Lesson 2: Hiragana Part 2 — The Remaining Characters (な-ん) 📝

Introduction 🌟

Welcome back to your Japanese journey! In Lesson 1, you learned the first half of hiragana (あ through と). Now it's time to complete the hiragana system by mastering the remaining characters. By the end of this lesson, you'll know all 46 basic hiragana characters plus the important dakuten (゛) and handakuten (゜) variations that expand your writing capabilities to over 100 sounds!

This lesson will focus on:

• The n-row (な、に、ぬ、ね、の)
• The h-row (は、ひ、ふ、へ、ほ)
• The m-row (ま、み、む、め、も)
• The y-row (や、ゆ、よ)
• The r-row (ら、り、る、れ、ろ)
• The w-row (わ、を) and the standalone ん (n)
• Dakuten (゛) modifications: が、ざ、だ、ば
• Handakuten (゜) modifications: ぱ
• Distinguishing confusing character pairs like ね/れ and は/ほ

Core Concepts: The Remaining Hiragana Rows 🔤

The N-Row (な行) 🎵

The n-row characters all begin with an "n" sound followed by a vowel:

+------+------+------+------+------+
|  な  |  に  |  ぬ  |  ね  |  の  |
|  na  |  ni  |  nu  |  ne  |  no  |
+------+------+------+------+------+

な (na) - Like "nah" in English に (ni) - Like "knee" ぬ (nu) - Like "new" ね (ne) - Like "neh" or the "ne" in "net" の (no) - Like "no" in English

💡 Memory tip: な looks like a fisherman's hook catching a napkin! の looks like a knot that you tie, and you say "no" while tying it.

The H-Row (は行) 🌬️

The h-row has a special pronunciation quirk with ふ:

+------+------+------+------+------+
|  は  |  ひ  |  ふ  |  へ  |  ほ  |
|  ha  |  hi  |  fu  |  he  |  ho  |
+------+------+------+------+------+

は (ha) - Like "hah" ひ (hi) - Like "he" in "heel" ふ (fu) - NOT "hu"! Like blowing out a candle, "foo" へ (he) - Like "heh" or "hay" ほ (ho) - Like "hoe" or Santa's "ho ho ho"

⚠️ Important: Notice that ふ is pronounced "fu" not "hu". This is unique in the h-row!

🎭 Cultural note: は (ha) becomes "wa" when used as a particle in sentences. You'll learn this later!

The M-Row (ま行) 👄

+------+------+------+------+------+
|  ま  |  み  |  む  |  め  |  も  |
|  ma  |  mi  |  mu  |  me  |  mo  |
+------+------+------+------+------+

ま (ma) - Like "mah" in "mama" み (mi) - Like "me" in "meet" む (mu) - Like "moo" (cow sound) め (me) - Like "meh" も (mo) - Like "moe" or "more"

💡 Memory tip: み looks like a number 3 with a smile - think "mile" (3 miles = smile)!

The Y-Row (や行) 🎋

The y-row only has three characters:

+------+------+------+
|  や  |  ゆ  |  よ  |
|  ya  |  yu  |  yo  |
+------+------+------+

や (ya) - Like "yah" ゆ (yu) - Like "you" よ (yo) - Like "yo" in "yo-yo"

🧠 Mnemonic: ゆ looks like a fishhook catching you!

The R-Row (ら行) 🔄

Japanese "r" sounds are between English "r" and "l" - like a soft tap of the tongue:

+------+------+------+------+------+
|  ら  |  り  |  る  |  れ  |  ろ  |
|  ra  |  ri  |  ru  |  re  |  ro  |
+------+------+------+------+------+

ら (ra) - Soft "rah" り (ri) - Soft "ree" る (ru) - Soft "roo" れ (re) - Soft "reh" ろ (ro) - Soft "roe"

🗣️ Pronunciation tip: Don't roll your "r" like in Spanish. Tap the roof of your mouth lightly with your tongue, similar to the "tt" in "butter" in American English.

The W-Row (わ行) and ん 🌊

The w-row is mostly obsolete except for two characters:

+------+------+------+
|  わ  |  を  |  ん  |
|  wa  |  wo  |  n   |
+------+------+------+

わ (wa) - Like "wah" を (wo/o) - Pronounced like "o" but only used as a grammar particle ん (n) - The only consonant-only character! Like "n" in "can"

💡 Special note on ん: This character can NEVER start a word. It only appears at the end of syllables or in the middle of words. Examples: さん (san, Mr./Mrs.), せんせい (sensei, teacher)

Dakuten (゛) and Handakuten (゜) Modifications 🔸

Japanese has a brilliant system for creating new sounds using marks called dakuten (濁点) and handakuten (半濁点).

Dakuten (゛) - The "Voicing" Mark

Adding two small strokes (゛) to certain characters makes them "voiced":

+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+
| Base  | か→が | さ→ざ | た→だ | は→ば |
+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+
| Sound | ka→ga | sa→za | ta→da | ha→ba |
+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+

Complete dakuten tables:

G-sounds (が行):

+------+------+------+------+------+
|  が  |  ぎ  |  ぐ  |  げ  |  ご  |
|  ga  |  gi  |  gu  |  ge  |  go  |
+------+------+------+------+------+

Z-sounds (ざ行):

+------+------+------+------+------+
|  ざ  |  じ  |  ず  |  ぜ  |  ぞ  |
|  za  |  ji  |  zu  |  ze  |  zo  |
+------+------+------+------+------+

⚠️ Note: じ is pronounced "ji" (like "jeans"), not "zi"

D-sounds (だ行):

+------+------+------+------+------+
|  だ  |  ぢ  |  づ  |  で  |  ど  |
|  da  |  ji  |  zu  |  de  |  do  |
+------+------+------+------+------+

⚠️ Note: ぢ and づ are rarely used and sound the same as じ and ず

B-sounds (ば行):

+------+------+------+------+------+
|  ば  |  び  |  ぶ  |  べ  |  ぼ  |
|  ba  |  bi  |  bu  |  be  |  bo  |
+------+------+------+------+------+

Handakuten (゜) - The "P" Mark

Adding a small circle (゜) to the h-row creates p-sounds:

P-sounds (ぱ行):

+------+------+------+------+------+
|  ぱ  |  ぴ  |  ぷ  |  ぺ  |  ぽ  |
|  pa  |  pi  |  pu  |  pe  |  po  |
+------+------+------+------+------+

🤔 Did you know? The name "handakuten" (半濁点) literally means "half-muddy mark" because it's halfway between the clear h-sound and the "muddy" b-sound!

Distinguishing Look-Alike Characters 👀

Critical Pairs to Master:

ね (ne) vs れ (re):

  ね (ne)         れ (re)
   ┌─┐           ┌──
   │ └─→         │  └──→
   │              └─┘

💡 Memory tip: ね has a neat loop at the top. れ has a really long tail at the bottom.

は (ha) vs ほ (ho):

  は (ha)         ほ (ho)
   │ │            │ │
   │ │            │ └─┐
   └─┘            └───┘

💡 Memory tip: ほ has hole (extra loop) on the right!

ぬ (nu) vs め (me):

  ぬ (nu)         め (me)
   ┌──→           ╱ ╲
   │ └─┐         ╱   ╲
   └───┘         ──┬──

💡 Memory tip: め looks like the medical cross symbol rotated.

わ (wa) vs れ (re) vs ね (ne):

  わ (wa)    れ (re)    ね (ne)
   ┌─→       ┌──       ┌─┐
   │ │       │  └──→   │ └─→
   └─┘       └─┘       │

Vocabulary Building 📚

Now that you know all hiragana, here are essential words using the complete character set:

Everyday Words:

• なまえ (namae) - name
• はな (hana) - flower / nose (context matters!)
• ふね (fune) - boat, ship
• むし (mushi) - insect, bug
• やま (yama) - mountain
• よる (yoru) - night, evening
• らいねん (rainen) - next year
• わたし (watashi) - I, me (polite)
• ねこ (neko) - cat
• いぬ (inu) - dog
• みず (mizu) - water
• ひと (hito) - person
• もの (mono) - thing, object
• ほん (hon) - book
• れんしゅう (renshuu) - practice

Words with Dakuten/Handakuten:

• がっこう (gakkou) - school
• ごはん (gohan) - rice, meal
• さかな (sakana) - fish
• ざっし (zasshi) - magazine
• だいがく (daigaku) - university
• でんわ (denwa) - telephone
• ばんごはん (bangohan) - dinner
• びょういん (byouin) - hospital
• ぱん (pan) - bread
• てんぷら (tenpura) - tempura

Examples with Detailed Explanations 📖

Example 1: Reading a Simple Sentence

わたしのなまえはゆみです。 (watashi no namae wa yumi desu.) "My name is Yumi."

Breakdown:

• わたし (watashi) = I, me
• の (no) = possessive particle (like "'s" in English)
• なまえ (namae) = name
• は (wa) = topic particle (は is read as "wa" here!)
• ゆみ (yumi) = Yumi (a name)
• です (desu) = polite copula (is/am/are)

🔧 Try this: Write your own name in katakana (next lesson!) and create this sentence with your name!

Example 2: Describing Location

ねこがにわにいます。 (neko ga niwa ni imasu.) "There is a cat in the garden."

Breakdown:

• ねこ (neko) = cat
• が (ga) = subject particle
• にわ (niwa) = garden
• に (ni) = location particle (in/at)
• います (imasu) = to exist (for living things)

Notice the dakuten in が - this is a particle, not part of the word.

Example 3: Daily Routine

まいにちほんをよみます。 (mainichi hon wo yomimasu.) "I read books every day."

Breakdown:

• まいにち (mainichi) = every day (まい = every, にち = day)
• ほん (hon) = book
• を (wo) = object particle (pronounced "o")
• よみます (yomimasu) = to read (polite form)

Example 4: Making Plans

らいねんにほんへいきます。 (rainen nihon e ikimasu.) "I will go to Japan next year."

Breakdown:

• らいねん (rainen) = next year
• にほん (nihon) = Japan
• へ (e) = direction particle (to/toward)
• いきます (ikimasu) = to go (polite form)

🌍 Real-world application: This is exactly what you'd say when talking about travel plans!

Common Mistakes ⚠️

Mistake 1: Confusing Similar Characters

❌ Writing れ when you mean ね ✅ Remember: ね has a loop at TOP, れ has long tail at BOTTOM

Mistake 2: Pronouncing ふ as "hu"

❌ Reading ふじさん as "hujisan" ✅ It's "fujisan" (Mt. Fuji) - blow air like "foo"

Mistake 3: Using を in Regular Words

❌ Writing regular "o" sounds as を ✅ を is ONLY used as the object particle, never in words. Use お for regular "o" sounds.

Mistake 4: Forgetting ん Can't Start Words

❌ んで、んが (these don't exist!) ✅ ん only appears in the middle or end: せん、さん、ほんとう

Mistake 5: Mixing Up Dakuten and Handakuten

❌ Adding ゛to make "pa" sounds: ば゛ ✅ Use handakuten (゜) for "p": ぱ, ぴ, ぷ, ぺ, ぽ

Mistake 6: Reading は as "ha" When It's a Particle

❌ わたしは (watashi ha) ✅ わたしは (watashi wa) - は becomes "wa" when used as topic particle

🎭 Situational Scenario: At a Japanese Restaurant 🍱

You're at a restaurant in Tokyo, looking at a hiragana menu. Let's practice reading!

ウェイター (Waitress): いらっしゃいませ！ (irasshaimase! - Welcome!)

あなた (You): すみません。メニューをおねがいします。 (sumimasen. menyuu wo onegaishimasu. - Excuse me. Menu please.)

Menu Items You See:

• みそしる (misoshiru) - miso soup
• ごはん (gohan) - rice
• さかな (sakana) - fish
• やきとり (yakitori) - grilled chicken skewers
• てんぷら (tenpura) - tempura
• ぱん (pan) - bread
• みず (mizu) - water
• おちゃ (ocha) - green tea

あなた (You): てんぷらとみそしるをおねがいします。 (tenpura to misoshiru wo onegaishimasu. - Tempura and miso soup, please.)

ウェイター: かしこまりました！ (kashikomarimashita! - Certainly!)

💬 Dialogue Practice: Notice how と (to) means "and" when connecting items. You'll use this constantly when ordering!

📖 Mini-Story: ねこのゆめ (The Cat's Dream)

Let's read a short story using all the hiragana you've learned:

むかしむかし、ちいさなねこがいました。なまえはみるくです。みるくはまいにちにわであそびます。にわにははながたくさんあります。みるくははなのにおいがすきです。

よるになりました。みるくはねます。みるくはゆめをみます。ゆめのなかで、みるくはおおきなさかなをたべます。とてもおいしいです！

あさになりました。みるくはめをさます。「あれ？さかなは？」みるくはさかなをさがします。でも、さかなはいません。ゆめでした！みるくはすこしかなしいです。でも、いまからごはんをたべます。ハッピーです！

Translation: Once upon a time, there was a small cat. Her name was Milk. Milk plays in the garden every day. There are many flowers in the garden. Milk likes the smell of flowers.

Night came. Milk sleeps. Milk has a dream. In the dream, Milk eats a big fish. It's very delicious!

Morning came. Milk wakes up. "Huh? Where's the fish?" Milk searches for the fish. But there's no fish. It was a dream! Milk is a little sad. But now she'll eat her meal. She's happy!

🔧 Try this: Read the story out loud three times. Circle all the characters from the na, ha, ma, ya, ra, and wa rows!

Key Takeaways 🎯

1. Complete hiragana system: You now know all 46 basic characters plus dakuten and handakuten variations
2. Dakuten (゛) transforms k→g, s→z, t→d, h→b sounds
3. Handakuten (゜) transforms h→p sounds
4. ん is the only character that's purely consonant and never starts a word
5. ふ is pronounced "fu" not "hu"
6. を is only used as a particle, pronounced "o"
7. は as a particle is pronounced "wa"
8. Watch out for look-alikes: ね/れ, は/ほ, ぬ/め, わ/れ
9. Japanese "r" sound is a soft tap, between English "r" and "l"
10. Practice reading real words and sentences - recognition comes with exposure!

📋 Quick Reference Card: Hiragana Rows (な-ん)

+========================================+
|  HIRAGANA QUICK REFERENCE (Part 2)   |
+========================================+
| N-ROW: な(na) に(ni) ぬ(nu) ね(ne) の(no) |
| H-ROW: は(ha) ひ(hi) ふ(fu) へ(he) ほ(ho) |
| M-ROW: ま(ma) み(mi) む(mu) め(me) も(mo) |
| Y-ROW: や(ya)      ゆ(yu)      よ(yo)     |
| R-ROW: ら(ra) り(ri) る(ru) れ(re) ろ(ro) |
| W-ROW: わ(wa) を(wo/o)                   |
| N:     ん(n) - never starts words      |
+========================================+
| DAKUTEN (゛) - "Voicing Mark"         |
+========================================+
| G: が(ga) ぎ(gi) ぐ(gu) げ(ge) ご(go)    |
| Z: ざ(za) じ(ji) ず(zu) ぜ(ze) ぞ(zo)    |
| D: だ(da) ぢ(ji) づ(zu) で(de) ど(do)    |
| B: ば(ba) び(bi) ぶ(bu) べ(be) ぼ(bo)    |
+========================================+
| HANDAKUTEN (゜) - "P-Mark"            |
+========================================+
| P: ぱ(pa) ぴ(pi) ぷ(pu) ぺ(pe) ぽ(po)    |
+========================================+
| TRICKY PAIRS                          |
+========================================+
| ね(ne) ≠ れ(re) | は(ha) ≠ ほ(ho)       |
| ぬ(nu) ≠ め(me) | わ(wa) ≠ れ(re)       |
+========================================+

📚 Further Study

1. Tofugu's Hiragana Guide - https://www.tofugu.com/japanese/learn-hiragana/ (Excellent visual mnemonics and practice)
2. NHK World Easy Japanese - https://www.nhk.or.jp/lesson/en/ (Audio practice with native speakers)
3. Hiragana Quest Practice App - https://www.hiragana.app/ (Interactive writing and recognition drills)

Next Lesson Preview: In Lesson 3, we'll tackle katakana - the angular writing system used for foreign words, and you'll learn why コーヒー (koohii, coffee) and アニメ (anime) are written differently from native Japanese words! ☕📺