Hiragana #4

Summary

This lesson focuses on Hiragana, covering basic characters, diacritical marks, and contracted sounds. The instructor reads characters aloud and emphasizes the correct usage of the 'g' and 'z' sounds, explaining how certain characters are used more frequently in writing. The lesson also introduces combination letter sounds, such as 'ki' with small 'ya', forming 'kya'. Special attention is given to distinguishing similar sounds and characters. The session ends with writing exercises and a brief review of additional Hiragana characters, aiming to enhance learners' understanding of the nuances in Hiragana writing.

Takeaways

• 📚 Start by reading basic hiragana characters together.
• 🔍 Focus on hiragana with diacritical marks and contracted sounds.
• 🎵 Listen to the music to understand the sounds better.
• 🔤 Recognize that 'g' is not pronounced as 'z' and 'd' is not pronounced as 'g'.
• 📝 Learn to write 'g', but note it's rare and used for special occasions.
• 🐘 Write 'zoo' for the 'z' sound, not 'do'.
• 🔑 Understand that 'zoo' is more commonly used than 'zoo' for special characters.
• 🤔 Combine sounds like 'ki' and 'small ya' to read 'ka', and 'ki' and 'small u' to read 'q'.
• 📝 Practice writing the combination sounds: ka, ki, ku, ke, ko.
• 🖋️ Learn to write with diacritical marks and understand their placement.
• 👋 End the lesson with a summary of the additional characters learned.

Q & A

What is the main focus of this Hiragana lesson?

The main focus of this lesson is learning Hiragana basic characters, diacritical marks, and contracted sounds.

What is the difference between Hiragana characters with and without diacritical marks?

Hiragana characters with diacritical marks represent modified sounds, like turning a 'k' sound into a 'g' sound or an 's' sound into a 'z' sound.

What is the significance of the 'g' sound mentioned in the lesson?

The lesson highlights that in Hiragana, there are two characters for the 'g' sound, and the more common one should be used in most cases. The less common one is reserved for special words.

How does the 'zoo' sound differ from other characters?

There are two versions of the 'zoo' sound. The lesson emphasizes using the more common 'zoo' sound in most contexts, with the second version being used only in special cases.

What are contracted sounds in Hiragana?

Contracted sounds in Hiragana occur when a basic character is combined with a smaller version of 'ya', 'yu', or 'yo' to create a new sound, such as 'kya', 'kyu', and 'kyo'.

What is the irregularity in the 'g' sound mentioned in the lesson?

The irregularity refers to the fact that the 'g' sound in some instances isn't pronounced as a 'z' sound, and it's important to distinguish this when writing or speaking.

When should the less common 'g' character be used?

The less common 'g' character is used in special occasions or words, and learners are encouraged to mostly use the more common 'g' character.

How do learners combine Hiragana characters with diacritical marks and regular characters?

Learners combine diacritical marks with characters to change the sound, such as turning 'ka' into 'ga' by adding the diacritical mark.

What are some examples of Hiragana characters with contracted sounds?

Examples include 'ki' with a small 'ya' becoming 'kya', 'ki' with a small 'yu' becoming 'kyu', and 'ki' with a small 'yo' becoming 'kyo'.

What is the purpose of learning these additional Hiragana characters?

Learning these additional characters, including those with diacritical marks and contracted sounds, expands a learner's ability to read and write in Japanese by covering more complex phonetic patterns.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Introduction to Hiragana Lesson 4

In this lesson, the instructor introduces Hiragana lesson number 4, starting with a reading of basic Hiragana characters. The lesson then transitions to a focus on Hiragana with diacritical marks, such as the 'g' sound, and contracted sounds. The instructor explains that certain characters like 'g' and 'zoo' have specific uses, with some being more commonly written than others. The nuances between similar characters are highlighted, such as the difference between 'g' and 'z', and how they are applied in writing. Additionally, the combination of sounds such as 'ki' with small 'ya' (forming 'kya') and other similar combinations like 'kyo' and 'gyu' are demonstrated, along with guidelines on when to use specific characters in different contexts.

05:00

✍️ Wrapping Up with Additional Hiragana Characters

The instructor moves on to discussing more characters in the Hiragana system, focusing on the combination of 't' sounds and their critical marks. This section emphasizes how certain characters combine to create additional sounds, including examples of smaller character combinations, such as 'm' and 'ya', which are almost quarter-sized. The instructor briefly reviews other additional characters and concludes the lesson with hopes that the students enjoyed the session.

Keywords

💡Hiragana

Hiragana is one of the three main writing systems in Japanese, along with Katakana and Kanji. It consists of a set of basic phonetic characters, and this video focuses on teaching their pronunciation and usage. The lesson covers both basic characters and advanced forms of Hiragana, like those with diacritical marks.

💡Diacritical Marks

Diacritical marks, called 'ten-ten' and 'maru' in Japanese, are small symbols added to Hiragana characters to change their pronunciation. For example, adding a diacritical mark to 'ka' (か) turns it into 'ga' (が). These marks are crucial in forming additional sounds in Japanese, such as the 'g' and 'z' sounds discussed in the lesson.

💡Contracted Sounds

Contracted sounds in Hiragana are formed by combining a larger character with a smaller 'ya', 'yu', or 'yo'. For example, 'ki' (き) combined with a small 'ya' becomes 'kya' (きゃ). This video introduces these combinations and demonstrates how to pronounce them correctly.

💡G Sound

The 'g' sound in Hiragana is described as irregular in this video, meaning it is different from what non-native speakers might expect. The lesson emphasizes that certain 'g' sounds in Japanese are not pronounced like the English 'z' or 'd', and it introduces multiple characters that represent this sound.

💡Z Sound

The 'z' sound is another focus of the video, especially in the context of differentiating it from other sounds like 'd'. The instructor explains that although some characters look like they might make a 'd' sound, they actually produce a 'z' sound, as in 'zu'.

💡Rare Hiragana Characters

The lesson highlights that certain Hiragana characters are used less frequently, such as the alternate forms of 'g' and 'zu'. These forms are reserved for special words or occasions, and the video encourages learners to recognize when to use the more common versions.

💡Combination Sounds

Combination sounds are created by pairing a Hiragana consonant with a smaller vowel sound to form a new syllable. For example, 'ki' combined with 'yo' makes 'kyo' (きょ). The video walks through examples of these combinations and explains how to write and pronounce them.

💡Writing Practice

A significant part of the video is dedicated to practicing writing Hiragana characters. The instructor encourages viewers to write out the characters they are learning, emphasizing proper stroke order and spacing, especially for characters with diacritical marks.

💡K Combination

The 'K' combination refers to Hiragana characters that start with the 'k' sound, such as 'ka' (か), 'ki' (き), and so on. These are shown to be foundational in Japanese pronunciation, and the video includes a review of how these characters change when combined with diacritical marks or other sounds.

💡Lesson Structure

The structure of the lesson is designed to first introduce the basic Hiragana characters, followed by a deeper exploration of diacritical marks and contracted sounds. The instructor emphasizes learning in stages, reading the characters out loud together, and practicing both pronunciation and writing.

Highlights

Introduction to Hiragana lesson 4, focusing on basic characters and diacritical marks.

Closer look at Hiragana characters with diacritical marks and contracted sounds.

Reading Hiragana characters together, emphasizing the additional Hiragana characters.

Explanation of the irregular pronunciation of 'g' sounds in certain Hiragana characters.

'G' sound explanation: it's not pronounced as 'z' but as a special 'g' sound.

Two Hiragana characters represent the same sound but are used in different contexts.

Guidance on when to write the more common 'g' character versus the rare one.

Instruction on writing the 'zu' sound: the more commonly used 'zu' character is preferred.

'Zu' pronunciation is distinct from 'do' and should be written as the preferred character.

Combination letter sounds: explanation of 'ki' with small 'ya,' 'yu,' and 'yo' to form new sounds.

Introduction of combination sounds like 'ka,' 'ki,' 'ku,' 'ke,' and 'ko' with additional marks.

Explanation of the 's' and 'z' combination sounds, including 'za' and 'g' sounds.

Introduction to writing 't' combination characters with diacritical marks.

Details on writing combination characters, including small spaces and small 'ya' characters.

Final instruction on how to write the additional Hiragana characters for special sounds.

Transcripts

hi this is hiragana number 4 lesson

first

we read

hiragana basic characters together

and

after that we take closer uh look at uh

hiragana with diacritical marks

and uh hiragana

and

contracted sounds

let's read from here

here uh these are uh the additional

hiragana characters

and uh

and those are these are

uh the ones always that are critical

marks

and we read together

[Music]

[Music]

and

this sound

and this sound is the same sound

ah

g sound it's not z

it's irregular g

and this is not

a d

it's

g

and the same sounds and we have two

characters

and i'd like you to use whenever you see

and most of the time uh you we write

this g

and

writing this g is pretty rare and for

special occasions

so uh special words so in like a you try

to write this g

and the zoo is the same you write this

zoo

zoo zoo

this is zoo

and

this is

it's not do

it's

zoo sound

and uh

this zoo is used more most often

so uh please write this zoo instead of

writing this zoo and then uh these zoo

and like you write these zoo uh this zoo

for uh special characters

and uh lastly uh these are uh

combination letter

sounds

ki and small ya together we read ka

ki and small u together q

and ki and small yo together kyo

and big letter smaller

and

uh

and then gi and you you

and

yo yo

okay then let's uh write uh

let's gagi go character uh this uh the

top one is

uh k combination sound ka ki ku ke ko

and

go

[Music]

s combination sound and z sound is write

za

and g

and z

and this one

t combination

you write

and then the critical marks

g

that's a small space

this is

and this

i

and two characters together

and yeah together

almost a quarter size small

and

m

to

and

mia

do

and

those are uh the additional characters

and hopefully you enjoyed our lesson bye