Section 1: Writing Systems and Pronunciation

Japanese has three different writing systems: hiragana, katakana, and kanji. Both hiragana and katakana represent syllables, whereas kanji represents words or parts of them. Japanese uses the general five-vowel system - ah (a), ey (e), ee (i), oh (o), and oo (u) - but organizes it as AIUEO. There are also two lengths of vowels: short and long, the latter of which being created when the vowel without a consonant is added after. U can also be added after O and I added after E to produce the same effect.

Hiragana is a syllabary generally used to write words in Japanese, and most hiragana can be replaced with kanji, with the exception of the conjugation parts of verbs and adjectives and grammar markers and constructions.

The consonants of some characters can be changed when a tenten (“) or maru (˚), either being placed at the top right of a character. Tenten can be added to k, s, t, or h characters to make g, z, d, and b sounds instead, with the exception of shi (which turns to ji), tsu (zu), and chi (ji). Maru can only be added to an h character, turning it into a p sound. Adding a small version of tsu before a character strengthens the consonant of the main character, creating a small gap between it and the preceding vowel. Adding the n character (ん) after a character adds the n to the end of that syllable, which can be pronounced like m if before a p or ng if before g or k. Placing a small ya, yu, or yo after a character with the i sound (except i itself) gives a y sound in between the character’s consonant and the a, u, or o of the y character.

Katakana is a second syllabary for Japanese, almost exclusively used for foreign or modern words, though katakana can also be replaced with kanji in some instances. Tenten and maru can be added to katakana characters to do the same thing as they would do to hiragana. Small tsu, n, ya, yu, and yo do the same thing in katakana as in hiragana (though with the katakana’s characters instead), but elongating vowels requires a ー instead.