LinguaTwenty-one signs left
や ゆ よ has only three signs, ら り る れ ろ has five, and わ を ん closes the set. The last of them, ん, is unlike every other sign in hiragana: it is not a syllable but a single consonant, the one that ends a syllable rather than starting it. It is the only sign that can never begin a word.
Three strokes, two, two. This row skips two of the five vowels, which is why it is short.
Two strokes each. Both begin with a short stroke at the top before the longer one.
One stroke, two, one. The first and the last are the same shape; only the little loop at the foot tells them apart.
And the two that close the set. The second is the one that is not a syllable at all.
| Row | Signs | Read as |
|---|---|---|
| は | は ひ ふ へ ほ | ha hi fu he ho |
| ま | ま み む め も | ma mi mu me mo |
| や | や ゆ よ | ya yu yo |
| ら | ら り る れ ろ | ra ri ru re ro |
| わ | わ を ん | wa o n |
やまa mountain
ほんa book
Words in this lesson
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| やま | mountain | たかいやま。 A tall mountain. |
| ゆき | snow | ゆきがふる。 Snow is falling. |
| よる | night | よるはしずか。 The night is quiet. |
| さくら | cherry blossom | さくらがきれい。 The cherry blossom is beautiful. |
| わたし | I | わたしはがくせい。 I am a student. |
| ほん | book | ほんをよむ。 To read a book. |
Exercises
This lesson has 8 exercises in the app:
- multiple choice: 3
- trace the letter: 2
- fill the gap: 1
- match the pairs: 1
- listen and type: 1
Try the first one
Which sign is not a syllable but a single consonant?
The answer, the other exercises, the audio and your progress are in the app – free at A0 and A1.