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FIRST SEASON

S1: Introduction

Japanese language writing

An overview of Japanese Language Writing that introduces the next section. You will see a brief presentation of the five writing systems of the Japanese language : hiragana, katakana, kanji, rōmaji and arabiasūji.

General presentation

Hiragana introducing

Discover the 50 syllables of the Japanese language. And learn them by heart.

Katakana introducing

Discover the 50 syllables of the Japanese language, in katakana this time. And learn them by heart too.

Kanji introducing

Coming from China several centuries ago, kanji are an integral part of the Japanese language. Sometimes called sinograms or ideograms, they represent objects, concepts, ideas. This course will give you the basics of everything you need to know about kanji.

Rōmaji introducing

Discover the influence of the Latin alphabet in the Japanese culture. How did the Japanese integrate the Latin alphabet into their language.

Arabiasūji introducing

Have a first glimpse of the numbers in kanji. Discover the influence of Arabic numerals in the Japanese language.

The four rules for using kana

Accents

Discover the Japanese accents : dakuten and handakuten. New pronunciations for katakana and hiragana.

Pause

To pronounce many Japanese words, you must mark a pause represented by . Read this course to learn more.

Lengthenings

Discover the lengthenings in Japanese. Learn to write the vowel’s lengthening in hiragana and katakana.

First words in kanji

Discover your very first words in kanji! 22 words in total.

The combinations

Discover a new range of sounds for katakana and hiragana.

挨拶と礼儀の単語 - Polite formulas

Many ready-made expressions, mainly written in hiragana. Very important for expressing yourself correctly in everyday life.

ビデオゲームのフランチャイズ - Video game franchises

Personally, I love video games and since we have seen together the different rules that govern the use of kana, I offer you a list of iconic game titles. All in katakana. A good opportunity to review all that we have seen previously, all accompanied by historical anecdotes.

Write foreign words in katakana

The rules of katakanization

Learn to transcribe foreign words in katakana. Understand the difference between anglicization and katakanization. Reuse the four rules for using kana.

Foreign proper names

Anyone who is interested in the Japanese language has ever considered katakanizing their first and last name. But do you really know how to do it? What are the rules to follow? Everything is explained in this course.

The new combinations

Find out how the Japanese translate sounds into « F », into « V », into « W »… Write words like « bluetooth », « fighter », « fashion », « tiramisu », « project », « website », « jazz »…

ペットや家畜の単語 - Domestic animals

We are sticking to a basic vocabulary with this new theme: pets. Twenty new words to learn. Enjoy it. 🐶🐱🐹🐰🐴

犬の品種の単語 - Dog’s breeds

Hope you like dogs because here is a vocabulary lesson on the subject. A good opportunity to practice writing your katakana.

Kanji studies

The two kanji readings

Discover parts of Japanese History. How the Japanese integrated Chinese sinograms into their language. Understand the difference between purely Japanese pronunciation and Sino-Japanese pronunciation.

Kanji usage rules

Learn the rules for using kanji. How the Japanese have expanded their language by creating new words by combining kanji and pronunciations.

Let’s create our first words in kanji

You will learn how to say « Japan » in Japanese. You will learn lots of new words.

家族の単語 - Family members

In Japanese, we will use very specific words to speak of one’s own family and other words to speak of the family of others. For today, we will learn how to talk about your own family.

Kanji advanced analysis

Learn to understand in detail the kanji with some examples. Understand the subtleties of kanji in the Japanese language.

Kanji particular cases

The Japanese language is very logical. The particular cases of kanji are not exceptions. They all follow a logic and it is very important to fully understand how each of them works. Widen your vocabulary and understanding of Japanese language.

色の単語 - The name of colors

The name of the colors… because it is part of the basics. Twenty-five vocabulary words.

Enrich your vocabulary

The more vocabulary you will learn, the better it will be. So, here you go again. Easy and chilly 😊.

Japanese surnames - part 1

Find out how Japanese surnames were created. This course only focuses on purely Japanese surnames.

Kanji keys

Kanji are complex sinograms at first sight. Learning to write them can be very difficult. However, the writing of kanji is based on a logic, that of keys. Once you understand, writing the kanji will be much easier.

Additional studies of written japanese

The different writings in rōmaji

Discover all the subtleties of writing in rōmaji. Discover the Hepburn system and the kunrei system. Discover the specifics of writing the Hepburn system.

曜日の呼び方 & 太陽系 - Days of the week & The solar system

It’s finally time to learn the days of the week. This will be useful for you to write the date, which we will see later. At the same time, you will learn the names of the planets that make up our solar system. Believe me, everything is connected.

Japanese ponctuation

Learn to recognize symbols of Japanese punctuation. Learn how to say it « the point », « the comma »… Discover the repeat characters.

Japanese writing directions

Some very interesting anecdotes on the writing direction of the Japanese language. On the internet, in newspapers, magazines, novels, manga, video games and even video game and DVD boxes.

森林公園の散歩 - Walk in the forest park

Take part to a little walk in the forest park. Whether it’s raining, winding or the sun is shining, nothing should stop you from learning. Twenty-five vocabulary words await you.

楽器の単語 - Musical instruments

While Japan has given birth to a few musical instruments, many of the best-known ones come from the West. As a result, the names of these instruments, mainly from English and Italian, are all written in katakana. Recorder, clarinet, piccolo, trumpet, saxophone, ocarina, piano, harp, violin, guitar... Simple vocabulary to memorize. Thirty-five words in total. 🥁🪕🎻🎺🎷🎹🎸

Studies of the japanese numeral system

Japanese numbers

Learn lots of new kanji related to numbers. Learn how to combine these kanji to create larger numbers.

Count in Japanese (up to 9,999)

Learn to count in Japanese. Master all the peculiarities of pronouncing Japanese numbers.

各月の呼び方 - The months of the year

To read and understand this vocabulary course, you must first have done the course on Japanese numbers. Twelve words. Easy!

Count in Japanese (from 10,000 to infinity)

We continue counting from 10,000 to infinity. Learn to count in packs of four like the Japanese. Westerners count in packs of three, Japanese people count in packs of four. You’ll understand better by following this course. New kanji to learn but nothing complicated. Everything remains pure logic.

Alternative forms of Japanese numbers

Discover the legal alternative kanji. Discover the kanji for decimals. Use the kanji of numbers like Arabic numerals.

Currency conversion tips

In this course, you will learn some tips for easily converting yen to euros and vice versa. A nice little lesson, a breath of fresh air before the rest.

Purely Japanese numbers

Good… Discover the purely Japanese numbers… I don’t know what else to say and I don’t have much space to write.

各日の番号の呼び方 - The number of the days

If you have followed all the courses on Japanese numbers, counting in Japanese and purely Japanese numbers, then this vocabulary course will be a piece of cake.

Write a date in Japanese

Learn to write a date in Japanese and learn a little more about Japanese history. It is imperative to have seen these three vocabulary courses before reading this course : Days of the week & The solar system, the months of the year, the number of the days.

時間の読方 - Read the time

Learning to read and write time in Japanese is not difficult if you have a good command of numbers. Between the use of kanji and Arabic numerals, whether it is morning or afternoon, there are different ways to write the time in Japanese. However, the use of Arabic numerals remains very widespread, particularly on digital watches, alarm clocks and smartphones.

Review

Review on the Japanese language writing

A simple summary of everything you have seen in this first season.

Vocabulary courses

都の呼び方 - Capitals name

Fifty-five vocabulary words, fifty-five names of capitals from around the world. Almost only words in katakana. Easy-peasy!

国々の呼び方 - Countries name

Several dozen country names, from Canada to Japan, crossing the American continent from North to South, then heading for Europe… to end the journey in Asia. A good opportunity to check your mastery of katakana.

アフリカの野生動物の単語 - Wild animals of Africa

Twenty-five African animal names. Lots of katakana words, a few kanji words. Pay close attention to these.

アルプスの野生動物の単語 - Wild animals of the Alps

I think many of you have never visited the Alps. To be honest, neither do I, but there are very interesting animals there. Twenty-three names of wild animals of the Alps await you in this course. You will also find some kanji that you already know.

コーヒーの単語 – The coffee

A very interesting lexicon around coffee : the coffee tree, the coffee flower, the coffee bean, coffee growing, the coffee plantation... There are also a few names of Italian coffees that both amateurs and professionals alike will easily recognize. Twenty-five vocabulary words, very easy to remember and very useful. ☕