N5Lesson 4 of 438 min
Hiragana: ま, や, ら, わ and ん
The last sixteen characters, and the Japanese R, which is not an R at all.
These rows finish the basic hiragana set. After this lesson you can read every native Japanese word written in plain kana.
ま行: m
まमma
みमिmi
むमुmu
めमेme
もमोmo
や行: y
やयya
ゆयुyu
よयोyo
ら行: r
らरra
りरिri
るरुru
れरेre
ろरोro
- ら A single flap of the tongue, closest to the ड़ in "बड़ा". Not English "r", not a rolled रर.
わ行: w & n
わवwa
をओwo
んन् / ंn
- わ Lips barely round: lighter than Hindi व.
- を Pronounced simply ओ. Used only as the object particle.
- ん Its own full beat. Shifts to म before b/p/m, so しんぶん sounds like शिम्बुन.
ら行 is a flap, not an R
The tongue taps the ridge behind your teeth once and leaves. It is not the English R, and not a rolled रर. The closest thing you already say is the ड़ in बड़ा, a single quick flap.
ん: the only consonant that stands alone
Every other kana is a consonant plus a vowel. ん stands alone, and it takes a full beat of its own. It also shifts depending on what follows it: before b, p and m it becomes म.
- にほん ni-ho-nनि-हो-नJapan: three beats, the ん is its own
- しんぶん शिम्बुनnewspaper: ん becomes म before ぶ
- せんぱい सेम्पाइsenior: same shift before ぱ
- やま यामाmountain
- そら सोराsky
- みず मिज़ुwater
- わたし वाताशिI / me