There is a possibility that you are feeling a bit daunted by the Japanese alphabets if you are just starting off with learning Japanese.
While the English language makes use of a Latin alphabet consisting of 26 letters, the Japanese language makes use of pictographic characters known as kanji. In other words, you will have to master a whole new writing system!
However, you shouldn't let it discourage you! In reality, Japanese is a highly systematic and rational language when it comes to the way it employs its written language.
Because the sounds of all Japanese letters are always the same, you will never have to worry about whether a "c" has a harsh or soft sound (think of "curd" vs "censor") because all Japanese letters always sound the same.
You will be able to begin reading and writing in Japanese after you have completed this article since you will have a working knowledge of the Japanese alphabet. You won't have to devote your time and energy to learning thousands of kanji right now!
When it comes to Japanese, the "alphabet" is composed of three distinct trees: hiragana, katakana, and kanji.
The totality of the Japanese language may be considered to be composed of these three different writing systems. On the other hand, how can you differentiate between the two of them?
Without the use of hiragana, it is impossible to construct a sentence in Japanese since it is the "primary" form of written Japanese. These characters, each of which represents a sound, may be thought of as the letters that make up the Japanese alphabet and are used to spell out words.
For example:
A: あ
I: い
U: う
E: え
O: お
Following this, the whole of the language is disassembled into its component phonemes. Every single "piece" of Japanese, with the exception of vowels and the sound n, is a combination of a consonant and a vowel. Taking a look at it from this perspective, in families:
To sum it all together! The full hiragana alphabet is represented by that. Because Japanese is a phonetic language, which means that its letters reflect sounds rather than concepts, you may use it to spell any existing Japanese word.
It is possible that you would be concerned about the fact that Japanese seems to be a mishmash of intricate characters; consider the phrase "ganbaru," which means "to try hard." Despite the fact that it is a popular term, those kanji are very awesome!
It is a relief that you do not have to make use of those kanji while you are starting your learning. The use of hiragana to spell out がんばる will ensure that others will get your meaning without any difficulty.
During the process of the development of the Japanese language, one of the challenges that Japanese speakers encountered was the desire to utilize terms that originated from other cultures. On the other hand, they were unable to convert them into kanji forms.
As a result, they came up with a distinct writing system that they use only for two things: words that they have acquired from other languages and certain sorts of sounds.
Katakana is the alphabet that is used for "borrowed words." With the exception of when you are utilizing a foreign term, you won't be required to utilize it. Another piece of good news is that katakana is absolutely identical to hiragana in terms of the sounds that it produces.
This indicates that the 46 sounds are the same; the only difference is that the symbol is different.
It is possible that you may come across katakana in terms such as "coffee," which is written as ko-hi in Japanese and appears as コーヒー in written translation.
Unless you are creating a few of distinctive noises, such as pika pika ピカピカ, which is the sound effect for something shining, you won't find much use for katakana. The only exception to this is when you are attempting to communicate with particular foreign terms.
It is here, the "beast" of Asian languages: the large, multi-stroke characters that are notoriously associated with the Japanese language.
Complex kanji, such as 覨, may cause you to be skeptical. On the other hand, there is some good news: many kanji are composed of smaller bits that are referred to as radicals. These are smaller, more straightforward kanji that each have their own meanings apart from one another and may be combined to form a more complex term.
Take, for instance, the aforementioned æ.
oya is a Japanese word that signifies "parents." When we take a closer look, however, we can see that this single kanji is really composed of a number of other kanji. In addition, each of them has the potential to provide us with a clue about the significance of the total.
"to stand" is the meaning of the word 櫋 ta(tsu), which is located on the top left. Tatsu is a Japanese word that literally translates to "tree." As of right now, it seems as if someone is maybe standing in a tree.
When the small legs beneath the kanji are added, it transforms into 馁mi(ru), which means "to watch." The kanji on the right side includes the character 雮me, which means "eye."
If you were to look closely, you may see someone standing at the very top of a tall tree, monitoring what is going on. They are parents that are concerned about their children and watch out for them!
Consequently, if a kanji is broken down into its component pieces, it might become far less intimidating and a great deal more approachable.
As you learn Japanese, all three writing subsystems are necessary. All of these should be usable eventually. However, learning kanji first may not be best.
First, be understood, then improve your writing and reading.
Because you can say anything in Japanese using hiragana, most novices start there. If you don't know a kanji, write its hiragana pronunciation.
Many kanji have pronunciations in miniature hiragana above them (furigana).
After learning hiragana, katakana is a good continuation. It will help you write common foreign terms like “coffee”, “part-time job”, and “America”.
These phonetic pieces will help you start learning Japanese and immerse yourself in the language.
Blending in basic kanji is a good idea since learning slowly is less intimidating. If you see a kanji with two strokes that seems simple to recall, memorize it!
You may also start learning kanji by knowing what the radicals signify; they build up larger kanji. It's like memorizing a cheat sheet to help you decipher larger kanji by their components!
