Ze Zo

Hiragana 2

Chapter 4 Β· Ze Zo

🌸 Finishing the Z Row β€” ぜ ぞ

Two characters complete the Z row: ぜ (ze) and ぞ (zo), the voiced forms of せ and そ. With them you can read γ‹γžγ (family) and γ‹γœ (wind; a cold). Romaji is shown for everything.

PlainWith γ‚›Sound beforeSound now
seze
sozo
aiueo
sさしすせそ
z (s + γ‚›)γ–γ˜γšγœγž

The two highlighted characters are today's; the Z row is now complete. Notice that じ is the only one that doesn't sound like a plain "z".

✨ Two New Characters β€” ぜ ぞ

ぜ
ze
like "ze" in zest ("zeh")
5 strokes Β· stroke order β–Έ
Memory hook: a zebra: せ with two stripes flying off its back. Three strokes plus two for the mark.
ぞ
zo
like "zo" in zone, short ("zoh")
3 strokes Β· stroke order β–Έ
Memory hook: a zombie's twisted arm: そ with two dots. One stroke plus two for the mark.
The Z Row Is Complete You now have all five: ざ (za) Β· じ (ji) Β· ず (zu) Β· ぜ (ze) Β· ぞ (zo). Only じ breaks the pattern, because the plain し is shi, not si, so its voiced partner is ji.

πŸ“– Read It β€” New Words

Read the Japanese first, then check the romaji.

#WordRomajiEnglishNote
1kazewind; a coldka-ze: the same sound for both meanings, so context decides
2kazokufamilyka-zo-ku
3zōelephantzo-u: the う makes a long o
4zehiby all means; definitelyze-hi
5zenzennot at allze-n-ze-n: normally used with a negative
6zen'ineveryone; all membersze-n-i-n
7zōrizōri (straw-style sandals)zo-u-ri
8kanzencomplete; perfectka-n-ze-n
9zeikintaxze-i-ki-n
10mizoditch; guttermi-zo
Real Japanese Tip β€” γœγ‚“γœγ‚“ Usually Goes With a Negative γœγ‚“γœγ‚“ means "not at all" and is normally paired with a negative ending, as in γœγ‚“γœγ‚“ γ‚γ‹γ‚ŠγΎγ›γ‚“ ("I don't understand at all"). You'll learn those endings in Japanese Basic Conversation 1. In casual speech young people sometimes use it positively, but a learner should treat it as a negative word.
γ‹γœ: Wind or a Cold? Both wind and a cold are pronounced kaze. When the word is written in kanji they are different (ι’¨ and ι’¨ι‚ͺ), but in hiragana you tell them apart from the sentence.
Review: Words from Chapter 3 (thank you) Β· (good morning) Β· (time) Β· (water) Β· (earthquake) Β· (too bad).

✍️ Try It Yourself β€” γ‚Œγ‚“γ—γ‚…γ†

Say each answer out loud first, then click to check.

1. Read aloud: Β· Β· Β· Β·

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ze Β· zo Β· za Β· ji Β· zu

2. Read aloud and translate: Β· Β·

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kaze (wind; a cold) · kazoku (family) · zō (elephant)

3. Read aloud and translate: Β· Β·

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zehi (by all means) Β· zenzen (not at all) Β· zen'in (everyone)

4. Which of the five Z-row characters is not pronounced with a plain "z", and why?

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(ji): its plain partner し is shi, so the voiced one is ji, not zi.

5. What do the two meanings of have in common in speech?

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They sound identical: kaze. Context tells you whether it's wind or a cold.

6. Write in hiragana: kazoku Β· kaze Β· zehi (check the stroke order).

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Β· Β·

Coming Up in Chapter 5 The D row: だ (da), げ (ji) and γ₯ (zu), the voiced forms of た け ぀. Two of them are rarely used, but γ γ‚Œ (who) and ともだけ (friend) will be readable.