第6課Lesson 6 of 16

H row

フ is fu, softer than an English f, and it spells most English f sounds. コーヒー, coffee, is an older word that uses ヒ instead.

ハヒフヘホ

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Pronunciation

How it sounds

h is a gentle breath. フ is not quite an English f: blow air softly between your lips, then add u. Most English f sounds are spelled with it, as in ナイフ. Older loanwords can differ, so coffee is コーヒー, with ヒ.

Reading tips

Easy to mix up

  • ヘ is nearly identical to hiragana へ. Context tells you which one you're reading.

  • フ and ワ (lesson 10): ワ has a short stem on the left; フ doesn't.

  • ヒ and ビ (lesson 12) differ only by the two marks, so check the top right corner.

New kana

Picture each shape, then say it.

ハ (ha) mnemonic drawing
ハha

Hot lava pours down both sides of a volcano. Say "ha".

ヒ (hi) mnemonic drawing
ヒhi

The Heel of a shoe, seen from the side. Say "hee".

フ (fu) mnemonic drawing
フfu

A Fool's hat, with the kana as its brim and point.

ヘ (he) mnemonic drawing
ヘhe

A Headband, nearly the same shape as hiragana へ. Say "heh".

ホ (ho) mnemonic drawing
ホho

A Holy cross, shining in every direction.

Real vocabulary

Words you can read now

  • コーヒーkōhīcoffee
  • ハートhātoheart
  • ヒーターhītāheater
  • ナイフnaifuknife
  • ヘアheahair
  • ホースhōsuhose
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