71 hiragana + 71 katakana + 2136 kanji = 2278 characters. Why do the Japanese need so much? Can't they manage with 33 letters, like the Russian language does? In fact, the use of such a strange, at first glance, writing system has not only disadvantages in terms of its quantity, but also some advantages that do not exist in the Russian language.
On Kanjiway we use romaji for hiragana and katakana, so in this article we will use the Latin alphabet for hiragana.
By the way, it is not entirely correct to call all these symbols “alphabet” or “alphabets”. Let's figure out why this is so.
Hiragana
Hiragana consists of 71 letters and is the foundation of Japanese writing. All Japanese children learn hiragana first, and your Japanese learning should start there as well.
- どうして (doushite)
- なに (nani)
- いつ (itsu)
- こんにちは (konnichiwa)
- ではまた (dewamata)
The hiragana format may be a little unusual for Russian people, because it is called the “syllabic alphabet”. If in writing systems familiar to us, such as the Russian Cyrillic alphabet, symbols (letters) almost always correspond to individual sounds (“a” = [a], “b” = [b], etc.), then in syllabic systems one symbol corresponds to one syllable , most often made of two sounds (“く” = [ku], “る” = [ru], “ま” = [ma]).
An example of using Japanese alphabets
Now some examples.
As we have already said, the changeable parts of a word are written in Hiragana: for example, there is a verb to look 見る (WORLD), the root of the hieroglyph (i.e. its unchangeable part) is written first -見 (MI) . It will be written in hieroglyphs. This word has a variable part - the ending る, which will change depending on the need, for example, if you need to convey the tense of the verb or the style of politeness. So 見るcan change to 見ます, 見ました, etc. Also, do not forget that grammatical particles in Japanese are also written in Hiragana , for example:私はイーゴリです。 “I am Igor.” In this case, the grammatical particle Ba and the copula Des will be written in Hiragana . My name is not Japanese, i.e. it is borrowed from the Russian language, so it is written in Katakana alphabet. I am Watashi is a Japanese word and it is written in Kanji, i.e. hieroglyph. As you may have noticed, Japanese writing consists of a combination of the Hiragana/Katakana alphabet and hieroglyphs .
Now some examples about Katakana alphabet . Japanese has quite a lot of borrowed words, such as Basu - bus, it is borrowed from English, so it is written in Katakana , the word Pan bread is borrowed from Portuguese, so it is also written in Katakana . Such words are called Gairaigo 外来語.
Now let's look at an example not related to borrowed words. The word “Cat” ( Neko) is written not only in hieroglyphs or Hiragana alphabet , but is also often written in Katakana alphabet - like this. This word is not borrowed, however, animals and plants can also be written in Katakana . And the names of plants are almost always written in katakana , because it’s not even difficult to imagine that it’s much easier to write ツツジ this way than 躑躅. In the post-war reforms, it was recommended to write in katakana , regardless of origin.
Most often, onomatopoeic words are written in Katakana, and figurative words in Hiragana, but this is not so important. 
But again, everything is individual, for example, in everyday life such words as Cat, Dog or Cow can often be found in hieroglyphs, and already such words as イノシシ, タコ or ツツジ, etc. Words are most often written in katakana.
I would like to note that when I talk about using Katakana (the theme with animals), do not take everything literally, because... there are a lot of nuances, for example, the type of animal Octopus - Tako, will be written in katakana, and on the store window, as a Takoyaki dish it will be written たこ焼き or タコ焼き, but a simple Japanese will write a Takoyaki dish like this: たこ焼き.
Katakana was also used to write Japanese telegrams when they existed.
The same with general imitative (擬態語) and onomatopoeic (擬声語) words. Usually the Japanese write general imitation words in Hiragana and onomatopoeic words in Katakana, but sometimes they write differently. Don’t focus your attention on this; at the initial stage it is absolutely not important.
Also, sometimes, in various shows, they want to highlight a certain word and make a stylistic highlight of this word, which is usually written in Hiragana or a hieroglyph. For example, it is usually written like this. And they changed it like this.
If we summarize and simplify to the maximum all of the above, then, roughly speaking, Hiragana can be attributed to the function of the main alphabet, and katakana can be attributed to the recording of borrowed words.
Kanji
Kanji is a system of characters in the Japanese language. It consists of tens of thousands of characters, but we only need to learn 2136 joyo kanji. The pronunciation of each kanji can be written in both hiragana and katakana (most often in hiragana); Japanese children often use texts with furigana to learn kanji.
The undeniable advantage of kanji is that texts become much shorter. For example, what would be faster for you to write down?
- 車
- くるま (kuruma, hiragana notation for 車)
- Car
In 2021, Twitter increased the maximum number of characters in a tweet from 140 to 280, on this occasion they wrote an article where they said that a tweet in English takes on average 34 characters, and in Japanese - 15.
Very often kanji is combined with hiragana because hiragana is also used for grammatical sentence structure. For example, 食べる (to eat, read as taberu), consists of the kanji 食 (ta) and the hiragana べる (beru). If we did not want to “eat” in the current tense, but “ate” in the past tense, we would use the same kanji 食 (ta), but a different hiragana 食べた (tabeta) or 食べました (tabemashita).
Most people here have a logical question - “And if all kanji can be written in hiragana and katakana, then maybe they don’t need to be learned?” The problem is that the Japanese write without spaces . Spaces are used only in conjunction with punctuation marks. They distinguish between words and parts of sentences precisely through the constant alternation of hiragana, katakana and kanji. That is, if you use only hiragana without kanji, then your Japanese will look something like this. As you can see, this is not very convenient. If you use Kanji, it will be more like writing. Maybe for us it still looks strange, but the Japanese are already used to it, there’s nothing very complicated about it. In Japan, only small children write in hiragana without kanji, so if you decide to do the same, you will be thought of as a small child.
Originally, the Japanese language did not have its own elaborate writing system, so the Japanese borrowed a writing system from China. In fact, kanji are Chinese characters, although some of them have changed slightly over time. As a result, it turned out that the Japanese had their own language and a foreign writing system, which had to be somehow made friends with each other. This has led to the fact that most kanji now have two types of reading (or pronunciation) - the original Chinese (on'yomi) and the Japanese (kun'yomi). Depending on the context in which you read the kanji, you will either read it using the original Chinese pronunciation or the Japanese pronunciation. This may seem confusing, but again, there is nothing terribly complicated about it. Imagine the Russian word for "castle". You might say, “After the battle, the knight returned to the castle,” or “I put a lock on my garage.” For us, there is no confusion here and over time you learn Japanese, you will also get used to the different readings of kanji.
Homework
Previous homework
Writing
Write a brief definition of the following terms:
- kana
Common name for hiragana and katakana.
- hiragana
Japanese syllabary used to write Japanese words.
- kanji
Japanese characters, borrowed (almost all of them, but there are still a few native ones) from the Chinese language and given onnoe (Chinese) and kunnoe (Japanese) readings.
- katakana
Japanese alphabet used to write words borrowed from other languages, as well as to highlight something.
Grammar
Translate into Russian:
- あなたは先生ですanata wa sensei desu
You are a teacher.
- 私は先生でしたwatashi wa sensei deshita
I was a teacher.
- 私もあなたを見ますwatashi mo anata o mimasu
I see you too.
Translate into Japanese:
- You are a teacher.
あなたは先生ですanata wa sensei desu
- I saw you.
私はあなたを見ましたwatashi wa anata o mimashita
- Can you see me.
あなたは私を見ますanata wa watashi o mimasu
Katakana
Katakana is the second syllabary of the Japanese language. Its characters are read exactly the same as hiragana, but are written differently. Hiragana: く (ku), る (ru), ま (ma), and katakana: ク (ku), ル (ru), マ (ma). Katakana can be distinguished from hiragana by the fact that its writing has many more sharp corners.
The main use of katakana is to write words that came into Japanese from other languages.
- レストラン (resutoran) - restaurant
- アメリカ (amerika) - America
- ロシア (roshia) - Russia
- スパゲッティ (supagetti) - spaghetti
- カメラ (kamera) - camera
- コンピューター (konpyuutaa) - computer
In this case, we gave an example of words that are understandable to a Russian-speaking person. All these words (except Russia) did not originate in Russia, but came into the Russian language from other countries. Most often, words written in katakana come from English. So, if you know English and can read katanana, then you can automatically understand some words.
The Japanese read words with their own accent. That is, if you want to sound like a Japanese, then when using Japanese speech you will have to pronounce not “Russia”, as we are used to, but roshia, with the sound “sch”. If you come to Japan, your name will also be written in katakana.
Also among Japanese youth, katakana is considered a “cooler” way of writing words. In manga, words such as “boom”, “gryas”, “bdyshch” are written in katakana.
Be sure to follow the correct order of writing the traits!
We will not argue now whether this is correct, but it is necessary, if only because in 90% of cases, observing the correct order of strokes, it will be more convenient to write.
At the very beginning it may be a little difficult, but then, after writing more than one hundred kanji , you will understand that by spending a little more time at the beginning you will automatically write kanji quickly and correctly your hand will already be full and in most cases this way you can quickly remember how to write the hieroglyphs you have learned.
Also, don't forget about balance. To do this, print out the copybooks. When writing, you should not run into it , much less go beyond the edges .
In this way, you will develop a certain skill in writing hieroglyphs in a balanced manner .
That's all for today. If you liked it, tell your friends, subscribe to our YouTube channel , and also to our groups on social networks Igor Korotkov was with you . See you!
Kyoto dialect
Just like the Osaka dialect is part of the Kansai dialect family (関西弁/かんさいべん), the Kyoto dialect (京都弁/きょうとべん) . And together with the Osaka dialect it can also be called the Kamigata Dialect (上方言葉/かみがたことば, 上方語/かみがたご).
The Kyoto dialect (Kyoto-ben) is the traditional dialect of Kyoto, known for its softness and politeness. The Kyoto dialect owes much of its softness to geishas, who have always been considered a symbol of elegance and sophistication.
The Kyoto dialect is used for the standardized form of Japanese during the Meiji Restoration. And, in this regard, many speakers of this dialect are proud of their roots and accents
| grammatical unit |
こちらですよ行きますえ (いきますえ)
こちらどすえ―ね becomes ―なそうですね
暑いですね (あついですね)そうどすな
暑うおすな (あつうおすな)です、でして
どす、どしたそうです
どうでした?そうどす
どうどした?ありません becomes
地図はありません(ちずはありません)
学生じゃありません
(がくせいじゃありません)
地図はおへん (ちずはおへん)学生やおへん (がくせいやおへん)
Dialects of Hiroshima
If we go back to 1974 and remember a movie called “Yakuza”, the characters used a dialect close to the ちゅごく region (Chugoku).
Since then, many people may associate the local dialect with the Japanese mafia, which is not entirely correct. Thanks in part to the films, the Hiroshima dialects (広島弁/ひろしまべん) are now well-known dialects of the Japanese language.
| grammatical unit | Standard Japanese | Hiroshima dialect |
| だ becomes じゃ | 犬だね (いぬだね) 生徒だけど (せいとだけど) 元気だ (げんきだ) | 犬じゃね (いぬじゃね) 生徒じゃけど (せいとじゃけど) 元気じゃ (げんきじゃ) |
| ―ない becomes ―ん | 食べない (たべない) しない | たべん (たべん) せえへん |
| ―でください becomes ―んさんな | かないでください (かかないでください) | 飲みんさんな (のみんさんな) 書きんさんな (かきんさんな) |
| ―てあげる、であげる becomes ―ちゃる、－じゃる | 教えてあげる (おしえてあげる) Let me explain to you 選んであげる (えらんであげる) Let me choose | 教えちゃる (おしえちゃる) 選んじゃる (えらんじゃる) |
Why does Japanese have two alphabets? Mini guide from AniDUB.com
Good day, dear reader! June is in full swing, and you’ve been lying on the couch for the second week watching top-rated TV series with a pack of chips on your belly and not learning anything new? It's time to fix this (sounds just like an advertisement for a course on...something)! Today is your favorite AniDUB . com
has prepared something interesting: an immersion into the world
of the Japanese language .
But don't rush! After all, the best part will be at the end of the article. Many people who are passionate about such an amazing phenomenon as Japan are eager to learn Japanese.
(naive mortals don’t even know what they’re getting into). Of course, nothing is impossible, but before you start mastering the basics, let me introduce a short tutorial AniDUB . com
in the language of the Land of Mountain Paths (Yamato no guni is one of the original names
of Japan ).
The main components of the Japanese language are the syllabaries hiragana (平仮名) and katakana (片仮名), as well as kanji (漢字 - “Chinese characters” or “letters of the Han era”). Together, hiragana and katakana form " kana " (仮名 translated as "pseudonym"). Well, the way to arrange the sounds of the kana is gojuon (五十音 or “fifty sounds”). By the way, now in Japan only 46 sounds are used (although this has not made life any easier), while the rest have fallen out of use.
Kanji is a system of Chinese characters in the Japanese language . They are used as a “skeleton” for writing the stems of nouns, adjectives and verbs. Previously, in the Land of the Rising Sun there was no written form of the alphabet, and to read Chinese texts brought by Buddhist monks, the Kambun (漢文 or “Chinese letter”) was invented - one of the written languages of medieval Japan , based on the classical Chinese language Wenyan (文言 by - Chinese). man'yogana was created to record native Japanese words , from which hiragana and katakana . Well, the very name “ manyōgana ” comes from “ manyōshu ” (万葉集 or “collection of ten thousand leaves”) - this was the name of a collection of small texts by different authors dating back to the Nara period (710-794) (so many incomprehensible words!) .
So, gradually Manyogana was transformed into two separate alphabets - hiragana and katakana (the Japanese themselves probably don’t remember this anymore).
We have already said that the Japanese themselves call their country Nippon (or Nihon). This is written using kanji
日本. 日 means “sun”, 本 means “tree”. Collectively, the "wooden sun" (or "solar tree") represents Japan .
But the combination of the kanji for the sun and the moon forms “brightness”. 月- “tsuki” - moon + 日- “hi” - sun = 明 – “akira” - brightness (however, in this case there is no exact guarantee that this kanji will exactly mean this word in the context).
Hiragana is used for writing in combination with hieroglyphs, where it denotes various grammatical elements (suffixes, prefixes, etc.), particles and endings. Learning Japanese begins with the basics of knowing hiragana , since it is the easiest to understand (yes, of course - sarcasm), and is divided into vowels and consonants. By the way, the word used to denote suffixes in Japanese is “ okurigana ” (送り仮名, “accompanying kana”, literally). Hiragana is distinguished by rounded characters (for example, あい - “ai” - love, or きん - “kin” - gold).
Katakana was adapted to designate foreign words - gairaigo (外来語 or “borrowed word that came from outside”) and this happened, by the way, relatively recently (it’s good that in Russian they didn’t come up with a separate designation for “merchandisers”). Katakana in writing is distinguished by sharp angles and lines (for example, アニメ - anime, or ペテルゴフ - Peterhof).
And another interesting feature is that there is no letter “l” in Japanese. Therefore, to convey this sound, the people of Nippon use “r” together with a vowel that matches the sound. For example, Sakhalin will sound like “Sakharin” (a funny name for an island), and “London” will sound like “Rondon”.
So, let’s sum up the intermediate results - kanji is used to write individual words, phrases or even sentences, hiragana is used to change the form of a word and “attach” suffixes and endings to it, and katakana is used to denote foreign words. All these forms overlap with each other; text written in hiragana can easily be transformed into katakana and vice versa. And a set of certain kana is transformed into kanji (phew, I almost got confused myself).
Although sometimes the Japanese themselves get stuck in the wilds of their own language (this also applies to Russian people, however), we will definitely know what, why and why.
And in order for all this above-mentioned theory with a bunch of incomprehensible words and not very interesting facts to work “in practice”, I offer your keen reader’s eye a mini-dictionary (if, of course, you can say so) - in this case, “strong” and emotional Japanese expressions. We bet you've already heard at least a couple of them in your favorite anime? Okay, it's time to expand our horizons :
痛(いた)〱もかゆくもない - Itaku mokayu kumonai - I don’t care whether it’s hot or cold.
それを聞(き)くのにうんだ - Sore o kiku noni un da - I'm tired of hearing this.
言(い)っておいた - Itte oita - I warned you!
威(おど)しても 利(き)かないぞ、分(わ)かった - Odoshite mo kikanai zō, wakatta - You won’t get anything from me by threats, do you understand?
Kogode wa wata shi no meirei ga zettai da yo, henji wa do shita? – You will do what I order, I don’t hear an answer?
かわいい - Kawaii - How cute/how cute!
君(くん)などは相手(あいて)にならない - Kun na dowa aite ni naranai - How can you compete with me!
凄い - Sugoi - Cool (in all variations)!
危(あぶ)ないぞ - Abunai zō - Beware!
後(あと)で 後悔(こうかい)しますよ - Atode kookai shimasu yo - You will regret this!
いい加減(かげん)にしろ - Ii kagen ni shiro - Better stop (this)!
そんな事(こと)をしたら 承知(しょうち)しないから — Sonna koto o sitara, seti shinai kara — Just try it, and I’ll show you!
君(きみ)の知(し)った事(こと)ではない - Kimi no shitta koto de wa nai - None of your business!
今日(きょう)は負(ま)けないぞ - Kyo wa makenai zo - There will be no concessions today!
止(や)めた方(ほう)が無難(ぶなん)だ – Yameta hoo ga bunan da – It would be better if you gave it up (stopped it).
君(きみ)の方(ほう) が悪(わる)い – Kimi no hoo ga warui/Kimi no sei da – It’s your fault, it’s all because of you.
危険な - Abunai - Danger/beware!
ざま見(み)ろ! 今(いま)に見(み)ろ! Dzama miro! Ima ni miro - Serves you right! You'll get it now!
喧(やかま)しくな、だまれ! - Yakama shiku na, damare - Quiet, shut up!
何(なん)も言(い)うな - Nan mo yu na - Don’t argue!
今度(こんど)キスしたら殺(ころ)すわよ - Kondo kisu sitara korosu wa yo - Kiss me again and I will kill you (now this is interesting)!
逋(つ)うしてくれ! - Tsuu site kure - Let me pass!
止(や)るなよ!、止(や)めろ!、馱目(だめ)だ! - Yaru na e! Yamero! Dame yes! - Do not do that! Do not dare!
を止(よ)しなさい - Oh yoshinasai - Enough, stop!
手(て)を退(ひ)け! - Te o hike - Hands off!
嘘 (うそ)ないのよ、知(し)らない振(ふ)りをする ひつようがない - Uso nai no yo, shiranai furi o suru hitsuyo ga nai - Don’t lie, don’t pretend it’s nothing not You know!
きさまら - Kisamara - Bastards!
ちっきしょおお - Tikki shooo - Damn!
Also, the most common and offensive name-calling in Japan is baka (馬鹿) - a fool in all senses, combinations, varieties and types. The Japanese will not forgive this for a long time (in particular, if you are a gaijin - 外人 - “foreigner”).
So, our little meeting has come to an end , and I am forced to say goodbye to you, dear reader, until the end of the summer (this happens). I hope the time spent with me was not wasted and you will look forward to the new article that will open the autumn season. In the meantime, learn all the mysteries of the Japanese language (the foundation has just been laid) and improve your unique drawing technique, because no one knows what will happen tomorrow.
With love, your Arma
“Hakata” dialect. “Hakata-ben”
The Hakata dialect (博多弁/はかたべん) is used in the city of Fukuoka. It is sometimes called 福岡弁 (ふくおかべん), due to the dense population of Fukuoka as well as the local regions. Later, Hakata-ben dialects began to be used in local news, along with news in standard Japanese.
| grammatical unit | Standard Japanese | Hakata dialect |
| だ、じゃ becomes や | 犬だね (いぬだね) This is a dog | 犬やね (いぬやね) |
| だけど becomes やけど | 生徒だけど (せいとだけど) | 生徒やけど (せいとやけど) |
| じゃない becomes やない | 赤じゃない (あかじゃない) | 赤やない (あかやない) |
| ―ない becomes ―ん | 食べない (たべない) 知らない (しらない) | 食べん (たべん) 知らん (しらん) |
| ―い adjective becomes ―か | 遅い (おそい) 良い (よい) | 遅か (おそか) 良か (よか) |
| The particle at the end ―よbecomes―ばい | それだよ (here it is!) 言ったよ (いったよ) - I told you so | それやばい 言ったばい (いったばい) |
Standard Japanese
The form of Japanese now called標準語 (ひょうじゅんご) was introduced as a uniform standard of conversation and literature for the entire country. You can also hear another term共通語 (きょうつうご) - common Japanese. The native speakers of the British dialect standardized London English, making it the single standard of their language (now a dialect), and, by analogy with such standardization, 標準語 became the language spoken by residents of privileged society during the Meiji Restoration (1868).
Today, this form is taught in schools, used on TV and in formal conversation. And we, who learn Japanese, mostly use it too. It just so happened that speakers of other dialects received a lower position. And, after the Second World War, in view of national reforms, the official language was finally introduced into compulsory use.
This is not to say that it was a very brilliant experiment. Yes, Standard Japanese is the language currently taught in schools and used for formal occasions. And it's simple. Although, since dialects still have a special meaning for regions, now the dialects of the region are given a much higher significance: dialects of the past, nostalgia, regional affiliation.
It is no longer as embarrassing to speak your own dialect as it was in the past. Young people are even beginning to base their own dialects on their own dialect, and that dialect may be far from standard, such as the Japanese spoken in Okinawa.
Below you will see the difference between the standard language and the seven most common types of Japanese. Some types of conversation may seem very funny.
Sendai dialect
Sendai-ben, Sendai dialect (仙台弁/せんだいべん) - is part of the large family of Tohoku dialects ((東北弁/とうほくべん). Sendai is the capital of Miyagi Prefecture. The Sendai dialect, if you take all the Tohoku dialects, is closest to the standardized Japanese However, being located close to Hokkaido, the dialects are so diverse that each region can have its own subtitles.
| grammatical unit | Standard Japanese | Sendai Dialect |
| Particle ―を becomes ―ば | 雑誌を買った (ざっしをかった) 窓を開ける (まどをあける) | 雑誌ば買った (ざっしばかった) 窓ば開ける (まどばあける)) |
| The particle ―に・へ becomes ―さ | 東京へ行く (とうきょうへいく) On my way to Tokyo 友達に貸した (ともだちにかした) Lent to a Friend | とうきょうさいく ) |
| だろう、でしょう becomes べ | 寒いだろう (さむいだろう) 日本人でしょう (にほんじんでしょう) | 寒いべ (さむいべ) 日本人だべ (にほんじんだべ) |
| そう becomes ん | そうだ そうじゃない | んだん でね |
Nagoya dialect
Where is Nagoya dialect spoken? – That's right, in Aichi (Aichi) prefecture.
This dialect is an excellent mixture of both Western and Eastern dialects of Japan, due to the geographical location of the region. Although this accent is very close to Tokyo, some may call the general pronunciation “speaking like a cat.”
| grammatical unit | Standard Japanese | Nagoya Dialect |
| Particle ―よ becomes particle に | 美味しいよ (おいしいよ) 良かったよ (よかったよ) | 美味しいに (おいしいに) 良かったに (よかったに) |
| ―ない becomes ―せん | 飲まない (のまない) 食べない (たべない) | 飲ません (のません) 食べせん (たべせん) |
| ―てください becomes ーてちょう | 書いてください (かい てください) | 書いてちょう (かい てちょう) |
| ―くなる becomes ーなる | 大きくなる (おおきくなる) 安くなる (やすくなる) | おおきなる (おおきなる) 安なる(やすなる) |
Hokkaido dialect
Truly one of the most interesting dialects of the Japanese language.
The island of Hokkaido was settled relatively recently. After the Meiji Restoration period, people from Tohoku and Hokuriku migrated to this island, and founded their own inimitable dialet. Thus, the Hokkaido dialect (北海道弁/ほっかいどうべん) is a mixture of already mixed dialects of regions that are distant from each other.
| grammatical unit | Standard Japanese | Hokkaido dialect |
| よね？ / でしょう？ becomes ―っしょ | 行くよね (いくよね) これだよね | 行くっしょ (いくっしょ) これっしょ |
| ―よね？ / でしょう？becomes ―しょや | 言ったよね (いったよね) I've told 明日でしょう (あしたでしょう) Maybe tomorrow | 言ったしょや (いったしょや) 明日しょや (あしたしょや) |
| The potential form of the verb takes on the ending ーAれる | 行ける (いける) 飲める (のめる) | 行かれる (いかれる) 飲まれる (のまれる)] |
| ―だろう / でしょう can become べ | 寒いだろう (さむいだろう) 日本人でしょう | 寒いべ (さむいべ) 日本人だべ (にほんじんだべ) |
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Japanese characters, calligraphy
Unlike alphabets, learning to write kanji is much more difficult. In Japan, there is an entire art form dedicated to the writing of hieroglyphs - calligraphy. So, speaking about the letter, we simply cannot fail to mention her.
Shodo: (書道), or literally “the way of writing,” is a traditional oriental art, like the hieroglyphs themselves, that came to Japan from China. While European alphabets play a predominantly functional role, hieroglyphs have been separate artistic objects since ancient times.
Japanese calligraphy for beginners
If you decide to master this art on your own, then you need to know that this is not an easy process. After all, calligraphy is not just beautiful writing of symbols, but an entire science that includes special rules, history and philosophy.
Like every business that the Japanese undertake, the entire work process is a separate ritual. Technique and every action, starting from choosing brushes and preparing mascara, makes sense and should be honed to the limit.
The “Way of Writing” is close in concept to Buddhism. It is believed to be a path of self-improvement with ink, brush and paper. If a person does not come to harmony within himself, then he will not be able to depict a hieroglyph beautifully. That is why the true beauty of a calligraphic symbol is in the harmony and peace of mind achieved by the master.
To begin with, it is important to know what tools calligraphy masters use:
- brush (筆 - fude);
- inkwell for dissolving solid ink (硯 - suzuri);
- black or red mascara (墨 - sumi);
- special Japanese paper (和紙 - washi);
- holders (文鎮 - bunshin) and substrates (下敷き - shitajiki) for paper.
For beginners, you can buy everything you need at an art store: simple gouache, a soft pointed brush, paper and a jar of water. And only then will it be necessary to expand your arsenal with more professional tools.
Probably, each of the students was faced with the need to look up kanji in a dictionary without knowing how to read it. In this case, you can draw a Japanese character and translate it online using a translator. But even for this you need to know in what order kanji are written. Otherwise, the character may not be recognized correctly.
And studying calligraphy without this knowledge is not at all possible. Watch a video on how to learn to write Japanese characters.
Each hieroglyph has its own clear structure. Remember the 3 types of lines mentioned above: stop, jump and stroke. It is important to keep them in mind when writing kanji.
The master holds the brush only with the thumb, index and middle fingers at the middle or higher, tilting it 45 degrees. It is important to learn how to smoothly lead each line, pressing and releasing pressure at the right moments.
How to draw Japanese characters
After preparing the basic tools, you will need to select a hieroglyph. It’s worth starting with the simplest ones, for example, with “person” (人).
Divide the sheet into 4 squares to understand which part each line should be in. Next, holding the brush at an angle of 45 degrees, make the first stroke and draw the line obliquely to the left. Draw the second line to the right, stop and, with pressure, move it a little more to the right. The kanji for “man” is ready!
Also, during training, it is recommended to watch as many videos about calligraphy as possible so that you can copy the Japanese characters you see and practice more. And remember: in any business, the main thing is practice!
Which type of writing do you like best - hiragana, katakana or kanji - and why? Write in the comments!
Japanese calligraphy. Notebook for hieroglyphs, hiragana, katakana. An article about how to draw Japanese characters for beginners. Copybooks of Japanese alphabets.
