Ha Hi Fu
Hiragana 1
Chapter 11 · Ha Hi Fu
🌸 The H Row Begins — は ひ ふ
The fifth consonant row is h, with は (ha), ひ (hi) and ふ (fu). That makes twenty-eight characters. Today also brings two very useful discoveries: the word for "yes" (はい), and the fact that は is sometimes read wa, which turns it into the most common little word in Japanese sentences.
| a | i | u | e | o | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (vowels) | あ | い | う | え | お |
| k + | か | き | く | け | こ |
| s + | さ | し | す | せ | そ |
| t + | た | ち | つ | て | と |
| n + | な | に | ぬ | ね | の |
| h + | は | ひ | ふ | へ | ほ |
Twenty-eight down, eighteen to go. へ and ほ come in Chapter 12.
✨ Three New Characters — は ひ ふ
📖 Read It — New Words
With twenty-eight characters, you can read all of these. Remember that each character is one beat.
| # | Word | Romaji | English | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | はい | hai | yes | the standard polite "yes" |
| 2 | はな | hana | flower; nose | two meanings, one spelling |
| 3 | ひと | hito | person | hi + to |
| 4 | ふね | fune | ship, boat | fu + ne |
| 5 | ひこうき | hikōki | aeroplane | hi-kō-ki: the long "o" is 2 beats |
| 6 | はこ | hako | box | ha + ko |
| 7 | はは | haha | (my) mother | for your own mother, like ちち for father |
| 8 | ひとつ | hitotsu | one (thing) | used when counting objects |
| 9 | ふたつ | futatsu | two (things) | fu + ta + tsu |
| 10 | ひくい | hikui | low, short | the opposite of たかい |
| 11 | ふく | fuku | clothes | fu + ku |
| 12 | はなし | hanashi | talk, story | ha + na + shi |
🔗 The Particle は — Read as "wa"
When は is used as a small grammar word (a particle) that marks "what the sentence is about", it is read wa, not ha. A は B means "As for A, it is B." The character stays は; only the sound changes. (Spaces are added below to show the word breaks.)
| Japanese | Romaji (as spoken) | English |
|---|---|---|
| いぬ は おおきい。 | inu wa ookii. | The dog is big. |
| ねこ は ちいさい。 | neko wa chiisai. | The cat is small. |
| さかな は おいしい。 | sakana wa oishii. | The fish is delicious. |
| あなた は？ | anata wa? | And you? (As for you?) |
💬 Mini-Dialogs
① Yes, Polite — はい
② Big and Small — おおきい？ ちいさい？
③ One or Two? — ひとつ？ ふたつ？
✍️ Try It Yourself — れんしゅう
Say each answer out loud first, then click to check.
1. Read these aloud: は · ひ · ふ
Show answer
ha · hi · fu
2. How many strokes do は, ひ and ふ have?
Show answer
は has 3, ひ has 1, ふ has 4.
3. Read and translate: はな · ひと · ふね
Show answer
hana (flower; nose) · hito (person) · fune (ship)
4. Write in hiragana: hai (yes) · hako (box) · futatsu (two things)
Show answer
はい · はこ · ふたつ
5. How is は pronounced in いぬ は おおきい, and what does the sentence mean?
Show answer
As the particle, it is read wa: "inu wa ookii", meaning "The dog is big."
6. Which famous mountain does ふ remind you of, and why is it spelled fu in romaji?
Show answer
Mount Fuji. The sound is made with both lips (not teeth on lip), so it's written fu.