Hiragana 1
Chapter 4 ยท Ke Ko
๐ธ Finishing the K Row โ ใ ใ
Two more characters complete the K row: ใ (ke) and ใ (ko). With them you'll know ten characters in total, enough to read a whole new batch of everyday words, including three adjectives.
| a | i | u | e | o |
|---|
| (vowels) | ใ | ใ | ใ | ใ | ใ |
|---|
| k + | ใ | ใ | ใ | ใ | ใ |
|---|
Ten down, thirty-six to go. Today's two are highlighted.
โจ Two New Characters โ ใ ใ
ใ
ke
like the "ke" in kettle, short ("keh")
Memory hook: a kettle: the vertical line on the left is the handle, and the rest is the spout and the body.
ใ
ko
like the "co" in core, short and pure ("koh")
Memory hook: a stack of two coins, one on top of the other.
Look-Alike Heads-Up: ใ Is Part of a Family
ใ starts with a vertical line on the left, just like ใฏ (ha) and ใป (ho), which come later in the course. For now, remember that ใ has no loop at the bottom, whereas ใฏ and ใป do. We'll compare all three side by side when we reach the H row.
๐ Read It โ New Words
With ten characters you can now read these. Remember that each character is one beat.
| # | Word | Romaji | English | Note |
|---|
| 1 | ใใ | koko | here | ko + ko |
| 2 | ใใ | koe | voice | ko + e |
| 3 | ใใ | ike | pond | i + ke |
| 4 | ใใ | koi | carp (koi fish); also "love" | the famous garden fish |
| 5 | ใใ | koke | moss | ko + ke |
| 6 | ใใใ | kuuki | air; atmosphere | three beats: "ku-u-ki" |
| 7 | ใใใ | akai | red (adjective) | "is red"; used before a noun |
| 8 | ใใใ | aoi | blue (adjective) | a + o + i |
| 9 | ใใใใ | ookii | big | 4 beats: "o-o-ki-i" |
| 10 | ใใใ | ooi | many, a lot | o-o-i |
Words Ending in ใ โ Many Are Adjectives
Look at ใใใ (red), ใใใ (blue) and ใใใใ (big). Many Japanese adjectives end in ใ, and they work like a verb ("is red"): ใใใ on its own means "(it) is red". You'll meet them properly in the conversation courses; for now, notice the pattern. Also notice ใใ: when you see the same vowel twice in a row, say it as two beats ("o-o"), a long sound. Long vowels get full attention in a later course.
Real Japanese Tip โ "Ko" Means Near Me
ใใ (koko, "here") is the first of a family of words that all start with ใ when something is close to the speaker: ใใ (here), ใใ (this), ใใฎ (this ... ). You will learn the "that" and "where" versions (ใใ, ใใใ, ใฉใ) in the next chapters, which gives you a free vocabulary pattern.
Review: Reading Back
Cover the English and read these again: ใใ (face) ยท ใใ (red) ยท ใใ (squid) ยท ใใ (station) ยท ใใ (autumn) ยท ใใ (hill) ยท ใใ (to buy) ยท ใใ (to listen) ยท ใใ (to go) ยท ใใ (to write).
โ๏ธ Try It Yourself โ ใใใใ
ใ
Say each answer out loud first, then click to check.
1. Say the whole K row in order: ใ ใ ใ ใ ใ
Show answer
ka ยท ki ยท ku ยท ke ยท ko
2. Which of ใ and ใ has 2 strokes?
Show answer
ใ has 2 strokes. ใ has 3.
3. Read and translate: ใใ ยท ใใ ยท ใใใ
Show answer
koko (here) ยท ike (pond) ยท kuuki (air)
4. Write in hiragana: koe (voice) ยท ike (pond) ยท kuuki (air)
Show answer
ใใ ยท ใใ ยท ใใใ
5. Read these three adjectives and say what they mean: ใใใ ยท ใใใ ยท ใใใใ
Show answer
akai (red) ยท aoi (blue) ยท ookii (big)
6. How many beats does ใใใใ have?
Show answer
Four: o-o-ki-i (one per character).
Coming Up in Chapter 5
The K row is complete. Next up: the first S characters, ใ ใ ใ (sa, shi, su), plus words like ใใ (sushi), ใใ (sake), ใใ (salt) and ใใ (chair). Watch out: shi is spelled with an h.