Fun and fast ways to learn Hiragana

[Elgin]

I have Japanese class tomorrow and my teacher told us last class to be able to read hiragana for next class. It was hard to find time to study with it being near exam week at my school, so now its Friday and I have some time to study. I made some cards to help me memorize them, then I started to write them down on paper for a change. I searched on the net for fun and fast ways to learn hiragana and I found books I had to buy and some methods I already tried . Anyone know of a better way to learn hiragana in one night it doesn't have to be fun but if it is even better.

[SkaKid0911]

Hehe, I didn't learn it in a night, more like a few a day for a few weeks so it's a bit different. I always find writing and flashcards helpful but ya know thats just me and it was a much longer time. Everyone is different, just study how you normally would for another test. Find a way that works for you in other subjects and apply it to japanese is my only advice, sorry.

[Bluebird]

Hi there.
i used this free program - Slime Forest - to help me memorize them. It's made into a game to make it funnier. You have to write the correct pronounciation to beat little slimeballs and get to the next level.
It's for both Katakana and Hiragana and some Kanji aswell, though it doesn't teach you the Japanese pronounciation, which is a shame.

http://lrnj.com/
Look for the "Download" section.

ブルーバード。

[Elgin]

nice! thanks man

[Buntaro]

I teach Japanese language at a local Japanese church. We take a *whole semester* just to learn hiragana, as we go real slow. Try to take your time, and MASTER the hiragana, as it will pay off in the long run.

I had the same experience, when I took Japanese in college, years ago. The professor just threw hiragana at us the first week of class, and told us to learn it in a week. I couldn't do it in one week. As a result, I struggled all through first semester Japanese.

The best way to learn hiragana is to (1) use flash cards, (2) have a friend say Japanese words out loud and you write them down (taking dictation), and (3) have a friend write words in hiragana, and then you try to read the words out loud. Get a study partner, quizz each other with dictation and reading out loud, and have fun with it.


P.S., make sure you go over those combination syllables, like gya, gyu, and gyo. I found those to be tricky.

[its_me_the_shinigami]

oh oh
here has addictively fun hiragana practice
http://www.thejapanesepage.com/hiragana.htm
it helped me
only 30 minutes a day for 3 days i learned them all

[Kiyotsuki]

Hey Bluebird, that game is very funny! I actually learned 4 new kana from that. I never new that kana for "we" and "wi" existed.

[jovial_jon]

my teacher draws picture that kind of look like the character...for example 'ki' in hiragana looks like a key...some of them are kinda dumb but sometimes they help...i agree with Buntaro - i cant see how it is possible to learn in one night!

[Elgin]

Ya I guess one night isn't enough. I studied my flash cards for 20mins and passed out on my sofa. The next day I looked like a idiot in class when I had to read, good times

[The Gentleman Carp]

Ohayou.

Ki looks like a smiley face, not a key! I had a hard time learning Katakana (havn't really got it, I just pretend), but I'm lazy.

I agree with Buntaro, having friends help you is the best way. If you don't have any friends (who speak japanese) then make one in class! Very important way to study Hiragana is to keep a journal. Try to use your whole vocabulary (no matter how limited) and write only in Hiragana. I don't really think there is an effective way to learn anything quickly.

Or better yet, harass japanese people on the bus.

- A Carp

[MikeM]

May I recommend to you a great program, it has pronouncation, storke order, everything! They also have the same program for katakana.

http://www.declan-software.com/japanese/#RWH

If you want the full version, I can hook ya up, just give me a PM.

[petarv]

Does this board condone the illegal software piracy that MikeM is suggesting. Why don't you pay for the software if you find it useful? It is just $16.

[tada]

Hey Bluebird, that game is very funny! I actually learned 4 new kana from that. I never new that kana for "we" and "wi" existed.

They are obsolete though. What were the other two?

As for me, we were given a week each for hiragana/katakana. Can't imagine learning them in a day.

[Aurura]

Ditto. I feel sorry for the guy. What exactly was that teacher thinking?

I wonder how things turned out... :souka:

[Glenn]

They are obsolete though. What were the other two?

Probably the katakana for them.

[nice gaijin]

Does this board condone the illegal software piracy that MikeM is suggesting. Why don't you pay for the software if you find it useful? It is just $16.Did you register here just so you can rebuke a post from four years ago? Nothing better to do?

[katsumoto]

did you notice that this thread from 2004 ....????

[Aurura]

Isn't it fascinating how we can revive an old thread so readily? Go Us!! :flower:

[katsumoto]

hmmmm

it's ok ,sorry ........

[petarv]

Did you register here just so you can rebuke a post from four years ago? Nothing better to do?

YES! That is exactly what I did.

[LukeSettle]

i know this is a suuuper old thread but i found this fun game, "Learning the Kana", that made me so much better and reading kana fast. :relief:

[seifip]

I'm sorry for resurrecting such an old thread but here's another addition to the list of kana learning games :)

nihongoup.com