Japanese writing system - Hiragana, Katakana, Kanji

Minnasan konnichiwa!! In the Japanese writing system there are 3 kinds of characters: *Hiragana* *Katakana* and *Kanji* All three characters can be seen in a single sentence. *Hiragana* and *Katakana*, similar to the English alphabet, represents sounds. :D *Hiragana* has a roundish shape and is used for particles and native Japanese words that do not have corresponding *Kanji* characters. There are 46 basic *Hiragana* syllables. :o *Katakana* has straight lines and is normally used for writing loanwords and foreign words. :P *Kanji* or Chinese characters, represent not just sounds but also meanings. Here is an example of a simple sentence using the 3 kinds of characters: _"I buy a TV"_ __*テレビを買います。*__ *テレビ* - _katakana_ *を* - _hiragana_ *買*- _kanji_ *います。*- _hiragana_

Konnichiwa, I think one of the many reasons people give up learning a certain language, is the writing system. I do hope in the near future, RocketJapanese can introduce the 3 Japanese writing system in one simple package as a add-on or a module, to strengthen our reading and writing ability. Able to hold a moderate conversation is one thing, but equally important, is knowing how to read and write in Japanese as well. Don't you think so ? :) Rgds.

Konnichiwa Sylvian san. Thank you very much for your feedback. I think you are correct in suggesting a package focused only on the 3 Japanese writing systems. The Rocket Japanese Team will certainly keep this in mind as we continue to develop new and exciting products for enthusiastic learners like you! :lol: Arigato gozaimasu.

konnichiwa, That would be great !! Sugoi !! Would definitely look out for it. :)

Konnichiwa! i was hoping someone had any tips on how to learn the characters. its not my strong point. i am working on hiragana right now and i write the symbol and the romanized spelling on flash cards as a gather them from the lessons. i carry them around everywhere and mix them up and test myself with them every chance i get. anyone have any other tips? Domo Arigato Gozaimasu!

Konnichiwa! This is a classic (and very practical) Japanese way to learn Hiragana, Katakana and Kanji... you may even encounter one of these when visiting a Japanese home that have children in elementary school. They paste the Hiragana syllabaries (and Katakana, and Kanji of whatever level you're at) on the toilet walls! So every time you go to... then you're staring at these Hiragana characters over and over again. Soon they will stick in your mind. -Hope that helps :P

Konnichiwa Sylvian san, Namaste { means same as konnichiwa, in our country NEPAL } What ever you are trying to give some things to the members { may be a lot/few } is a very great thing, i think so. So in future, we will have a more & more valuable things to develop japanese language ,i am hoping so. Thanks a lot & lot. domo arigatou gozaimashita.

Konnichiwa, and Namaste Gopal Shretha-san, Thank you for your post. I hope your Japanese language studies are going well, and you are enjoying the Rocket Japanese course. Jyane! - Sayaka :)

Konnichiwa i am learning hiragana first before kanji and katakana but i can not seem to remember what it means i study it but soon as i done i cant remember. Is there any way of helping me remembering my characteras?help!

Konnichiwa Keyatta-san, Best way to learn Hiragana is by repetition - and printing out a poster of the syllabary and posting it in your toilet! (even Japanese children do this). Also, write and re-write. I recomment you learn the order of strokes. Gambatte! Sayaka ;)

Minna-san, Konnichiwa! This is Keyatta here. It's been a year since I been learning Japanese and now I am back on Rocket Japanese. I now know Hiragana and Katakana fluently. I am now learning Kanji. And I also have a question about Kanji, If there is 2 ON readings and 2 KUN readings, how will I be able to tell which one to use???!!!

there's no rule about how many ON and KUN reading there are for each kanji. Some have one KUN and one ON, others have 2 or more of those and there are even kanji which don't have KUN readings for example. About knowing which one to use, well the only way to distinguish that is by practice, lots of it.