Learn Japanese - Hiragana Lesson 2: Han/Dakuten Syllables
Objective: Learn to read & write hiragana handakuten and dakuten syllables
Dakuten Marker ゛
Adding a dakuten marker (゛) changes the sound of some Japanese consonants.
Below are the characters that can be modified with a dakuten.
K to G
When dakuten markers are added, "k" sound becomes "g" sound.
| が= ga | ぎ= gi | ぐ= gu | げ= ge | ご= go |
S to Z
When dakuten markers are added, "s" sound becomes "z" sound.
| ざ= za | じ= ji | ず= zu | ぜ= ze | ぞ= zo |
T to D
When dakuten markers are added, "t" sound becomes "d" sound.
| だ= da | ぢ= ji* | づ= zu* | で= de | ど= do |
H to B
When dakuten markers are added, "h" sound becomes "b" sound.
| ば= ba | び= bi | ぶ= bu | べ= be | ぼ= bo |
Handakuten Marker ゜
Only hiragana beginning with the letter h can be modified with the handakuten marker (゜), changing the sound of "h" to "p".
H to P
When dakuten markers are added, "h" sound becomes "p" sound.
| ぱ= pa | ぴ= pi | ぷ= pu | ぺ= pe | ぽ= po |
Recommended Resources
Let's Learn Hiragana: First Book of Basic Japanese Writing
This book will help you learn how to write hiragana so well that people will believe you grew-up in Tokyo.
Easy Kana Workbook: Basic Practice in Hiragana and Katakana for Japanese Language Students
The exercises in this book will give you a great hiragana workout.
Kodansha's Hiragana Workbook: A Step-by-Step Approach to Basic Japanese Writing
An excellent resource to help you master writing hiragana.
Kana Pict-o-Graphix: Mnemonics for Japanese Hiragana and Katakana
Memorize hiragana in no time with the use of pict-o-graphix in this book.
Japanese Hiragana for Beginners: First Steps to Mastering the Japanese Writing System
Helps you develop a real mastery of hiragana and Japanese writing.