第10課Lesson 10 of 16
W and N
ワ is wa and ン is the lone consonant n, which closes off many borrowed words. ヲ is here to complete the set, but you will rarely see it.
ワヲン
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How it sounds
ワ is wa with lips only lightly rounded. ン is a full beat of its own, a hummed n; before m, b, and p sounds your lips close, so it sounds like m. ヲ sounds just like オ and is almost never used, because the particle it writes is normally hiragana を.
Reading tips
Easy to mix up
ソ and ン are easy to swap. ン's short stroke lies flatter, and its long stroke sweeps up from the bottom. ソ's sweeps down from the top.
ワ, ウ, and フ: ワ has a short stem on the left, ウ adds a tick on top, and フ has neither.
ヲ and フ: ヲ has a bar across its middle.
New kana
Picture each shape, then say it.
A Watermelon slice, with the kana as its rind.
Oatmeal in a bowl, with the kana as the rim and the side. Read "o" in everyday speech.
An envelope, with the kana running across it. Say a hummed "n".
Real vocabulary
Words you can read now
- ワインwainwine
- ハワイhawaiHawaii
- レモンremonlemon
- ライオンraionlion
- ラーメンrāmenramen
- トンネルtonnerutunnel