Instructions
Fantastic job mastering the S and T rows and discovering the power of Dakuten! You now know how to turn a "quiet" sound into a "vibrating" voiced sound (like turning S into Z).
Today, we are expanding our Hiragana toolkit with the N-row and the H-row. We will also learn about a new mark called the Handakuten (the magic circle) and see how Japanese grammar starts to stick together using "Particles."
Part 1: Review & Reinforce
Before we move on, let's look back at the T-row and Dakuten from the last worksheet.
- Write the Romaji for this word: ちず (Hint: You use it to find your way) — __
- If た is "ta", what is だ? — __
- In the word つなみ (Tsunami), why is it linguistically important to pronounce the "T" sound? Answer: __
Part 2: The N-Row and the H-Row
The N-row is very steady, but the H-row has a "rebel" sound (fu) and some very special transformations!
| Character | Romaji | Pronunciation Hint |
|---|---|---|
| な | na | "na" as in knot |
| に | ni | "nee" as in knee |
| ぬ | nu | "noo" as in noodle |
| ね | ne | "neh" as in net |
| の | no | "no" as in nose |
| は | ha | "ha" as in hot |
| ひ | hi | "hee" as in heel |
| ふ | fu | "foo" (blow air softly between lips) |
| へ | he | "heh" as in help |
| ほ | ho | "ho" as in home |
Part 3: Writing Practice
Copy these characters to build muscle memory. Pay attention to the loop in ぬ (nu) and ね (ne)!
| Character | Example | Practice 1 | Practice 2 | Practice 3 | Practice 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| な (na) | な | ||||
| ぬ (nu) | ぬ | ||||
| ね (ne) | ね | ||||
| ふ (fu) | ふ | ||||
| ほ (ho) | ほ |
Part 4: Handakuten & The "P" Sound
In our last lesson, we learned that Dakuten (") makes sounds voiced. But the H-row is special—it can change twice!
- Dakuten ("): Turns H into B (Example: は ha → ば ba)
- Handakuten (°): This little circle turns H into P (Example: は ha → ぱ pa)
Linguistic Fact: The "P" sound is called a Plosive. It requires a small explosion of air from your lips!
Challenge: If へ is "he", what is ぺ? Answer: __
Part 5: Vocabulary Building
Let’s use our new N, H, B, and P sounds to translate these words.
| Japanese Word | Romaji (Sound) | English Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| いぬ | i-nu | Dog |
| ねこ | Cat | |
| はな | Flower / Nose | |
| てんぷら | Tempura (Fried food) | |
| かばん | Bag | |
| えんぴつ | Pencil |
Part 6: Introduction to Particles (The "Glue")
In linguistics, particles are small words that tell us the role of the words around them. In Japanese, the particle は is the "Topic Marker." It tells the listener, "I am talking about THIS."
The Grammar Quirk: Even though it is written as は (ha), when it is used as a particle, it is pronounced as "wa".
Example: Japanese: ねこ は... (Neko wa...) Meaning: "As for the cat..." or "The cat is..."
Try it yourself: How would you write "As for the dog..." in Japanese Hiragana? (Use the word for dog from Part 5 and add the particle は).
Answer: ____
Part 7: Challenge Quest
Combine everything you've learned! Translate this short phrase into Romaji:
はな は あかい (Hint: あか was in the review section of Worksheet 2!)
Answer: _____
Answer Key
Part 1: Review
- chizu
- da
- Because 'tsu' and 'su' are different characters/sounds in Japanese; skipping the 'T' changes the meaning.
Part 4: Handakuten Challenge pe
Part 5: Vocabulary Building
- ねこ: ne-ko
- はな: ha-na
- てんぷら: te-n-pu-ra
- かばん: ka-ba-n
- えんぴつ: e-n-pi-tsu
Part 6: Particles いぬ は (inu wa)
Part 7: Challenge Quest Hana wa akai (The flower is red)