E-01 · Station 1 of 36 · Onigiri Line (おにぎり線) · Rank E: Read Japanese
Level 1: How Japanese Works
The 5 vowels あいうえお, rhythm in beats, long vowels, the 3 scripts — and 15 words you already know.
Video: How Japanese Works: Writing System & Pronunciation for Beginners | Japanese N5 Speedrun #1 · 14 min. Coming soon on YouTube.
What you’ll learn
The 5 vowels
- あ · a: like the a in “father”, but short
- い · i: like the ee in “see”, but short
- う · u: like the oo in “food”, short, lips relaxed (not rounded)
- え · e: like the e in “pet”
- お · o: like “oh”, short and pure: no “w” at the end
15 words
| Kana | Kanji | Rōmaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| すし | 寿司 | sushi | sushi |
| おにぎり | onigiri | rice ball | |
| まっちゃ | 抹茶 | matcha | matcha, powdered green tea |
| ラーメン | rāmen | ramen | |
| さくら | 桜 | sakura | cherry blossom |
| ふじさん | 富士山 | Fujisan | Mount Fuji |
| カラオケ | karaoke | karaoke | |
| えもじ | 絵文字 | emoji | emoji |
| つなみ | 津波 | tsunami | tsunami |
| アニメ | anime | anime, animation | |
| かんじ | 漢字 | kanji | kanji, Chinese characters |
| せんせい | 先生 | sensei | teacher |
| かわいい | kawaii | cute | |
| おべんとう | お弁当 | obentō | boxed lunch |
| おさけ | お酒 | osake | alcohol (any kind) |
How it works
Five vowels, always the same
Japanese has only five vowels: a, i, u, e, o. Each one always sounds the same, in every word. No silent letters, no surprises.
- あいうえお · a · i · u · e · o — the order of every Japanese dictionary
Rhythm: one beat per kana
Japanese runs on beats: little ticks of time, all the same length. Most kana = one beat. Clap them! Long vowels and ん count as a full beat, and a small っ is a silent beat. That’s why ラーメン has four beats and おばあさん has five. English squashes and stretches syllables; Japanese keeps the beat steady.
- す・し · su-shi: 2 beats
- ま・っ・ちゃ · ma-(t)-cha: 3 beats. The small っ is a silent beat, and ちゃ is one beat
- ラ・ー・メ・ン · ra-a-me-n: 4 beats. The long ー and the ン count too
Three scripts, one sentence
Hiragana (round) is for grammar and Japanese words, katakana (sharp) for foreign words and style, kanji (Chinese characters) for meaning. Real Japanese mixes all three in one sentence.
- 私はラーメンを食べます。 (わたしはラーメンをたべます。) · I eat ramen (literally: I · ramen · eat): kanji, hiragana and katakana in one sentence
The verb goes at the very end
Japanese closes the sentence with the verb, so you have to listen to the end. And “I” is usually left out: Japanese drops what’s obvious.
- すしを たべます。 · sushi o tabemasu · (I) eat sushi · word by word: sushi · [object] · eat
The trap
Same sounds, different pitch
はし with the pitch going down (HA-shi) is 箸, chopsticks — in everyday Japanese, おはし. With the pitch going up (ha-SHI) it’s 橋, a bridge. Japanese uses high and low pitch, not stress.
- 箸 (おはし) · HA-shi: chopsticks · high → low
- 橋 · ha-SHI: bridge · low → high
Mini test
5 questions. Get 4 right and the level’s mini test box ticks itself.
Homework for the comments
In the comments: write the 3 Japanese words you already knew best, and one you didn’t know was Japanese.
Example: sushi, karaoke, anime — and I had no idea emoji was Japanese!