Hiragana I: あ to こ

Learn the five vowel kana and the か row so you can start sounding out short hiragana words.

Read the five vowel kana smoothly.Read the か row smoothly and connect each shape to its sound.Sound out short all-hiragana words built from these kana.

Guided study

Start with the vowel row

The five vowel kana are the foundation for the whole chart. Read them aloud in a steady rhythm until the shapes and sounds feel automatic. Do not worry about speed first. Aim for clean sound and confident recognition.

あいうえお

a i u e o

These are the five basic vowel kana.

あお

blue

Read the whole word in Japanese sounds first, then connect it to the meaning.

いえ

house

This word uses only the vowel row, so it is a good first decoding check.

Practice guides for this lesson

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N5 Japanese grammar lessons

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Japanese grammar practice

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Japanese grammar lessons

Use the Japanese grammar lessons guide to connect this lesson with related reading practice.

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