321“u” as in you “i” as in easy “a” as in father ウ イ アAAAaaa! “Oooo!” The water balloon was An easel holds your picture “AAAaaa!” cried the critter as cold as it splashed on his back! while you work on it or display it. he fell off the edge of the cliff.
654“ka” as in car “o” as in oak “e” as in red カか Katakana “ka” カ and オ hiragana “ka” か look a bit alike. an Olympic figure skater elevator doors
987“ke” as in Kevin “ku” as in cuckoo “ki” as in key ク キき ケ Katakana “ki” キ and a kangaroo a cool way to write7 seven (7) hiragana “ki” き look a bit alike. 12“shi” as in she 11“sa” as in saw 10 “ko” as in cocoa シ サ A sawhorse holds She tilted her head and smiled. wood while you cut it. コa cup of hot cocoa 15“so” as in so 14“se” as in set 13 “su” as in super セ
When other kids said, せ “You only have one eye,” Katakana “se” and hiragana “se” he said, “So!” look a little alike. スIt’s Superman... er, super-critter.
18“tsu” as in cats 17“chi” as in cheer 16 “ta” as in tall チ タ Tw o children are the leaning tower of Pisa sliding down a slide. (In Japanese “tower” is pronounced (“ts” like cats and “u” like you) a cheerleader with a “ta” as in tall).
21“na” as in not 20“to” as in totem 19 “te” as in telephone ト テ
a knife a totem pole a telephone pole and wires
24“ne” as in nest 23“nu” as in new 22 “ni” as in need ネ
a nest on top of a tree a new way to write seven (7) The Japanese word for “two” is ni. 27“hi” as in he 26“ha” as in hawk 25 “no” as in nose ヒ ノ ハthe two wings of a fearsome hawk (or a slightly dazed- He drives the car. looking hawk) a nose
30“ho” as in Ho! Ho! 29“he” as in help 28 “fu” as in Hoot! ヘヘ フ ホ The owl cries, “Hoot! Hoot!” Mr. “Ho Ho” laughs even No significant differences between (Pronounce “fu” without touching when stuck in a chimney! katakana “he” and hiragana “he.” the upper teeth and lower lip.)
33“mu” as in moo 32“mi” as in meow 31 “ma” as in mom ム マ
Mom holds Baby while I love jamu (jam)! A cat’s three whiskers, “Meow!” she attends to some work.
“ ” as in rn “ ” as in re “ ” as in xico 36ya ya 35モmo mo 34 me Me ヤや も Meメ ico Hiragana “ya” and katakana “ya” Hiragana “mo” and katakana “mo” look a bit alike. look a bit alike. the “X” in Mexico 39“ra” as in robber ヨ 38“yo” as in yogurt 37 “yu” as in you a robber yogurt You won the “hangman” game!
42“re” as in rain 41“ru” as in roots 40 “ri” as in ring レ リり ル Hiragana “ri” and katakana splashing raindrops tree roots “ri” look a bit alike.
“o” as in oak “wa” as in water “ro” as in robot 45 (same pronunciation as オ) 44 43 ワ
“Oh, thisヲ cookie is oishii (delicious)!” (the “w” is dropped in modern Japanese) “I want a cookie!” ロa robot “n” as in ink 46 (back of the tongue touches the roof of the mouth)
An inky black iguana is getting a suntan.