第5課Lesson 5 of 16
N row
A regular row: na, ni, nu, ne, no. These are some of the simplest shapes in the script, and ノ is a single stroke.
ナニヌネノ
All lessonsPronunciation
How it sounds
n is the usual English n with a vowel after it. An English word that ends in n uses ン, the lone syllable in lesson 10. These five always carry their vowels: tennis is テニス, te-ni-su.
Reading tips
Easy to mix up
ニ is the same shape as the kanji 二, “two”. Only context tells them apart.
ナ and メ (lesson 7): ナ has a flat bar; メ is two slanted strokes.
ネ and ホ (lesson 6) are both built around a long vertical stroke. ネ has a small tick on top; ホ has a flat bar.
New kana
Picture each shape, then say it.
A Knife with a crossguard. Say "na".
A Knee, with two lines across the joint. Say "nee".
A Newborn baby in a stroller, with the kana as its frame. Say "nu".
A Neck brace, with the kana running through it.
No smoking: the kana is the slash across the sign.
Real vocabulary
Words you can read now
- カヌーkanūcanoe
- テニスtenisutennis
- ネクタイnekutainecktie
- ノートnōtonotebook
- ナイスnaisunice