Pronunciation
How it sounds
m works as it does in English. An English word that ends in m gets a ム, so ham is ハム, ha-mu. Say each syllable evenly, without leaning on the first one.
Reading tips
Easy to mix up
マ and ア (lesson 1) both have a bar across the top. マ ends in a short stroke pointing down to the right; ア's stroke sweeps down to the left.
ム and ス (lesson 3): ム closes at the bottom with a small tick on the right.
メ and ナ (lesson 5): メ is made of two slanted strokes only.
New kana
Picture each shape, then say it.
マma
A Mockingbird, with the kana as its back and wing. Say "ma".
ミmi
A Median in the road: three lines of road markings. Say "mee".
ムmu
The Moon looks down from above, with the kana as its nose. Say "mu".
メme
A Metal knife: a blade crossed by its guard.
モmo
A Motor boat with its outboard engine.
Real vocabulary
Words you can read now
- マスクmasukuface mask
- メモmemomemo
- ミニminimini
- チームchīmuteam
- ハムhamuham
- ムースmūsumousse