make Hiragana Cards あ～の 25 letters；

1 playing cards

colored papers size 9' x 12" ( 2 colors,  2 sheets each )

a black permanent marker

scissors

a double sided tape (or a normal tape)

1. Fold colored papers like this ↓ (make 16 rectangles ). 　

2. Write down あ～の(25 letters) once on green (or any other color of your choice) papers.

    Then, write down あ～の(25 letters) once again on red (or any other color of your choice, but different color ) papers.

3. Cut them with scissors.

4. Tape them on cards. Use a double sided tape if you have.

5. Make a joker.  We call a joker  ばば

6. Now, play card games!


Hiragana Memory Game 

Shuffle the cards. You do not need a joker for this game.

Lay them in rows, face down.

Turn over any two cards.      When you turn over cards, say the Hiragana letters out loud for practice!

If the two cards match(same Hiragana letters), keep them.  

If they don't match, turn them back over.

Remember what was on each card and where it was.

Watch and remember during the other player's turn.

The game is over when all the cards have been matched.

Hiragana Old Maid

Shuffle the cards, including a joker
Deal all the cards
Sort through your cards, making as many Hiragana pairs as possible
If you have pairs, place them face-up on the table (say the Hiragana letters out loud for practice! )and keep the rest in your hand.
Pick up a card from someone next to you, but try avoiding the joker.
When a new pair is made, place them on the table
Repeat this until you have no more cards in your hand.
The person with a joker in the end will be a loser.


After you memorize all the Hiragana letters あ～の, then you can also make Hiragana Cards は～ん, Katakana Cards, Hiragana Katakana Cards, etc.

For making "Hiragana Katakana Cards", you will write Hiragana あ～のon one color and write Katakana ア～ノon the other color. During games, you will make pairs of Hiragana and Katakana. ( e. i. あand ア）  I really like "Hiragana Katakana Cards". I should maybe make the product and sell it in Japan!

いろ Colors -Color Jenga-

あか　red

あお　blue

きいろ yellow

みどり    green

むらさき purple

ピンク    pink

だいだいいろ  / オレンジ　orange

くろ    black

しろ     white

はいいろ  grey

ちゃいろ brown

　　* ピンクand オレンジ　are written in Katakana because the words came from English. (Please read  "Japanese alphabets" .) 　However, If it is a casual writing, it is ok to use Hiragana. （ぴんく）Sometimes, people（specially young people) choose to use Hiragana for some Katakana words to sound cute.

Colors (with Hiragana) PDF file

                                   Children will read the Hiragana words, then color the circles with colored pencils.

Colors PDF file  Blank

If children can write Hiragana already, say the Hiragana words. Children will write down the Hiragana words and color the circles with colored pencils.

Let's paly Color Jenga!

Things you need;

Jenga

color papers

a hole punch

tape

1. Prepare 6 color papers. Make holes with a hole punch.

    (If your children are too young, use 3 colors instead of 6 colors.)

2. Tape the colors on both sides of the Jenga blocks. (Tape the same colors on each Jenga block. )

3. Print out the dice.

  

    Dice 1   red, blue, yellow, green, purple, and black

  

    Dice 2    a blank dice     Make your own

dice PDF file

4. Now play Jenga! Roll the dice. Read the Hiragana word on the dice. Then, move the color.

   

How to Use Chopsticks -Chopstick Race-

How to use chopsticks

The image is from; https://blog.japancentre.com/2011/11/16/learn-how-to-use-chopsticks-and-how-to-catch-flies/

Well,,, nobody can catch a fly with chopsticks...

If your children are very young, they can try this kind of chopsticks  ↓　

You can get these from a Japanese store or a Korean store. 

Chopstick race

Things you need to prepare;

chopsticks

uncooked beans

paper cups

a paper plate

1. Teach children how to use chopsticks

2. Give a cup to each child.

3. Put beans in cups

3. Play a Japanese song (during the chopstick race)

4. Children will use their chopsticks to move the beans from a cup to a plate. Whoever empty the cup is a winner!  ( Do not use tiny beans. Children will cry. )

かぞく Family

おじいさん　Grandfather       （casually, おじいちゃん=Grandpa）

おばあさん　Grandmother　　（casually, おばあちゃん=Grandma）

おとうさん　Father

おかあさん   Mother

おじさん   Uncle　　　　　　（casually, おじちゃん）

おばさん   Aunt　　　　　　  （casually, おばちゃん）

いとこ   Cousin　　　

おにいさん   Older Brother　     （casually, おにいちゃん）

おねんさん   Older Sister　　     （casually, おねえちゃん）

わたし / ぼく   Me 　　　　　　（Boys use ぼく. 　Girls and adults use わたし）

おとうと   Younger Brother

いもうと   Younger Sister

Family PDF file

Now, draw your family tree!

3 D Heart Valentine Craft

Easy and fun Valentine craft with young kids!

Things you need ;

a sheet of color paper (pink, red, etc.)

a string

scissors

a hole punch

1. Print out this image on a color paper

Heart PDF file

2. Cut the outline, make a hole with a hole punch, and put a string in a hole. ( If your kids are young, you can prepare until here.)

3. Fold the heart in half

4. Cut through the lines, But Do Not cut the ends

5. Then, fold the first, third and fifth layers in opposite way (step fold).  

Finish!

Sokuon

Sokuon そくおん



っ　 　ッ　

そくおん　means a double consonant. You pause reading for a second at small っ or ッ.

For example,

いた(ita) means a "board"

いった(itta) means "went" ("to go" in past tense)


We don't say    いてきます(itekimasu)、、 

We say..           いってきます(ittekimasu)      This means "I'm leaving"



Here are some Sokuon words

Hiragana Sokuon
きって
せっけん
いってきます
いってらっしゃい
もってください
まってください
いってください

Katakana Sokuon
バッタ
バット
シップ
シロップ
インターネット
ホッチキス
パイナップル



Worksheets

                                                              Hiragana Sokuon Worksheets
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

Click ひらがな促音　簡単１　

　　　　ひらがな促音　簡単２

　　　　ひらがな促音　普通１　

　　　　ひらがな促音　普通２

Hiragana( Dakuon Handakuon Youon )

Dakuon 　だくおん

There are 20 Dakuon letters in Hiragana.  Dakuon is a Hiragana letter with  2 dots "

が　ぎ　ぐ　げ　ご　　ga  gi  gu  ge  go

ざ　じ　ず　ぜ　ぞ     za  zi(ji)  zu  ze  zo

だ　ぢ　づ　で　ど    da  di  du  de  do

ば　び　ぶ　べ　ぼ   ba   bi  bu  be  bo


* が　has 3 dots.  However, Katakana Dakuon ガ has 2 dots. 

* じand ぢare the same sounds.  ずand づare the same sounds. Even though the roman letters are different, Japanese people pronounce them same.



Handakuon　はんだくおん

There are 5 Handakuon letters in Hiragana.  Handakuon is a Hiragana letter with a circle 。

ぱ　ぴ　ぷ　ぺ　ぽ　　pa  pi  pu  pe  po



Youon　ようおん　

There are 36 Youon letters in Hiragana.  Youon is a Hiragana letter with small ゃ　ゅ　ょ

Read　き　and　や slowly.  Then, read　 き　and　や　very quickly.  That is the sound of きゃ

 

きゃ　きゅ　きょ　kya  kyu  kyo

しゃ　しゅ　しょsya  syu  syo (sha  shu  sho)

ちゃ　ちゅ　ちょtyatyutyo (cha  chu  cho)

にゃ　にゅ　にょnyanyunyo

ひゃ　ひゅ　ひょhyahyuhyo

みゃ　みゅ　みょmyamyumyo

りゃ　りゅ　りょryaryuryo

ぎゃ　ぎゅ　ぎょgya  gyu  gyo

じゃ　じゅ　じょzya  zyu  zyo (ja  ju  jo)

ぢゃ　ぢゅ　ぢょ dya  dyu  dyo

びゃ　びゅ　びょbya  byu  byo

ぴゃ　ぴゅ　ぴょpya  pyu  pyo

*じゃじゅじょand ぢゃぢゅぢょare the same sounds.  Even though the roman letters are different, Japanese people pronounce them same.

Hiragana Dakuon Handakuon Youon Chart

                        　　　　　　　　                Hiragana Chart with words

                         　　　　　Click  あいうえお（教科書体）　濁音　半濁音　拗音あいうえお表１

                                         Simple Hiragana Chart (Dakuon Handakuon Youon)
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Click ひらがな濁音拗音一覧表（PDF）
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

                             Hiragana (Dakuon Handakuon Youon) Chart with Roman letters





Worksheets

　　　　　　　　　　　　　

                                                     Dakuon Handakuon Worksheet
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

                                                     Dakuon Hantakuon Tracing Writing
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Click ひらがな表　濁音なぞり書き２

                                                                 Youon Worksheet

                         Dakuon Handakuon Youon Worksheets
　　　　　　　2 letters in each page  Total 31 pages
                    There are good for younger children and beginners

Hiragana

There are 46 characters in Basic Hiragana.

                                               From http://www.happygolucky.info/?p=1216


The first 5 Hiragana letters (the vertical line on the right)  are あ　い　う　え　お　(a i u e o)

Then, か　き　く　け　こ  ka ki ku ke ko

           さ　し　す　せ　そ  sa si(shi) su se so

           た　ち　つ　て　と   ta ti(chi) tu(tsu) te to

           な　に　ぬ　ね　の  na ni nu ne no

           は　ひ　ふ　へ　ほ   ha hi hu(fu) he ho

           ま　み　む　め　も   ma mi mu me mo

           や　　　ゆ　　　　よ  ya yu yo

           ら　り　る　れ　ろ   ra ri ru re ro

           わ　　　　　　　　を　 wa wo

           ん                               n (nn)


Just remember the first vertical line（あ　い　う　え　お a i u e o） and the first horizontal line （あ　か　さ　た　な　は　ま　や　ら　わ　ん a ka sa ta na ha ma ya ra wa n）at first.  Then it is easy to memorize all Hiragana sounds. However for the writing, you need to memorize one by one since there are no patterns on writing.


Here are some different kinds of Hiragana Chart.  Print out whichever you like, and study!

                                                   Hiragana Chart with the stroke orders

                                Hiragana Chart with Roman letters, Katakana and Stroke orders

Hiragana Chart with Roman letters, Katakana and words

Simple Hiragana Chart

                                                              Hiragana Chart Coloring

                                                      Hiragana Chart with Roman letters




Hiragana Worksheets

Hiragana あ～の　　　　Hiragana は～ん
　　　One character in each page　These are good for young children and the first time learner.
         Total 46 pages

Hiragana Tracing Writing あ～ん
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　               5 letters in each page  

                                        Hiragana Trace Writing あ～ん with Stroke Orders
                                                            5 letters in each page

Hiraganaあ～の with Stroke Orders

Trace once and write once 

                                                     Hiragana は～ん with Stroke Orders
                                                              Trace once and write once

Hiraganaあ～んTracing
                                                         
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

                                           Hiraganaあ～んTrace Writing with Stroke Order



Blank papers to practice Hiragana!

                                                                   Blank papers   
                                                                 

どうぶつAnimals

When I teach Japanese to young children, the first thing I teach is animals.  Children love animals!  I also teach them the sounds of the animals.  It is very interesting to know how different we hear the sounds of the animals.

いぬ　dog 　　　　ねこ　cat 　　　　　ぶた　pig 　　　　　うし　cow

さる　monkey           かえる　frog              ひつじ　sheep            うさぎ　rabbit

ぞう　elephant    　らいおん　lion  　　きりん　giraffe  　　　かめ　turtle

わに　crocodile        　　しまうま　zebra       　　　どうぶつえん　zoo

The sounds of the animals

A dog says...わんわん

A cat says..にゃーにゃー

A pig says..ぶーぶー

A cow says..もー

A monkey says...ききー

A frog says...げろげろ

A sheep(also a goat) says めー

A rabbit jumps..ぴょんぴょん

An elephant says..ぱおーん？

A lion says...がおー

I don't know about a giraffe, a turtle, a crocodile, and a zebra... Most of the big animals, we think they say がおー！

Click here!  Animals PDF file