Hiragana 1
Chapter 5 ยท Sa Shi Su
๐ธ The S Row Begins โ ใ ใ ใ
The second consonant row is s, with ใ (sa), ใ (shi) and ใ (su). You'll also meet your first spelling surprise: ใ is written shi in romaji, not si. With thirteen characters you can read a very useful set of words, including sushi and delicious.
| a | i | u | e | o |
|---|
| (vowels) | ใ | ใ | ใ | ใ | ใ |
|---|
| k + | ใ | ใ | ใ | ใ | ใ |
|---|
| s + | ใ | ใ | ใ | ใ | ใ |
|---|
Thirteen characters known. The last two S characters, ใ and ใ, come in Chapter 6.
โจ Three New Characters โ ใ ใ ใ
ใ
sa
like "sa" in sun, but with an open "ah" vowel ("sah")
Memory hook: a sailor's anchor: a crossbar, a shaft and a curved base.
ใ
shi
like "she" ("shee"), short
Memory hook: a fishing hook: she caught the fish.
ใ
su
like "sue" with relaxed lips ("soo")
Memory hook: a curling prawn with a loop, the topping on sushi.
Look-Alike Warning: ใ and ใ
ใ (ki) and ใ (sa) are easy to confuse. The test: ใ has two horizontal bars across the stem, and ใ has only one. That's also why ใ has 4 strokes and ใ has 3. Check the number of bars each time you read one of these.
Why "Shi" and Not "Si"?
The sound in ใ isn't a plain "s" followed by "i"; it's "sh" as in ship, so the usual romaji (the Hepburn system) writes it shi. You may see si on some old signs and in some textbooks, but it means the same character. We'll meet a few more of these spelling changes (chi, tsu, fu) as we go.
๐ Read It โ New Words
Thirteen characters give you a rich batch of everyday words. Remember that each character is one beat.
| # | Word | Romaji | English | Note |
|---|
| 1 | ใใ | sushi | sushi | su + shi |
| 2 | ใใ | sake | sake; alcohol; salmon | three meanings, same spelling |
| 3 | ใใ | shio | salt | shi + o |
| 4 | ใใ | isu | chair | i + su |
| 5 | ใใ | kasa | umbrella | ka + sa |
| 6 | ใใ | asa | morning | a + sa |
| 7 | ใใ | ashi | foot, leg | a + shi |
| 8 | ใใ | ushi | cow | u + shi |
| 9 | ใใ | ishi | stone | i + shi |
| 10 | ใใ | shika | deer | shi + ka |
| 11 | ใใ | suki | liking; "like" | used to say you like something |
| 12 | ใใใใ | oishii | delicious | four beats: "o-i-shi-i"; an adjective |
Real Japanese Tip โ The Vanishing Vowel
Between certain sounds, and at the end of some words, Japanese people often whisper the vowels i and u. So ใใ (suki, "like") sounds almost like "ski", and the polite ending ใงใ (desu), which you'll meet soon, sounds almost like "dess". Don't worry about it yet, just listen for it: it doesn't change the spelling, and you still write every character.
Real Japanese Tip โ "Sake" Means More Than Rice Wine
In Japan, ใใ (often ใใใ) is the general word for alcohol. The rice wine that Westerners call "sake" is ๆฅๆฌ้
(nihonshu) in Japanese. The same spelling ใใ also means "salmon" (written with a different kanji), and the context tells you which is meant.
Review: Reading Back
Cover the English and read these again: ใใ (here) ยท ใใ (voice) ยท ใใ (pond) ยท ใใใ (air) ยท ใใใ (red) ยท ใใใใ (big) ยท ใใ (station) ยท ใใ (to go).
โ๏ธ Try It Yourself โ ใใใใ
ใ
Say each answer out loud first, then click to check.
1. Read these aloud: ใ ยท ใ ยท ใ
Show answer
sa ยท shi ยท su
2. How can you tell ใ and ใ apart?
Show answer
ใ has two horizontal bars (4 strokes); ใ has one (3 strokes).
3. Read and translate: ใใ ยท ใใ ยท ใใ
Show answer
sushi (sushi) ยท shio (salt) ยท isu (chair)
4. Write in hiragana: asa (morning) ยท suki (like) ยท oishii (delicious)
Show answer
ใใ ยท ใใ ยท ใใใใ
5. Read these animal and object words: ใใ ยท ใใ ยท ใใ
Show answer
ushi (cow) ยท shika (deer) ยท kasa (umbrella)
6. How is ใ written in romaji, and how many strokes does it have?
Show answer
shi (with an h), and it has just 1 stroke.
Coming Up in Chapter 6
Two characters finish the S row: ใ (se) and ใ (so). You'll then be able to read ใใใ (world), ใใ (there), ใใ (sweat), ใใ (so, that's right) and ใใ (seat).