Ba Bi Bu Be Bo

Katakana 2

Chapter 4 Β· Ba Bi Bu Be Bo

🌸 The Dakuten on the H Row β€” バ ビ γƒ– ベ γƒœ

The dakuten on the H row turns h into b: バ ビ γƒ– ベ γƒœ (ba bi bu be bo). This one row gives you ビール (beer), バス (bus), γƒœγƒΌγƒ« (ball) and テレビ (TV), a very practical chapter. Romaji is shown for everything.

PlainWith γ‚›Sound beforeSound now
haba
hibi
fubu
hebe
hobo
aiueo
hγƒγƒ’γƒ•γƒ˜γƒ›
b (h + γ‚›)γƒγƒ“γƒ–γƒ™γƒœ

All five highlighted characters are today's: the whole B row in one chapter. The little circle γ‚œ (P row) is next chapter.

✨ Five New Characters β€” バ ビ γƒ– ベ γƒœ

バ
ba
like "ba" in bar ("bah")
4 strokes Β· stroke order β–Έ
Memory hook: a bat with two wings flapping: ハ with two marks. Hiragana twin: ば.
ビ
bi
like "bee", short ("bee")
4 strokes Β· stroke order β–Έ
Memory hook: a bee buzzing: γƒ’ with two marks. Hiragana twin: び.
γƒ–
bu
like "boo" ("boo")
3 strokes Β· stroke order β–Έ
Memory hook: a ghost going boo: フ with two marks. Hiragana twin: ぢ.
ベ
be
like "be" in bet ("beh")
3 strokes Β· stroke order β–Έ
Memory hook: a beach hill with two beach balls: γƒ˜ with two marks. Hiragana twin: べ.
γƒœ
bo
like "bo" in boat, short ("boh")
6 strokes Β· stroke order β–Έ
Memory hook: a boat with two flags: ホ with two marks. Hiragana twin: ぼ.
Short or Long? β€” ビル versus ビール Katakana's long-vowel mark γƒΌ matters. ビル (biru) is a building (from building), but ビール (bΔ«ru) is beer. Ask for a ビル and you'll get a very odd look. Always check for γƒΌ.
Look-Alikes: γƒœ and ポ, バ and パ Today's marks are two dots (γ‚›). Next chapter's mark is a little circle (γ‚œ), which turns the same characters into パ ピ γƒ— γƒš ポ. Check carefully: γƒœ (bo) has two dots, ポ (po) has a circle.

πŸ“– Read It β€” New Words

Read the Japanese first, then check the romaji and the English word it comes from.

#WordRomajiEnglishNote
1bΔ«rubeerbi-i-ru: not ビル!
2basubusba-su
3bōruballbo-o-ru
4bΕ«tsubootsbu-u-tsu
5berubellbe-ru
6terebitelevisionte-re-bi: shortened from television
7zubontrouserszu-bo-n: from French, not English
8bananabananaba-na-na
9botanbuttonbo-ta-n
10batābutterba-ta-a
Real Japanese Tip β€” バス and the Journey バス is the bus, and a bus stop is a バスてい (basutei), with て and い from hiragana. Japanese often mixes katakana and other scripts in one word, which is why you learned all three.
γ‚Ίγƒœγƒ³ and テレビ: Borrowed and Shortened γ‚Ίγƒœγƒ³ comes from the French word jupon, not English, a reminder that katakana covers all foreign words. テレビ is television chopped down to its first and last sounds, a very common Japanese way of shortening loanwords.
Review: Words from Chapter 3 (door) Β· (date) Β· (dance) Β· (drama) Β· (dollar) Β· (data).

✍️ 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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ba Β· bi Β· bu Β· be Β· bo

2. Read aloud and translate: Β· Β·

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bīru (beer) · basu (bus) · bōru (ball)

3. What is the difference between and ?

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ビル (biru) is a building; ビール (bΔ«ru) is beer. The long-vowel mark γƒΌ changes the word.

4. Read aloud and translate: Β· Β·

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terebi (TV) Β· zubon (trousers) Β· botan (button)

5. Read aloud and translate: Β· Β·

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būtsu (boots) · banana (banana) · batā (butter)

6. Write in katakana: bΔ«ru Β· basu Β· terebi (check the stroke order).

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Β· Β·

Coming Up in Chapter 5 The little circle γ‚œ on the H row: パ ピ γƒ— γƒš ポ (pa pi pu pe po). You'll be able to read パン (bread), γƒšγƒ³ (pen), γƒ”γ‚’γƒŽ (piano) and スーパー (supermarket).