Hiragana 1
Chapter 9 · Na Ni Nu
đž The N Row Begins â ăȘ ă« ăŹ
The fourth consonant row is n, with ăȘ (na), ă« (ni) and ㏠(nu). That makes twenty-three characters, and with them you can read the words for what, you, country and dog.
| a | i | u | e | o |
|---|
| (vowels) | ă | ă | ă | ă | ă |
|---|
| k + | ă | ă | ă | ă | ă |
|---|
| s + | ă | ă | ă | ă | ă |
|---|
| t + | ă | 㥠| 〠| ㊠| ăš |
|---|
| n + | ăȘ | ă« | ㏠| ă | ăź |
|---|
Twenty-three down, twenty-three to go: exactly halfway. ă and ăź come in Chapter 10.
âš Three New Characters â ăȘ ă« ăŹ
ăȘ
na
like "na" in nap, but with an open "ah" ("nah")
Memory hook: a nanny kneeling beside a cross-shaped toy.
ă«
ni
like "knee" ("nee"), short
Memory hook: a bent leg: the long line is the thigh, and the two bars are the knee.
ăŹ
nu
like "noo" in noodle, with relaxed lips
Memory hook: a tangle of noodles, with a loop at the bottom right.
Look-Alike Heads-Up: ă« and the ă-ăŻ-ă» Family; ㏠and the Loop Family
ă« belongs to the family of characters that begin with a vertical line on the left: ă, ă«, 㯠and ă». ă« is the simplest, with just two short bars to its right, no loop. ㏠is the first of a look-alike group: ăŹ, ă and ă all finish at the bottom right. ㏠and ă end in a loop, while ă ends in a plain sweep. Their cousins ăź, ă and ă look similar too. You'll meet the rest over the next few chapters, and we'll compare them carefully. For now, learn ăŹ's shape well: a short stroke at the top, then a long stroke ending in a loop.
đ Read It â New Words
Twenty-three characters give you plenty to read. Remember that each character is one beat.
| # | Word | Romaji | English | Note |
|---|
| 1 | ăȘă« | nani | what? | na + ni; a question word |
| 2 | ăăȘă | anata | you | a + na + ta |
| 3 | ăă« | kuni | country; home region | ku + ni |
| 4 | ă㏠| inu | dog | i + nu |
| 5 | ăăăȘ | sakana | fish | sa + ka + na |
| 6 | ă«ă | niku | meat | ni + ku |
| 7 | ăă« | kani | crab | ka + ni |
| 8 | ăȘ〠| natsu | summer | na + tsu |
| 9 | ă«ă | nishi | west | ni + shi |
| 10 | ăȘă | naka | inside, middle | na + ka |
| 11 | ăăȘă | onaka | stomach, belly | the polite ă + ăȘă |
| 12 | ăȘă | nai | there isn't; not | the word for "not / none" |
đŹ Mini-Dialogs
â What Is It? â ăȘă«ïŒ
A:
ăȘă«ïŒ
nani?
What is it?
B:
ăăăȘïŒ
sakana!
Fish!
A:
ăăăăïŒ
oishii?
Is it delicious?
B:
ăăăăăăăă
ee, oishii.
Yes, it's delicious.
⥠A Big Dog â ăăŹïŒ
A:
ăăăăȘă«ïŒ
soko, nani?
What's there?
B:
ăăŹïŒ
inu!
A dog!
A:
ăăăăïŒ
ookii?
Is it big?
B:
ăăăăăăăïŒ
ee, ookii!
Yes, big!
Real Japanese Tip â Be Careful with ăăȘă
ăăȘă means "you", but Japanese speakers use it rarely, because saying "you" straight to someone can sound blunt or distant. Instead they use the person's name (plus a title), even when talking directly to them. You'll find ăăȘă in textbooks and songs, and a wife might say it to her husband affectionately, but in real life, drop "you" and use the name. That's why the conversation courses concentrate on names and polite forms.
Real Japanese Tip â ăȘă Means "Not" or "There Isn't"
ăȘă is the word for "there isn't / doesn't exist", and it's also the ending that makes verbs and adjectives negative (you'll see it at the end of many words soon). Keep it in mind: whenever you see ăăȘă at the end of a word, think "not".
Review: Reading Back
Cover the English and read these again: ㊠(hand) · ăšăă (clock) · ăăšă (this year) · ăăš (sound) · ăăš (outside) · ăăš (thing) · ă〠(when) · ăăă〠(important) · ăăăăă (warm).
âïž Try It Yourself â ăăăă
ă
Say each answer out loud first, then click to check.
1. Read these aloud: ăȘ · 㫠· ăŹ
Show answer
na · ni · nu
2. How many strokes do ăȘ, ă« and ㏠have?
Show answer
ăȘ has 4, ă« has 3, ㏠has 2.
3. Read and translate: ă㏠· ăăăȘ · ăă«
Show answer
inu (dog) · sakana (fish) · kuni (country)
4. Write in hiragana: nani (what?) · anata (you) · natsu (summer)
Show answer
ăȘ㫠· ăăȘă · ăȘă€
5. Read and translate: ă㫠· ă«ă · ă«ă
Show answer
kani (crab) · niku (meat) · nishi (west)
6. Why do Japanese people often avoid saying ăăȘă?
Show answer
It can sound blunt or distant, so they use the person's name (with a title) instead.
Coming Up in Chapter 10
Two characters finish the N row: ă (ne) and ăź (no). You'll then read ăă (cat), ăăź (this), ăăź (that) and ăăź (that over there). Warning: ă looks very like ăŹ, so you'll compare the two side by side.