17/08/2026
Hiragana in 5 Minutes
Start your Japanese learning journey with the first five Hiragana characters: あ・い・う・え・お.
These are the basic Japanese vowel sounds and are the perfect starting point for beginners. Swipe through to learn their pronunciation, writing style, and simple memory tips.
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あ (A)
Meet あ — Your First Hiragana Character
あ is pronounced “ah”, similar to the sound in “father.”
It is the first character in the traditional Hiragana sequence and represents the A sound.
Start by recognizing its overall shape rather than trying to memorize every stroke immediately. Practice writing あ several times while saying “a” aloud.
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い — The Japanese “I” Sound
The second Hiragana character is い, pronounced “ee”, like the sound in “see.”
Unlike あ, い has a very simple appearance and is made with two basic strokes. This makes it one of the easier Hiragana characters to recognize and practice.
Try writing い repeatedly while saying “ee” to connect the character with its sound.
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う — The Japanese “U” Sound
Next comes う, pronounced approximately “oo”, as in “food.”
Japanese pronunciation can sound slightly different from English depending on the word and context, so listening and repeating are important when learning Hiragana.
Practice recognizing う without relying on the Romanized “u” underneath it. Your goal is to eventually see the character and immediately know its sound.
う Hiragana
