This book provides a complete course for beginning students who want
to master the first step in learning to read and write Japanese!
With plentiful writing and reading practice, this workbook starts with
the basic letters and works up to writing words and complete sentences.
Divided into two parts, the first part presents the 46 main Hiragana in
their full and contracted forms, with extensive writing spaces provided
for writing practice. Recognition and pronunciation of the letters are
reinforced through writing and listening exercises.
In the second half of the book, students can apply their knowledge of
Hiragana in a Writing Practice section that contains sentences related
to contexts in which Hiragana words are often used, such as greetings,
common expressions, place names and transportation. The exercises are
graded in difficulty from Writing Drills (from copying to writing from
memory) to Dictation Practice (connecting the sounds with the letters)
to Writing Exercises (writing answers that fit the situations given).
Unique features of this language workbook include:
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A thorough overview of the Japanese writing system explaining when and
how Hiragana is used
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Handwriting and stroke-order tips
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Online audio files speed up the process by reinforcing the
pronunciation of the letters through a variety of listening and
writing exercises
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Printable flashcards available online for download
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Mnemonic illustrations for every character
The Japanese writing system combines three types of letters: hiragana,
katakana, and kanji. Hiragana can be used to spell out the sounds of
kanji Chinese character words--and if you don't know the kanji character
you can use Hiragana instead (as young children do). It is also used for
various grammatical-function words as well as verb and adjective
endings.
