Japanese Language Course for Beginners — Learn Hiragana, Katakana, Kanji, Grammar & Basic Japanese

9. The Character ん / ン

The character ん in Hiragana and ン in Katakana generally represent a sound close to n.

Its pronunciation can adapt slightly to the sound that follows it, but for now, simply remember:

ん n

ン n

📖 10 Examples

にほんNihon→ Japan

ほんHon→ Book

せんせいSensei→ Teacher

でんしゃDensha→ Train

しんぶんShinbun→ Newspaper

みんなMinna→ Everyone

コンビニKonbini→ Convenience store

レモンRemon→ Lemon

パンPan→ Bread

ペンPen→ Pen

10. Kanji — 漢字

Kanji are different from Hiragana and Katakana.

While Kana mainly represent sounds, a Kanji is generally associated with an idea or a meaning.

For example:

山 yama → mountain

The character 山 is associated with the idea of a mountain.

📚 10 Essential Kanji

人 hito / jin / nin Person

日 hi / nichi Day / sun

月 tsuki / getsu Moon / month

火 hi / ka Fire

水 mizu / sui Water

木 ki / moku Tree / wood

金 kane / kin Gold / money

土 tsuchi / do Earth / soil

山 yama / san Mountain

川 kawa / sen River

11. Onyomi and Kunyomi

A Kanji can have several different readings. This is one of the major differences between Kanji and ordinary alphabets.

音読み — Onyomi

This is generally a reading historically adapted from Chinese pronunciation.

It often appears in compound words containing two or more Kanji.

訓読み — Kunyomi

This is generally a Japanese reading associated with the meaning of the Kanji.

It frequently appears when a Kanji represents a native Japanese word.

山

Example: 山

やま — yama
Common Japanese reading
→ Mountain

さん — san
Used in certain compound words

富士山Romaji: Fujisan
English: Mount Fuji

12. Essential Basic Kanji

You do not need to learn every Kanji immediately. We will discover them gradually throughout the course.

For each Kanji, you should gradually learn:

• The character
• Its main idea
• Its important readings
• Real words that use the Kanji
• Its context of use

日

Main Meaning

Day / sun

Important Readings

ひ — hi
にち — nichi

Example 1

日本Romaji: Nihon
English: Japan

Example 2

日曜日Romaji: Nichiyōbi
English: Sunday

📖 10 Examples with Basic Kanji

日本Nihon→ Japan

日本語Nihongo→ Japanese language

山Yama→ Mountain

川Kawa→ River

水Mizu→ Water

火曜日Kayōbi→ Tuesday

月曜日Getsuyōbi→ Monday

木曜日Mokuyōbi→ Thursday

金曜日Kinyōbi→ Friday

人Hito→ Person

13. How the Writing Systems Work Together

Now that you know the different systems, let's see how they appear together in real Japanese sentences.

私は日本語を勉強します。

私 Kanji は Hiragana 日本語 Kanji を Hiragana 勉強 Kanji します Hiragana

Romaji:
Watashi wa nihongo o benkyō shimasu.

English:
I study Japanese.

📖 10 Sentences to Observe the Writing Systems

私は学生です。
Watashi wa gakusei desu.
→ I am a student.

日本語を勉強します。
Nihongo o benkyō shimasu.
→ I study Japanese.

私は水を飲みます。
Watashi wa mizu o nomimasu.
→ I drink water.

山を見ます。
Yama o mimasu.
→ I look at the mountain.

今日は月曜日です。
Kyō wa getsuyōbi desu.
→ Today is Monday.

私は日本に行きます。
Watashi wa Nihon ni ikimasu.
→ I am going to Japan.

これは本です。
Kore wa hon desu.
→ This is a book.

友達と話します。
Tomodachi to hanashimasu.
→ I speak with a friend.

東京は大きいです。
Tōkyō wa ōkii desu.
→ Tokyo is big.

コンピューターを使います。
Konpyūtā o tsukaimasu.
→ I use a computer.

🎯 KEY TAKEAWAYS

The Japanese Character Library

You now know the essential foundations of the Japanese writing systems.

あ Hiragana Japanese words and grammar

ア Katakana Foreign words and modern Japanese

漢 Kanji Ideas and meanings

Your Progression:

Complete Hiragana → Dakuten and Handakuten → Combined sounds → Small characters → Small っ → Long vowel sounds → Katakana → Foreign sounds → Kanji → Onyomi and Kunyomi → Reading real Japanese sentences

🌸 From now on, Japanese characters should no longer feel completely mysterious. Step by step, you will be able to recognize them, pronounce them, combine them, and begin reading real Japanese words and real Japanese sentences.

🚀 This is not the end!
New lessons are coming soon. Stay tuned and come back regularly to discover the next lessons on APC COMMUNITY.

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See you in the next lesson! 📚