Foreign Alphabet/Japanese/Hiragana/'a' Group
あ edit
あ is pronounced as 'a' as in 'alright'
Strokes edit
Examples edit
- あなた (anata) -- You
- あき (aki) -- Autumn
Notes on Usage edit
あ can be used to extend the 'a' sound by one beat when used after another '-a' syllable. It is important to express this one beat as words like obasan (middle-aged lady) and obāsan (pronounced "obaasan") (grandmother) have only this difference to differentiate them.
い edit
い is pronounced as 'i' as in 'itch'
Strokes edit
Examples edit
- いち (ichi) -- One
- いちご (ichigo) -- Strawberry
Notes on Usage edit
い can be used to extend the 'i' sound by one beat when used after another '-i' syllable. E.g.: にいがった (Niigata) -- A prefecture (A administrative district) of Japan.