Getting Started
If you never have been exposed to the Japanese language before. This is a very good place to start. We will set you off on the right foot. Whether or not, you’re just looking for a simple phrasebook or looking for a more intense study of the Japanese language, we can get you started here.
Hiragana
If you want to start tackling the Japanese writing system, this is the place to start! Hiragana is the very basic “alphabet” of the Japanese language.
Katakana
Loan words are an integral part of the Japanese language. This alphabet is very similar to hiragana, however, they just have different characters. The pronunciations of the syllables are for the most part the same as well.
For example, whenever you hear the Japanese say “thank you,” it actually sounds like “shank you.” You should be thankful that they don’t mean the latter. The syllabary katakana is used to represent foreign words. Words such as taxi or phrases like thank you.
Kanji
When you see Japanese written somewhere, more than likely it will contain kanji characters. These types of characters originated from China. In fact, the word kanji itself means “Han characters.”
Vocabulary
The title explains it all. The vocabulary section contains words and phrases that you may encounter in your studies or while traveling. Categories range from most used words and phrases involving food or transportation to verbs.
Japanese Grammar
Although Japanese looks fairly complex on the surface, it is actually quite simple grammatically. Enter the Japanese grammar section for more information.