Key Rules for Writing Kanji

 Key Rules for Writing Kanji 

Here are the essential rules for writing Kanji accurately and beautifully.

1. Follow the Correct Stroke Order 

Writing Kanji in the proper order helps you balance the character beautifully.

• General Rule: Usually, strokes go from top to bottom and left to right.

• ⚠️ Important Note: Strokes do not always go from top to bottom! Some characters have strokes that flick or move upward. Always check the specific order for each Kanji.

2. Check the Correct Stroke Count 

Make sure you count and write every single stroke accurately. Some Kanji have fewer strokes than they appear.

• Example: The Kanji for mouth, 「口」, is written in 3 strokes, not 4! (The top and right sides are written together as one continuous stroke.

 3. Pay Attention to "Tome," "Hane," and "Harai" 

The way you finish each stroke completely changes how clean and readable your Kanji looks:

• Tome (Stop): Bring your pen to a firm, clean stop.

• Hane (Hook): Flick or hook the pen upward slightly.

• Harai (Sweep): Gradually lift your pen to let the stroke fade out smoothly.

4. Keep the Overall Balance 

Many Kanji are made of multiple smaller parts. Make sure all the parts fit together nicely like a puzzle, keeping the entire character well-centred inside your writing space.

Reference: Marugoto Plus A1 - Introduction fo Japanese - Kanji

      

Key Rules for Writing Katakana

 Key Rules for Writing Katakana

• Follow the correct stroke order (Kakijun かきじゅん) 

  Just like Hiragana, using the correct stroke order is essential for good balance. It also helps differentiate similar-looking characters (like シ/shi and ツ/tsu).

  • For ツ (tsu) and ソ (so): Write the strokes from top to bottom. 

  • Forand シ (shi) ン (n): Write the strokes from left to right. 

• Pay attention to "Tome" (Stop) and "Harai" (Sweep) 

  Katakana relies heavily on sharp finishes. Make sure to clearly distinguish between stopping firmly and sweeping smoothly.

• Keep your lines straight and corners sharp 

  Unlike the curvy lines of Hiragana, Katakana consists of crisp, straight lines and defined angles.

   

          

Key Rules for Writing Hiragana

 Key Rules for Writing Hiragana

• Follow the correct stroke order (Kakijun かきじゅん). 

  Writing Hiragana in the proper order helps you balance the characters correctly and makes your handwriting look natural and beautiful.

• Pay attention to "Tome" (Stop), "Hane" (Hook), and "Harai" (Brush-off/Sweep). 

  These three movements are essential in Japanese calligraphy and writing:

  • Tome (Stop): Bring your pen to a clean, distinct stop at the end of the stroke.

  • Hane (Hook): Flick or hook the pen upward slightly at the end of the stroke.

  • Harai (Sweep): Gradually lift your pen to let the stroke fade out smoothly.

    
    

        

Verb conjugation れんしゅうで つかう どうし

 This is a quiz on the verbs used in cards for studying verb conjugation.

Verb Conjugation Table (My Drive Document)

Marugoto A1 L6 My favourite dish is curry.

 Arrange the words in correct order and make a sentence.

Marugoto A1 L10 Can-do 26 Arranging an appointment

 Translate the phrases you studied in Marugoto A1 Lesson 10, Can-do 26.

Numbers 4, 7 and 9

Japanese numbers 4, 7, and 9 have two readings because they come from two different origins: ancient Japanese and imported Chinese.

1. 音読み (Onyomi / Chinese Reading)

"The readings 'Shi' (4), 'Shichi' (7), and 'Ku' (9) are Onyomi, which originally came from Chinese." 

2. 訓読み (Kunyomi / Japanese Reading)

"The readings 'Yon' (4) and 'Nana' (7) are based on Kunyomi, which is the native Japanese way of counting." 

• 音読み： イチ、ニ、サン、シ、ゴ、ロク、シチ、ハチ、ク / キュウ、ジュウ
• 訓読み： ひ(と)、ふ(た)、み、よ、いつ、む、なな、や、ここ(の)、とお
• Onyomi : ichi, ni, san, shi, go, roku, shichi, hachi, ku / kyuu, juu
• Kunyomi : hi(to), fu(ta), mi, yo, itsu, mu, nana, ya, koko(no), too

数字	音読み (Onyomi) Chinese-derived	訓読み 　(Kunyomi)　 Native Japanese
4	Shi	Yon (from Yo-tsu)
7	Shichi	Nana (from Nana-tsu)
9	Ku / Kyuu (Both are Onyomi)	(Kokonotsu)

Number	Onyomi (Chinese)	Kunyomi (Native Japanese)
4	Shi (Used in months)	Yon (Commonly used)
7	Shichi (Used in time/months)	Nana (Commonly used)
9	Ku (Used in time/months)	Kyuu (Commonly used)

4 - 4月(shigatsu, April)　

7 - 7時 (shichi-ji, seven o'clock)、7月 (shichi-gatsu, July)

9 - 9時 (ku-ji, nine o'clock)、 9月 (ku-gatsu, September)

People prefer the Kunyomi 'Yon' and 'Nana' because the Onyomi 'Shi' and 'Shichi' are easily confused with other words or numbers.

In modern Japanese, we often mix these two systems to avoid unlucky sounds or to make the numbers easier to distinguish over the phone or in noisy places.

• 4 (Shi) = "Death" (Unlucky) → Yon is preferred.

• 7 (Shichi) = Sounds like 1 (Ichi) or 4 (Shi) → Nana is preferred for clarity.

• 9 (Ku) = "Suffering" (Unlucky) → Kyuu is preferred.

  
  

  
  

Numbers 0 - 10

Let's count from 0 to 10 in Japanese.

Some Japanese numbers sound like English words. Use these as tips to help you remember them!　
Note that 4 can also be pronounced as "shi," 7 as "shichi," and 9 as "ku."

SUUJI (numbers)	Sounds like…
0 (zero / rei)	lay
1 (ichi)	itchy
2 (ni)	knee
3 (san)	sun
4 (shi / yon)	she / yawn
5 (go)	go
6 (roku)	lock
7 (nana)	(ba)nana
8 (hachi)	hatch
9 (ku / kyuu)	queue
10 (juu)	ju(ice)
11 (juu ichi)	ju(ice) itchy
12 (juu ni)	ju(ice) knee
20 (ni juu)	knee ju(ice)
30 (san juu)	sun ju(ice)
40 (yon juu)	yawn  ju(ice)
70 (nana juu)	(ba) nana  ju(ice)
90 (kyuu juu)	queue ju(ice)

Intermediate numbers are made by combining the numbers corresponding to them. 

ex. 34 sanjuu yon, 58 gojuu hachi, 99 kyuujuu kyuu

Let's play "Flying Fruit" game!

Marugoto A1 L16 Demonstratives

★ Kore, sore, are are demonstoratives used to refer to an object.

これ - refer to something close to the speaker.

それ - refer to something close to the listener.

あれ - refer to something that is away from both the speaker and the listener.

★ When you use a demonstrative before a noun, use この,その, or あの, not これ, それ, or あれ.

(Pictures are taken from Irodori A1 Lesson 16)

Marugoto A1Rikai L1 Hiragana

Let`s read the words. (Rikai page 24)