This is the second article in "Spy x Family". We will explain reason 2 and…
Which do you learn first, Hiragana or Katakana?
- Hiragana There is one sound for each letter. Each letter has no meaning.
- Katakana has the same number of letters as Hiragana. Each letter has the same sound as its equivalent of Hiragana. It is used for words that came from foreign countries (Gairaigo) and Onomatopoeia.
- Kanji Each Kanji letter has one sound, or more than one sound. Each letter has sound and meaning.
Currently, Japanese children and beginner learners of Japanese learn Hiragana first. In Japanese writing, there appear Hiragana more than Katakana. However, we recommend that those who are just beginning to study Japanese through Manga learn Katakana first.
Why we recommend learning katakana first
- Katakana has fewer strokes than Hiragana. There are many straight lines, so it is easy to learn.
- Many Manga characters habe names in Katakana.
- If you are nationality is not Japanese, your name is also a word that came from foreign countries (Gairaigo). In Japanese writing, we write your name in Katakana.
- There are many Katakana letters used for Onomatopoeia in Manga.
- There are a lot of foreign words in actual Japanese language. = There are a lot of Katakana used in Japanese writings.
Katakana has fewer strokes than hiragana. There are many straight lines, so it is easy to remember.
We put the links to the Hiragana and Katakana Table. Compare the shapes of Hiragana and Katakana and the number of strokes. This table can also be viewed from “Appendixes” on the main page.
Many Manga characters habe names in Katakana.
The characters of “SPYxFAMILY” are Westerners. Most names are in Katakana. The names appear repeatedly over and over again. So, you will be able to memorize them soon. The sounds of the names are similar to the sounds of Western languages such as English. However, there are some things that you have to be aware of, when you pronounce the names as Japanese language, such as vowels and the sound of the letter “L.” We put the notes down together with Loid and Yuri’s frames. It must be fun for you to confirm the sound with Japanese version of Anime .
Loid Forger ⇒ ロイド・フォージャー
There is no “L” sound in Japanese Hiragana and Katakana Table. However, the “R” sound in the Japanese “R” line (ra, ri, ru, re, ro/らりるれろ ラリルレロ) is similar to the “L” sound in English.
In Japanese, the only letter that can be pronounced without vowel is ”n ン/ん”. Other letters are always pronounced with one of the five vowels (a, i, u, e, o) after consonant. The “d” in Loid is also pronounced as “do/ド”.
Yuri Briar ⇒ユーリ・ブライア
When writing name of a foreigner in Japanese, a “・” is written between the family name and the given name.
A list of character names
Anya Forger ⇒ アーニャ・フォージャー
Yor Forger ⇒ ヨル・フォージャー
Damian Desmond ⇒ ダミアン・デズモンド
Becky Blackbell ⇒ ベッキー・ブラックベル
Fiona Frost ⇒ フィオナ・フロスト
Henry Henderson ⇒ ヘンリー・ヘンダーソン
Franky ⇒ フランキー
If you are nationality is not Japanese, your name is also a word that came from foreign countries (Gairaigo). In Japanese writing, we write your name in Katakana.
Please use “Google Translate” to put your name into Japanese Katakana from the writing character in your country. Now you know the katakana letters of your name!
“Google Translate” recognizes the words/names which are not written in Hiragana, Katakana, or Japanese Kanji as foreign words(Gairaigo) so that these will be translated in Katakana in Japanese. (some names written in Chinese Characters that are currently used in China, are simply translated into Japanese Kanji). Write it down in a notebook or a piece of paper. Check the sound and write it down. We translated the names of celebrities from several countries into Japanese using ”Google Translate”.
Zendaya ⇒ ゼンダイヤ
Mads Mikkelsen ⇒ マッツ・ミケルセン
رامي سعيد مالك ⇒ ラミー・サイード・マリク
(Rami Malek ⇒ ラミ・マレック)
Keanu Reeves ⇒ キアヌ・リーブズ
Emma Watson ⇒ エマ・ワトソン
Alejandro González Iñárritu ⇒ アレハンドロ・ゴンザレス・イニャリトゥ
రాం చరణ్ తేజ ⇒ ラム・チャラン・テジャ
Jun Vũ ⇒ ジュン・ヴ
성훈(Sung Hoon) ⇒ ソンフン
니쥬(NiziU) ⇒ ニジュ
Fan Bingbing ⇒ ファン・ビンビン
Sorry if there is no the name of your country! Try doing the same with your name and your favorit people’s.
There are many Katakana letters used for Onomatopoeia in Manga.
Katakana is also used a lot in Onomatopoeia. Onomatopoeias in Manga are usually based on sounds that Japanese people hear with their ears. There are so many variations. What kind of Katakana Onomatopoeias are in the following frames? I will tell you the answer in next post.
There are a lot of foreign words in actual Japanese language. = There are a lot of Katakana used in Japanese writings.
This are pictures of the signboard in Japan. There are many Katakana. Over the past few decades, many new things have come to Japan from foreign countries. Many of the names in foreign countries are “converted” into Japanese using katakana.テレビ(Television), カメラ(camera), カレーcurry (also written as カリー) are examples.
Recently, words for consept, such as “コミュニケーション(communication), ストレス(stress), ボランティア(volunteering), and リサイクル(recycling)” have become Japanese words. But Japanese pronunciation is applied. Therefore, those may not be similar to the original sound. There are also the words such as パソコン(personal computer) that is shorthanded and looks/sounds completely different words. Please don’t get tricked!
Katakana stands out in Japanese sentences. And Japanese people feel something new with Katakana words. Therefore, it is often used in advertisements.
This is the menu of a pizzeria in Japan. Full of katakana!
In this article, we introduced you Gairaigo. we also recommended that you learn Katakana first. But if you want to learn Hiragana first, then of course it’s good! Learn whichever you like first. Your motivation and eagerness are the priority. Once again, I will put the links for Hiragana and Katakana Table, so please choose the one that is easier for you to learn!
You can buy Japanese ver. of『SPYxFAMILY』with format Kindle at Amazon.co.jp.
If you live in Japan, you can watch Japanese ver. of『SPYxFAMILY』 with Amazon Prime Video at Amazon.co.jp. If you live abroad, try to find at Netflix, Hulu etc.
⇒ See you at SPY x FAMILY in Japanese #4
