Member-only story
The Journey of Learning Japanese Hiragana: A Beginner’s Adventure
Learning a new language is like embarking on a journey to a foreign land. The sights, sounds, and sensations are unfamiliar at first, but with each step, the world begins to make sense. For me, that journey began with Japanese hiragana — a beautiful, flowing script that serves as the foundation of the Japanese language. As a beginner, I had no idea what to expect, but looking back, I can confidently say that learning hiragana was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.
The First Step: Overcoming the Intimidation
When I first opened my Japanese textbook and saw the hiragana chart, I felt a mix of excitement and dread. The characters looked like elegant squiggles, each one unique and seemingly impossible to memorize. How was I supposed to tell あ (a) from お (o)? Or ぬ (nu) from め (me)? It felt like staring at an insurmountable wall.
But I reminded myself that every expert was once a beginner. I decided to take it one character at a time. I started with the vowels — あ (a), い (i), う (u), え (e), お (o) — and practiced writing them over and over until they felt familiar. Slowly but surely, the characters began to feel less like abstract art and more like letters I could recognize.
