Easy and Fun Hiragana: First Steps to Basic Japanese Writing

Learn the basic Japanese syllabary from every angle: reading, writing, and real-world examples.

A complete handbook for learning to read and write Japanese hiragana, the syllabary that is the first of Japan's three writing systems introduced to all beginning students. Using real-world examples, illustrations, quizzes, and practice squares, this book teaches correct stroke order as well as examples of how hiragana are used for question words, adverbs, special words, and pronunciation of difficult characters.

Kiyomi Ogawa teaches Japanese and translates it together with her husband. She gained insight into how non-Japanese experience Japan and its language by teaching Boeing employees in Nagoya, and now teaches online lessons to students around the world.

Orrin Cummins manages K.O. Language Service together with his wife, Kiyomi. He is currently involved in translation projects spanning a variety of fields, from contracts to subtitles.