ULTIMATE JAPANESE ALPHABET GUIDE | Learn Hiragana

[@reinascully]

If you’re serious about learning Japanese but don’t know where to start, check out Rosetta Stone: rosettastone.com/reinascullyyt2

[@pokeyjourneys3984]

I have a cousin she's gonna teach me Japanese And exchange are we teaching her Spanish She teach me proper Japanese now teacher proper Spanish

[@airigone1257]

I came here after getting Rosetta stone thinking learning the alphabet would help..

[@spyingonyallteacup2744]

I'm literally overwhelmed with excitement you just made the shit so easy for me LIKE I ACTUALLY FUCKING GET IT NOW

[@spyingonyallteacup2744]

Good morning is a state is the USA 😭😭😭🤣

[@tudormiller887]

I'm a brand new subscriber watching from London UK.

[@RudeXII]

I can't believe in one video you literally just covered my entire Japanese I course in high school

[@toaster6348]

Pft hahahhaha

[@Loveyourlifeppl]

We only have Spanish and Asl at my school YOURE lucky

[@jenni3746]

asl is cool

[@brycesusong6307]

We only have spanish french and german 😢

[@ImmortalGaming551]

We have Spanish French and Latin at my school. I wish I could take Japanese. That’s cool that u have it.

[@Focus_23]

To anyone who feels overwhelmed looking at hiragana, I had them memorized in 8 hours. I could comfortably read any kana in 2 weeks. You just have to stick to it.

[@HilbertXVI]

This^ You'll get used to it faster than you think

[@JustinK0]

i dont understand when someone says hiragana is too hard. When i say its easy i dont mean i looked over them once and memorized them instantly but just Spaced repetition over a day then you can practice reading from there. Same with Katakana.

[@Omgong_444]

If you watch the Harigana alphabet in a children's nursery rhyms its catching and I listened to it for like an hour while searching up words and now I memorized the whole entire thing ;-;

[@hayhay713]

Thank you. I’ve only memorized the first 5. A I E U O. But that’s kinda my fault cause I stopped when I got passed those so now I have to circle back. This gave me some confidence in myself. Hopefully I will stick to it.

[@chikannnn]

if you're learning kana, stick with me when I say : use mnemonics to memorize them. japanesepod101 youtube channel has a full, detailed guide on learning kana that uses mnemonics. it speeds up the process and makes it stick.

[@bostephens13]

There's a game I have called "Learn Japanese To Survive! Hiragana Battle". It's an full-blown RPG that also teaches you hiragana.

[@winstonthepooh9388]

Okay I searched it up and I’m going to buy it now. THANK YOU

[@obsidiansiriusblackheart]

I have the full series lol I need to play it more

[@Krosis-dn3gs]

On what?

[@bostephens13]

@@Krosis-dn3gs I have it on Steam.

[@koolgrowl]

Oh sweet is it free?

[@shipmaster101]

Sooo..........whens the full course coming out Reina, I'd sign up in seconds

[@accelmemory]

bump

[@phathumudau223]

learning Japanese really opened up a whole different side of KZbin, I love it

[@PierceArner]

One of the biggest helps for me when learning hiragana was practicing writing them as I learned them. Internalizing the stroke order as a part of learning new symbols helps a lot with remembering them, because there's a physical association that you don't get just looking at them on flash cards - and it also prepares you for that same kind of memorization practice with kanji.

[@TheSwiftyPlayer]

in one year im gonna be in highschool and have to learn spanish cause my family speaks spanish but i really want to learn Japanese but cant so this is really helpful for me

[@Rott.221]

This is sooo similar to arabic letters I was so surprised when you sarted saying them

[@Raven-gv9fk]

I thought I was the only one who saw that! Like the Dakuten are similar to fatah, dummah, and kusrah. and the tsu is kinda like shadah. 😁

[@bumblebeeeoptimus]

It's like learning how to read again.. but at age 23..

[@lovecook6382]

Hey, Im much older than you, but learning it starting this week. We can do this! Plus, as people age, we gotta learn to use our brain to keep it working, you know what I mean? Learning is never limited by the age, "we learn till we die".. there is a really saying like this.

[@mrshrky6443]

@@lovecook6382 hey im 15 and just now starting this. Hows your progress going?

[@estheraleman6043]

@@mrshrky6443 how bout u?

[@mrshrky6443]

@@estheraleman6043 Well I'm 16 now, and can read like full hiragana and katana paragraphs and a few kanji (about 50 or so), but I have hit a road bump because the tutor I was using the help learn kanji got a bit expensive so I have to wait to get a job to pay him and continue my lessons. Its been fun though and I really cant wait to continue.

[@Xovye8588]

@@mrshrky6443 How’d you learn hiragana and katakana? With a tutor?

[@thatanimatorguy599]

Brings back memories when I was first learning English when I was little, It's like I'm back at that time again but learning something new. I'm so excited to watch your videos and learn how to speak Japanese.

[@itsabouttime820]

My gosh, you are the best instructor ever. I mean for me. I'm autistic with A.D.D. which means it is so hard for me to focus, but with you I seem to focus much better. Thank you!

[@nicoleAlice_2.1]

Well, I started learning Japanese by learning ひらがな in a very detailed way, like I've learned each consonant (K,S,T,N,H,M,Y,R, W and ん) I also learned words that we write with Hiragana like あお; こえ; あか; いのちち; ゆうれい ; ざっし; やま　ゆめ　よいかい　うえ　おく　おさけ　ねこ　なつ　まほう　みみ　ろうそく　がんばろう　やたし　and many others😅 And I completely love your videos there's everything on it. 🥺❤️ ありがとうございます

[@johncaratao8848]

Wahhh! She's very good at teaching, she explains very good. She's very beautiful too HAHAHAHA

[@DistraDistra]

My Japanese journey is in the eternal stage of learning hiragana.

[@KaiMCGRPS]

I feel this on a spiritual level

[@whatbro5777]

Kanji is currently kicking my ass

[@khaki4493]

no because i felt that

[@sanforgie8823]

Not to overwhelmed you even more but, kanji is like the final boss or so for Japanese

[@MrBoDiggety]

Underrated comment for sure...

[@PureBrutalSickness]

this is very good teaching, like it should be in school good.

[@reinascully]

This means a lot! Thank you so much!!!

[@dealerofdeth]

Agreed. There should be no 日本語 student that goes without seeing this video!

[@Vivthe_swaggest]

@@dealerofdeth im learning japanese and I am a school student so fate is on your side

[@licentiousdreams]

As someone that only knows English this video in just one view broke down so many things in an easy way to understand. i'll be watching this multiple times and checking out more videos from you as I begin to study! Thank you for such an amazing breakdown!

[@erturtemirbaev5207]

Do you teach Japanese? You have a natural gift to teach a language. I appreciate it.

[@AaronRossman]

Just because you're a native speaker, it doesn't mean you're a good teacher. That being said, Reina, awesome lecture!!! All of my Japanese is self taught through online learning and I'm glad to hear that I'm learning correctly. Thank you for clearing up some confusion with the sutegana! Anyone else who feels confused, just push through it! It'll click eventually and you'll be amazed!

[@ivorysiren22]

I took a "Learn Japanese" class in high school and it was so fun, my Sensei was just the sweetest woman ever

[@CrissaFo]

I’m procrastinating my Korean work by starting to learn Japanese basics and you posted at the exact right time 😅

[@road길]

Haha same! I figured it'd be good to learn both so when I have burn out from one I just move to the other lolol

[@wonniev]

bro same lmao

[@bnha]

same here actually ,,, i got to the whole "learn how to form sentences" thing and was like "huh. japanese lookin kinda fun right now"

[@avi_mation]

ik that 69 isn’t funny anymore but i thought i’d just add that in the 69th like. (laughs in wanting to annoy people who dislike that meme.)

[@TerryTerryBouzu]

Funnily enough katakana looks more like print script while hiragana flows more like cursive or italics, but I love the description

[@sanzxz2488]

As soon as I took up Japanese classes this video came out how lucky !!

[@Lewbify]

you have such a gift for explaining things, this made more sense to me than most other videos I've ever watched! (obvs not dissing the other vids) thanks Reina

[@greenermusings161]

Extremely helpful. Thanks Reina!

[@hollyrayl9863]

When I first started learning Japanese by myself, I was 10 years old, and it was 1998. The only resources I had were a Japanese dictionary and a thin book showing the stroke order of each kana character. For what I would estimate now to be about 3 or 4 months or so, I carried that second book and a few sheets of loose leaf paper around with me everywhere, and whenever I had some spare time, I would just copy one character over and over and over like a kindergartner. I think that's what gave me such a strong understanding of kana.

[@hollyrayl9863]

@MG - 04GJ 875648 Queen Street PS No, not at all fluent XD

[@lewessays]

I guess you weren't immersed in japanese. Because that was time I learnt English and started learning French. But, I failed since I didn't have French around me.

[@entrcpy]

I started years ago and still have my note somewhere. This was a nice refresher to confirm I still know what's up.

[@17th_Colossus]

This was extremely helpful! I saved it under favorites, cuz I plan on re-watching the heck out of it. It's a lot of information, but you did the best job I've seen thus far in explaining things. Thanks Reina!

[@merszy]

I started learning japanese like a week ago, busuu does an amazing job at teaching hiragana so far

[@Super2bad4you]

Thank you for this video! I did Japanese evening classes last year here in London but your explanation is so much clearer and makes more sense than my teacher's ☺️.

[@petherpettersson6152]

One thing I thought was very interesting when I learned japanese is that the teacher explained why the は is pronounced wa is that when は is used as a particle, it is pronounced that way. For example, こんにちは is simply a shortened part of a longer sentence(don't have it memorized), and thus the は is a particle in a sentence. It offers a better understanding than 'it just is'.

[@JeffreyJJohnson]

This might be one of the best videos I have ever seen on KZbin. I have been off and on working to learn Japanese and has started to learn hiragana but wanted the backstory of the grid and why I saw some patterns and then those patterns would break. Thank you so much!

[@madmanyolo]

Don't usually like KZbin videos but I've noticed gaps in my hiragana knowledge and I think this will really help me

[@ginawilkolak7492]

This was super helpful, thank you!! I’ve been studying Japanese since the pandemic began and started with some writing workbooks to become familiar with hiragana and katakana and then have combined those with the Duolingo and Mirai Japanese apps. Some of your explanations have answered a few of my questions! Thank you again!

[@jaysaayman]

I have downloaded so many books and apps and honestly you explained more to me in this video, than it did. This was honestly mind blowing. I had so many questions on hiragana works and this answered all of them. Honestly this was the MOST useful thing I've watched...I NEED MORE

[@reinascully]

😭💛 this means so much to me- thank you for the wonderful comment and I’m so glad I could help!!!!!

[@ramoncastro4737]

I've been learning Japanese for a few months. This is great timing 😀

[@reinascully]

That's awesome to hear!!! I hope this helps!!!

[@ramoncastro4737]

@@reinascully I hope so too :)

[@francescabrooker-rao9534]

Really nice video. I learnt hiragana with flashcards, my course required me to know hiragana and katakana before I started so I’d just memorise a few each day and I constantly practiced with the flashcards.

[@thechrisnicolas]

I've been studying with flash cards. Still struggling with some but getting there

[@smatherton24]

You singing the kana was so soothing. I wish I had this vid when I was first learning Japanese

[@Eulalia16]

ive been trying to learn Japanese sense the beginning of quarantine and this video really cleared things up. There were some videos i watched from other KZbinrs but they didn't specify things like you did. Thank you sooo much!

[@SWKBearcat]

So, this is more of a Katakana question, and I'm not sure if it applies to Hiragana as well. I took some Japanese classes a few years ago (trying to get back into studying Japanese), and the instructor wrote out my name Andrew as アンドリュー. My question is what the dash mark and the end of my name (I don't know the term for it) and how would I know if or when to use it?

[@reinascully]

Excellent question! The long dash is called a CHO ON PU which means "long vowel" or "long syllable" and it exists in Katakana to elongate the ending sound (in your name's case, the RYU U in AH NN DO RYU U) If it ended in just AH NN DO RYU (without the choonpu) it ends in only one mora, which is phonetically incorrect when rendering English into Japanese, so the choonpu is needed to accurately "force" your English name into Japanese.

[@johnbenedictcuvos8414]

Thanks for the question and answer.

[@gothgirlsfootstool]

The dash is supposed to mean a longer pronunciation...the letter with the dash after it is supposed to be said longer than normal

[@queenbee4805]

Woahhhh that was a lot of information. I'm trying to wrap my head around this. Thank you!

[@gundambassexe31]

Thank you very much Reina sensei ! I will definitely be studying up on this 😊❤️🇯🇵🇯🇵

[@thekitschsidekick]

You explain this so elegantly, Reina! I was expecting to only learn enough Romanji to get by for my holiday but you make this seem really accessible I'm going to give it a go, thank you 😊

[@thekitschsidekick]

I've since learned all the hirigana, dakuten and handakuten 🤓🎉 thanks, Reina x

[@charlot-temisery]

I absolutely love this. it is so straight forward and comprehensive and a lot of the examples you used are the same as the ones I found in "first steps to mastering Japanese" which I found for free on the Kobo store. I also learned Hiragana approximately 4 times during my schooling life because I lived in an Australian town with a Japanese sister city program, so for a while, I even had a pen pal in Japan which I don't think I appreciated enough at such a young age.

[@yuima6476]

Why’s she so pretty, like wtf.🧍‍♀️

[@jeremiahgrayest]

I KNOW RIGHT?!?

[@Sliplinerr]

Great introduction video, reminds me of the first 2 weeks of JAP 1, which is a very good thing.

[@alexcazzetta6105]

I could be listening to you teaching for hours... wow... I am totally smitten... and yes thank you for the explanations. It makes sense and it seems fairly easy.

[@0nearmedbandit]

love this video. even though ive been studying for a year now, its nice to hear someones take on explaining ひらがな 面白いと思いますよ～　ありがとうねー！

[@javisaban3696]

Thank you! It makes me happy to know that I'm understood. Japanese isn't my first language, but I do my best.

[@aminahqamar5742]

I kept getting confused about the dakuten and handakuten, and this video really helped! I've been wanting to learn japanese for a while

[@louisa1514]

I managed to teach myself most of the hirigana a year ago using apps, but stopped when I had the opportunity to take chinese lessons and decided learning both at once would be too confusing. But I don't want to forget the hirigana that I already learned since I do hope to pick japanese back up again in the future. This was a great refresher, and also explained the system in a way that was really concise and easy to understand for beginners, yet in depth at the same time. I really wish I had this video a year ago 😅.

[@nad6234]

Super interesting & helpful - thank you for making it both!

[@lonelylama5222]

Thank you! This video really helped me understand the basics of Japanese!

[@SarahLJP]

7:39 続き (つづき, tsudzuki) which means "to continue". You'll see it on title screens of games in Japanese. Sometimes it's つづきから (tsudzuki kara) which means "to continue from"

[@OliKidsley]

I've been learning hiragana for a little while now, and I know all of the characters but none of these dakuten etc were explained fully, so this was extremely helpful to wrap my head around it

[@sean1728]

I've become familiar with Hiragana via the Duolingo app, so I was already familiar with this...but your organizing the sounds into that grid is *super*-helpful in reinforcing them. Being a bear of very little brain, I need all the help I can get. Arigato gozaimasu! 🙂

[@catherinebutler4819]

That's a really good example of compression without confusion.

[@HaylieNyght]

This was fantastic to it watch and really helped make me understand some of the things I have been learning already.

[@xahal]

Fun fact: there are regions of Japan where を is actually pronounced wo rather than o. In Northern Japan, if I remember correctly.

[@jacobthompson8339]

shush

[@SqueakTheKittehxx]

Always good to have a refresher after a few years of not studying.

[@SylviaWakana]

This is a super helpful and good video! Also love learning on Rosetta Stone. Thanks!

[@SwatterKFP]

Thanks for this it was really helpful! Feel like I've got the memorisation down of stroke order and what they are but having a better understanding of them and when they are used helps me so much more in my learning :)

[@konnen4518]

This is almost exactly how the Ethiopian alphabet sounds when it’s spoken out loud! Incredible!

[@lakshyavaibhavdatta9098]

This video stands on its own. This is exceptional work. I decided to start learning Japanese an hour ago to make videos in it, and now I feel like the process is going to be a joy. Thank you for doing such a brilliant job with this video. You're amazing! Changed my life right here :)

[@DJ_FLAKO]

I have been studying Japanese for 6 months, I can understand most of the words now and conversations :)

[@fly-high3063]

Please help me figure out how to put the letters together becuase it seems complecated😅

[@hayhay713]

Dang. Wow! That’s really cool!

[@Travelogueduster]

@@fly-high3063 did u ever figure it out

[@kingjon1671]

@@Travelogueduster I used the apps Bunpo and Kana to learn all of the hiragana in 5 days

[@tbtibones609]

Do you mind helping me out with something very simple?

[@sairamved]

I've been learning hiragana using mnemonics from tofugu and it's pretty effective and quick. This video is great to brush up what I've already learnt. Thanks a lot!

[@renley5778]

these videos are excellent to learn along with my rosetta stone lessons, tysm!

[@DanielleBaylor]

Mind blown with the grid! Just started yesterday, but I think that tip is really going to help! About to change up my notes lol

[@greedpower565]

I love you so much, for basically pronouncing the Japanese alphabet.

[@RazePhoenixx]

Love it thanks for the help Reina!

[@Alexa_Plays1ARCHIVED]

You explaining it is making me understand it more, thank you.

[@AzisaN]

I studied Japanese on duolingo and at a student taught class at uni a while ago and this a rly good refresher and great intro! Good job Reina!

[@clau_sing_]

She's such a natural at teaching 😍

[@kilbonrobert]

I know that was a lot of info, but for a beginner myself that was the most easy way it has been explained to me!

[@multi-fandomcupcake9111]

I learned so much in this video. Thank you so much!💞💞💞

[@patrikhjorth3291]

Thank you, Reina-sensei! I have a japanese vocabulary question: I mostly encounter japanese through anime, which I expect is not the best source for how people actually speak. Whenever characters are upset enough to resort to name-calling, the only thing I hear is "baka", or some version of it. Is that really the only insult people use, or is it just the only one that is "safe" enough to put in the shows?

[@stacybrown6546]

I'm not studying Japanese but it's interesting to know some basics about how the language is formed. Thank you - very interesting.

[@MarilynGoth]

I'm currently learning Japanese. Thanks for this guide

[@kaiyanpepper7878]

This helped me a lot cause, i was in a Japanese course that didn't teach the extra hiragana i didn't even know there was more until i saw japanese subtitles and got suspicious. This cleared up everything now though and i can write my family's names in hiragana now.

[@K1RARIN_VT]

omg YES i have Japanese as an elective for both 11th grade and i’m studying it in advance! i do use Rosetta Stone but this video makes my life easier

[@fazzmancult457]

I'm coming back to this video when I fully learn Japanese I'm also Dyslexic so it will take me long

[@pH15cHy]

This is so amazingly well presented! Thank you for this.

[@dealerofdeth]

Firstly I would like to say that I very much enjoyed your reference to the small tsu as that which creates a staccato sound. That was fuggingreat! As to how I started learning Hiragana I got a book by Gene Nishi called Japanese Step by step. I borrowed the book from a guy that was learning through it and also had Rosetta stone. The book was so good I had to buy a copy for myself. Really good book that teaches everything from basic sentence structure and phrases to numbers and vocabulary words. Katakana and some kanji are covered as well. The book was made to get foreigners to be able to get to work in Japan without ruining business relationships. It has and will serve me well. I get what I know about dialectics from anime and occasional youtube vids on the language.

[@brandonrnk]

actually just started learning Japanese 3 days ago and im starting to understand it...this just made it easier. Arigato gozaimasu

[@olegcherkasky2755]

Not related to the letters but I also want to recommend learning the days of the week through a song of sorts: Getsu-Ka-Sui-Moku-Kin-Do-Nichi After learning that all you need to do is add youbi at the end of each and you'll have the names of each day of the week starting from Monday to Sunday.

[@RichardMundy]

助けていただいてありがとうございます。あなたは素晴らしい先生です！

[@ChoujiEnforcer]

I learned hirigana through tofugu.com . Like you they stressed the use of a chart and allowed me to take tests for what section I had learned. You did a wonderful job relating this to Japanese vocabulary, which I feel I am lacking in.

[@ashelilly]

This video is so helpful thank you so much from a beginner learner

[@torathorsfanart9281]

Thanks for explaining sutegana, I was starting to think I was going insane with those tiny letters 😂

[@JigumiStar]

This is awesome for those who don't know it yet!

[@versaceboyy8815]

I'm currently taking Japanese courses and I find it easier to learn to memorize the japanese alphabet system first the easier ones hiragana and katakana. I dont know why it makes it easier for me I guess everyone is different I live in Los Angeles I speak Spanish and English Good video

[@8ri1]

Wow this video is right on time! I swear my phone is listening to me 👀

[@ramoncastro4737]

Thank you for this Reina :) ❤

[@riely8125]

Runa? lol

[@UltraPoyoColt]

Nice! I’m starting to learn Japanese and have been wondering where to start! Thanks!

[@Pnbkay]

Yes It Was Really Helpful, I'm Saving This Video & Learning The Grid, Arigato Goziamasu🙏🏼

[@paulstanley31]

I’m 73 years old and just started learning hiragana using flash cards I made. It works pretty well for me. It also helps to write hiragana.

[@7juxl]

This helped A LOT thank you so so much

[@reinascully]

That is so so wonderful to hear!! Thank you for watching and leaving such a nice comment!!!

[@7juxl]

@@reinascully your so welcome and thank you

[@OliverHoerold]

Hmm, reminds me of my time when I tried to learn Japanese. Thank you a lot!

[@krimzonghost1987]

If you aren't a voice actress, you should consider it. You have great vocal range and presence. That and your English is impeccable. I'm sure there are folks out there who would love to be able to cast the same VA for both Japanese and English. I know that's kind of a weird compliment, but that's all I kept thinking when you were switching between English an Japanese. On a side note. Thanks for this video. I really just came here to learn the difference between hiragana and katakana. I learned way more than I intended to and I thank you.