Learn how to read and write hiragana characters, さ, し, す, せ, そ
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| みなさん、こんにちは。(Mina-san, konnichiwa). |
| Hi everyone, my name is Chihiro and welcome back to japanesepod101.com’s Kantan kana series. In the last lesson, we learned the Hiragana characters か(ka), き(ki), く(ku), け(ke), こ(ko) . We will be using some of those characters today. So if you are not sure, feel free to review the last lesson. We have ten characters down and we are going to tackle five more today. |
| Let’s start with さ(sa) 1, 2, 3. Do you remember the character き(ki)? さ(sa) is the same as き(ki) except it only has one line here instead of two like き(ki) when さ(sa) is printed, the last two strokes are also made into one single stroke but when you are reading it, keep them separate like this. This is かさ(kasa) umbrella and this is さけ(sake) alcohol. |
| Next is し(shi) another easy one. Notice that it’s pronounced as “shi” and not “si”. |
| Here we have うし(ushi), “cow”, and しお(shio), “salt”. |
| The next character is す(su). This first line is straight but the second line loops once and curves slightly to the left. Here is how you write すし(sushi). You can also write いす(isu) “chair”. |
| This is せ(se). Pay attention to the stroke order. First, the straight line. Then the second stroke. The last stroke goes just pass the second stroke. |
| Here is あせ(ase) ”sweat”. |
| Here is せき(seki), ”cough”. |
| Our last character today is そ(so). There are two ways to write this character. So pick your favorite. The first way is one long stroke. It’s like a “z” in English with the curve at the end. The second way is like this. The only difference is this part at the beginning. You can write it however you like it but be prepared to see it both ways when it’s written. |
| Here is うそ(uso), “lie”. And here is そこ(soko), “over there”. |
| Let’s try a short quiz. See if you can read these words. If you can, see if you understand the meanings. |
| うし(ushi), “cow” |
| うそ(uso), “lie” |
| あせ(ase), “sweat” |
| Now it’s time for Chihiro’s tip. The order of learning the Hiragana is called 五十音(go-jū on) like the alphabetical order in English, it’s the method used for organizing words in Japanese. Be sure to learn this 五十音(go-jū on) ordering if you want to use a Japanese dictionary. |
| Have you ever written in ちかてつ(chikatetsu)? You will learn how to write that and many other words in the next lesson. See you then. |
121 Comments
HideHi everyone,
Welcome to the third lesson of Kantan Kana! Today we learn さ、し、す、せ、and そ!
Jさん
Thank you so much for your comment😄
Go to Settings on My Flashcards and if you select only Recognition (with Kana) you will see kana on one side and the English meaning on the other side😉
Please let us know if you have any questions :)
Sincerely
りょうま（Ryoma）
Team JapanesePod101.com
How to make flashcards on the site with the hiragana character on one side and English meaning on the other?
Hi Michael,
Thank you for your comment!
Yes, hiragana has many variations in its forms depending on the font style.
As for き and さ, some of them are written with the last two strokes as one.
It’s common to separate them in hand writing, but if you don't do that, it’s not that critical😊
Hope you enjoy learning Japanese with us:)
Sincerely,
Miho
Team JapanesePod101.com
In this video and the previous one in the series we are told to make sure we don't connect the bottom part of き and さ when writing them (though note they will be connected when printing); is this really critical? For instance, the videos on the topic of learning Hiragana with Risa which I first watched on youtube (which actually prompted me to sign up, thanks Risa!) don't mention that point at all. Is there a particular reason they are different when written vs. when printed?
I will obviously try to remember to write them as instructed here, but if I forget and write them as they are printed, is it really that bad?
Elliotさん
Thank you so much for your comment😄
We have different subscription plans. You can have a look at this page for more information😉
https://www.japanesepod101.com/helpcenter/billingsubscription/pricing/
Please let us know if you have any questions :)
Sincerely
Ryoma
Team JapanesePod101.com
Why is it premium only now?
Stryker Cainさん
Thank you so much for your comment😄
It can be either sake or osake. Osake is more formal and more commonly used😉
claudiaさん
Thank you so much for your comment😄
Yes, you're correct👍
Please let us know if you have any questions :)
Sincerely
Ryoma
Team JapanesePod101.com
over there= asoko?
Vocabulary word for alcohol is not correct, is it? Should it not be o-sake
エステバンさん
コメントありがとうございます😄
Please let us know if you have any questions :)
Sincerely
Ryoma
Team JapanesePod101.com