Lesson 4: Hiragana 2: The S, T and N Rows

Fifteen more characters. Three of them break the pattern in romaji: し (shi), ち (chi) and つ (tsu). That is just how Japanese sounds work, and the kana are always regular.

S row: sa shi su se so. T row: ta chi tsu te to. N row: na ni nu ne no.

Listen and repeat

Follow the numbers. Note that さ and き are different characters.

Stroke data: KanjiVG, © Ulrich Apel and contributors, CC BY-SA 3.0 (kanjivg.tagaini.net). The sheet images are shared under the same licence.

Look-alikes to watch

• さ and き: さ has two strokes joined, き has a hook at the bottom and a separate crossbar.
• ぬ and め (め comes next lesson): ぬ has a loop at the end.
• に and こ: に has a long vertical stroke on the left.
• た and な: た has two short strokes joined to the top; な has a cross and a loop.

Words you can read now

The three irregular romaji

Every ▶ button plays a clear computer voice, which is good for learning sounds and rhythm but is not a native speaker. Pitch (the rise and fall of the voice) can sound a little flat. Also listen to real Japanese as often as you can: videos, news for learners (NHK Easy), and Japanese people around you.

Check yourself

Try to answer every question before you look at the answers.

1. Read: さかな.
2. Read: ねこ.
3. Read: すし.
4. Read: くに.
5. Read: とけい.
6. Write the hiragana for the sound shi.
7. Write the hiragana for the sound tsu.
8. What is the sound of ち, and what is it like in Nepali?
9. Which two characters are easy to mix up: さ and ___?
10. Write いぬ (dog) in kana and say how many beats it has.

Answers

Count your correct answers. If you got fewer than 7 out of 10, read the lesson again and listen to the audio once more.

1. sakana: fish.
2. neko: cat.
3. sushi: sushi.
4. kuni: country.
5. tokei: clock or watch.
6. し.
7. つ.
8. chi, like चि.
9. き (ki).
10. いぬ, two beats: i-nu.