Ideas for teaching Japanese
WRITING HIRAGANA ひらがな
Ideas for teaching Japanese writing including hiragana in the classroom, useful websites, board games, PowerPoints, videos, posters, flashcards, genkouyoushi generators, Japanese fonts and free downloadable worksheets.
Apps
Ipad Itouch kana self paced learning
Ss learn hiragana and katakana at their own pace using Ipad or Itouch apps. This booklet guides Ss through 8 levels (from complete beginner to advanced) of App based exercises. Donated by J Sgro
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Awards and certificates
Hiragana Awards
A set of awards to give to students doing well learning their hiragana. Donated by L McDonald
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Mastering hiragana
As students learn a line of the hiragana chart they get a star to put on their 'Mastering hiragana' chart. Donated by J Nagashima
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Board games
Hiragana advanced board game |
Hiragana basics board game |
Hiragana colour games (3 game boards)
Divide the class into groups of three. Copy a game board for each group. Students start at 'Sutaato' and work their way to 'Gooru'. Taking turns, students must read the hiragana character. If read correctly they can colour in the hiragana square. (Ensure each student in the group has a different colour pen.) If they can't read the hiragana the next person can try to read it. If no one can read the hiragana they race to check their hiragana chart. The person who can find the reading the fastest, colours in the hiragana square. The person in the group with the most coloured in hiragana at the end is the winner.(There are 3 different game boards to choose from - basic characters, basic characters and tenten maru, OR ten ten maru and combinations.) Created by I Foley |
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Hiragana Sugoroku
Practice hiragana using this sugoroku. (Rules available when downloaded.) Created by I Foley
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Yuuon (combination sounds) board game
Game board for practicing combination sounds in hiragana. Created by I Foley.
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Booklets
Colour codes booklet - hiragana
Ss read and find the hiragana and colour them in according to the colour key. Ss discover a picture in each colour code activity. (Booklet includes 10 different colouring in activities. Each 10 activities focusses on a different set of hiragana.) Donated by M Miller.
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Hiragana 'あ is for'
Trace the hiragana letter then students think of a word that reminds them of this sound and write a sentence 'た is for taiko' and then students create a picture to illustrate this sound and mnemonic. Donated by R Allen
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Hiragana and Katakana booklet
Booklet with hiragana and katakana writing practise as well as quizzes. Includes stories to help remember each character. Includes a brief explanation of the wiritng system. (29 pages) Donated by K Ishii
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Hiragana writing mnemonics
Writing practise booklet for hiragana includes mnemonic, tracing exercises and drawing a picture to memorize the letter. (Includes pages from あ a to の no.) Donated by K Kelly
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Hiragana writing practise
Practise writing hiragana with word writing exercises. (19 pages) Donated by S Devonshire
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Hiragana writing practise
Practise writing hiragana including those with ten ten and maru. (13 pages) (Also available in katakana.) Donated by M Miller
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Hiragana writing practise
Practise writing hiragana including tenten, maru and combinations. Donated by L Cumberland
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Reading and writing exercises
Hiragana reading and writing exercises. (8 pages) Donated by S Salomen
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Speed tests - Hiragana and Katakana
Hand out the speed test. Don’t reveal which column the students are to work on until the last second. Give the students 60 seconds (or a time suitable to ability) to translate the kana into romaji. Display a stop watch on a PowerPoint or Interactive Whiteboard (eg. http://www.online-stopwatch.com/) or use a clock with a second hand that students can see. When Ss complete their column they write down their time. At the end of the allocated time check the answers (either by calling them out or showing the answers on an OHT). Students check their work, and add a 10 second time penalty for each mistake. This will give the students a “corrected” time. The aim is for students to be both fast and accurate. Complete the tests regularly so that students can beat their Personal Best (PB) and increase their accuracy and speed. Donated by K McMahon and K Baker |
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Words in hiragana
Practice writing hiragana words (6 pages) of homework exercises. Donated by F Scarth
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Charts
Colour the strokes Hiragana chart
Ss colour in the hiragana chart according to the stroke number. Donated by B Franz.
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Hiragana and Katakana chart
A chart of hiragana/katakana/romaji to be copied on a single page, front and back. Donated by B Shultis
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Hiragana chart and Japanese basics
Hiragana chart including Japanese basics such as dates, counting and particles. Donated by K Brownlee
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Hiragana with mnemonics
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PowerPoint hiragana chart
Hiragana chart in PowerPoint. Can be printed and used as a poster. Donated by D Sakamoto
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Tracing the hiragana chart
Trace the hiragana letters in the chart.
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Flashcards
Hiragana flashcards
Various styles of free downloadable flashcards. http://www.kids-points.com/drill/index.html |
How to use hiragana flashcards
An information sheet for students and their parents explaining how to get the most out of hiragana flashcards. Donated by M Ivory
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Games and activities in class
Tt stands at the front of the class and instructs Ss to write certain things in the air with their arms and legs. Eg. ‘Using your left hand write 'a' あ . Now use your right foot and draw 'i' い . etc.
Around the world A Suzuki
Ss sit in a horseshoe shape. The first Ss on the left of the horseshoe shape stands behind the Ss to his/her left. These two Ss are asked a question related to the target language. Eg. “What does this word/kanji mean?” The first Ss to answer continues left around the horseshoe shape (imagine going around the world). This Ss continues moving around the world until another Ss is faster than him/her. The Ss who is the slowest sits down and the Ss who is faster takes his/her place. Once one of the Ss has reached the end of the horseshoe shape they then have a final 3 questions together with the last person in the horseshoe shape. The Ss who wins the final 3 questions competes against the person who moved the most around the horseshoe shape. The two Ss then compete with a final 3 questions. The winner is the Ss who answers the most questions correctly and the quickest. Extra: hiragana/katakana.
Back writing Adapted from www.eslprintables.com
Each pupil uses his/her finger as a pencil and writes a word, hiragana, katakana or kanji on his/her classmate’s back. This classmate tries to guess the word (or letter). If he or she guesses it before the “writer” finishes, he/she get three points. If he or she guesses it after the word has been written once, both children get two points. If the word has to be written a second time, they only get one point.
Divide the class into small groups of 5. Each group makes a line. The teacher tells a letter to each student at the front of the line group. The teacher then says 'Starto' and this first student in the group then writes the letter on the back of the next student in their line. Continue down the line. The last student in the line writes the letter on a paper and shows it to the teacher. The first group to write the letter correctly is the winner.
Get a large ball and write the hiragana or katakana characters all over it. Throw the ball around the room. As it is thrown, yell out 'migi みぎ' (right) or 'hidari ひだり' left. When the Ss catches the ball they need to read the letter that is closest to their migi or hidari hand (which ever was called out by the thrower).
Cut out each template, fold in half and laminate. Punch a hole at the top and thread some string through. Ss then need to look at the front face, and thread the string to match the hiragana with the romaji reading. The pattern on the back is so that Ss can check their answers (if the string matches the black pattern they are correct).
Donated by S Blundell
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Basketball kana
The Ss are divided into two teams. Say a kana and the Ss who writes it first and correctly gets a point. That Ss then gets the opportunity to shoot a pretend basketball into the pretend trashcan "goal." The student can choose from the 3, 2, or 1 point shooting range. If the student doesn't get the ball in the basket, his or her team still receives at least 1 point for writing the kana the fastest. The team with the most points at the end wins.
Hiragana and Katakana or basic Kanji symbol can be written on the beach ball in advance. Students take turns to toss the ball around in small groups or in the whole class, wherever the catcher’s thumb lands on, the symbol or Kanji is to be read out loud. EXTRA: Verbs or adjectives can be written on the beach ball to test students’ conjugation knowledge.
Donated by W Lu.
Each Ss has a mini whiteboard (or a laminated piece of paper), whiteboard marker and eraser (or a chux). Tt yells out a hiragana, katakana or kanji. The Ss write it on the whiteboard and then show the Tt as quickly as possible. Points can be allocated to the fastest Ss. Or the fastest Ss can then yell out the next letter.
Board memory
Write kana or kanji being studied randomly on the board. Ss then try to memorize them. Get Ss to put their heads down. ‘Minai de kudasai. みないでください。’ Then erase one of the letters. Ask the Ss to look ‘Hai, mitte kudasai みってください。’ Ss put their hands up if they know which letter is missing. The Tt selects the Ss who was the fastest. If they are correct then they can get the next chance at erasing a letter from the board. (Flashcards can also be used instead of writing the letters on the board. These flashcards can easily be removed and replaced.)
Photocopy sets of cards, cut and put into zip-lock bags. Hand the bags out to small groups. The groups race each other to match the sets of cards. The Ss match the hiragana spelling with the romaji equivalent and English translation. The fastest group is the winner.
Donated by Heidi
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Colour dictation
Give each student a copy of the hiragana/katakana dictation sheet. Ensure each student has coloured pencils or pens. Read randomly each letter and a colour, ie. Trace the hiragana ka in red (ひらがなの「か」をあかくなぞってください。) OR Trace the katakana ko in blue (かたかなの「コ」をあおくなぞってください。Etc. (Create your own dictation dot-font page see 'How to install dot fonts' on the HOW TO DO...TIPS page.)
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Students are given a Conan Code sheet with the hiragana chart converted into number codes. Students are then shown number clues for Japanese words (number clues are provided on the PowerPoint slides). Students use the number clues to write romaji and hiragana. They then read the Japanese word and guess what it is in English. The teacher then shows the students the picture on the PowerPoint slide to see if their answers were correct.
Donated by William Blakeley
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Dokkan (bang)
Write the kana being studied onto paddle pop sticks. Also write three paddle pop sticks with the word ‘DOKKAN ドッカン’ (bang). Put them all into a cup. Divide the class into two teams (or more teams). Get one student from each team to come to the front of the room. They take a paddle pop stick. If they can name the kana correctly they get to keep the paddle pop stick. If they can’t name the kana they have to put the paddle pop stick back. If the Ss pulls out a ‘DOKKAN ドッカン’ stick then they must put all their paddle pop sticks back into the cup. The team with the most paddle pop sticks at the end is the winner.
Photocopy multiple sets on different coloured cardboard. Cut down middle line and then across horizontal lines to make domino cards. Laminate. In small groups of 4-5, students are given 1 set. Deal out 5 domino cards to each student and place the remaining dominoes in a pile facing downwards. Take 1 card from the pile and turn over as a starting card. Students take turns in laying down a domino card that matches. If a student can’t lay a card down, they pick up from the pile. First student to lay all their domino cards down wins.
Donated by Nicole H
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Enlarge the grid, then copy onto coloured paper, laminate and then cut out. Students can use dictionaries if they have a limited vocabulary to help them find the words. Have one set of cards on each table, and see which table can
match the most dominoes together (but all words must be real). EXTRA: Have sets of cards in a box for students who finish their work quickly. OR For very good students, give them a blank grid and have them make up their own set of dominoes.
Donated by K Duquemin
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Fan-tastic
To review vocabulary (or hiragana or kanji) put the word you want Ss to learn onto a piece of A4 paper. Fold the paper in a fan shape. Slowly reveal the word, fan section by fan section. Ss have to guess what the word is before the fan is completely opened. (For each fold left over Ss can get a point.)
Give each student a copy of the game board. (Laminate and use whiteboard markers to re-use game boards.) The teacher says a hiragana and then the students need to circle the four of the hiragana on their game board. This game can be played individually or in groups as a race or competition, assigning points for the first with all circled correctly.
Donated by L Lally
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Print and laminate a Hiragana grid board for each Ss. Divide the class into two teams. Tt reads a hiragana letter and when a Ss finds it, they put their hand up and tell the class the exact co-ordinates of the symbol. If they get it right, they get a point for their team.
OR... Give each Ss a whiteboard marker. As the Tt says the hiragana the Ss circle them. After a few symbols, the Ss read out their coordinates and the Tt checks that they are correct.
Donated by Allira
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Guru guru Janken
Arrange about 10 chairs in a horse shoe shape. On each chair place a hiragana card. Divide the class into two teams. Each team lines up at opposite ends of the horse shoe. The Tt says 'starto' and the students go around saying each hiragana. When the students meet they play jankenpon. The Ss that wins continues the one that loses has to go back to the end of the line of his/her team. If a Ss goes the entire way around the horse shoe shape they get a point for their team. EXTRA: To make sure the Ss are reading the hiragana correctly have one Ss from each team on the outside of the horse shoe checking what each Ss is saying. Also, to make it more difficult have two or three pairs of Ss going round the horse shoe at the same time!
Hiragana chart circle race
On an interactive whiteboard ,project a picture of the hiragana chart. (Or print a large hiragana chart on A3 paper.) Put a word, from one of the ones being taught, in hiragana above the chart. ie. If studying colours put the word むらさき above the chart. Divide the class into two teams. One person from each team takes turns to come to the front of the class to circle one of the hiragana from the word. EXTRA: Add some exciting, fast paced music to liven up the game.
Hiragana combinations race Donated by R. Rivera
Divide the class into two teams. Select on person from each team to come to the front of the class. Give each student a whiteboard marker. Tt shows a hiragana flashcard ending in
an 'i' sound eg ki き, then shows a second hiragana flashcard either 'ya,yu or yo' や、ゆ、よ. The students then write down as quickly as they can the combination letter. ie きゃ. The student who writes it up correctly first gains a point for their team. The students then select another person from their team to come to the whiteboard. The team with the most points in the end is the winner. EXTRA: To make this game more challenging, rather than showing the flashcards of the hiragana the teacher can say the two hiragana letters.
Hiragana concentration
Give Ss a blank piece of paper. Get them to fold the paper into squares. Unfold the paper. Then Ss write the hiragana letters being studied (use a pencil or a light coloured pen so that the letters can't be seen through the other side.) Cut out the squares. Lay the squares face down in random order on the desk. Ss then try to find pairs of the same letters.
Buy assorted hollow plastic eggs (usually in dollar shops in the run up to Easter). Mix the colours so that students don't look for the same coloured eggs. Write, using a permanent marker, hiragana on the top section of the egg and romaji on the bottom half. The hiragana eggs can then be used in various games such as:
(1) In teams work together to match the halves, the aim to be the fastest team.
(2) In teams line up as for a relay, the first person tuns to the eggs at the front, makes one match, drops it into their box and tags the next player.
(3) Build words.
(5) Use them in a station where students rotate around doing various hiragana activites (more details in the PDF download.)
Donated by S Viner
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Hiragana jumble Adapted from www.eslprintables.com
The class is divided into pairs or groups.The teacher writes some words in hiragana about a topic being studied on the board and gives each group a set of small cards where children write each hiragana of the words on the board. Then they have to mix the hiragana and then recompose each word. To make it more challenging the Tt can erase the words on the board.The teacher walks around checking the words and asking the children to read out the words. For older students, the teacher can write sentences rather than words and pupils have to recompose the sentence word by word.
Hiragana Ninja L Brandis
Tt faces his/her back towards the Ss and draws above his/her head a hiragana letter in the air. The Ss guess the letter. Ss replace the Tt.
Hiragana pictures
Give each student a blank hiragana letter. Get them to create a picture from the hiragana. Then stick these hiragana around the room as reminders.
Hiragana spell Adapted from www.eslprintables.com
Divide the class into teams and give each team a set of hiragana letters. Get them to spread out the letters on the table so they’re all facing up. Then give clues for words you want to test them on, e.g. ‘the day before Suiyoubi すいようび’, students write kayoubi かようび on the table by selecting the hiragana letters. ‘Kore wa nan desu ka?’ – point to things in the classroom, draw on the board etc. Once students get the idea, ask one of them to lead the game and give the clues instead of you.
Hiragana Stomp L Brandis
Put a few sets of hiragana (ie ha family and ma family) scattered on the floor at the front of the classroom. Select two Ss. Say a hiragana. The first Ss to stomp on it with their foot and shouts the hiragana is the winner. This person may now select the next Ss to come and play. (Or the Ss continue a few times. The Ss with the most flashcards at the end is the winner). Can also be done for vocabulary revision.
All students find a spot in the room to stand. The teacher holds up a hiragana card and picks a student to identify what the hiragana is. If they are correct they then take a step and tag somebody out. This person then sits down. Even those who are out continue to play, if they can correclty identify the hiragana, they select someone still in the game to tag another person still in the game. The last person standing is the winner. EXTRA: If the students can recall the mnemonic which goes with the hiragana symbol (ie. あ for the antenna up on the roof) they can take two steps.
Donated by J Cudbertson
Hiragana Taisou L Brandis
Ss choose a body part and then use it to write a letter in Japanese.
Choose a starting point on the circle and place your counter there. Your partner starts opposite you on the circle. Play janken. The winner can move forward the following number of spaces: Win on ぐう = 3 spaces, Win on ちょき= 2 spaces, Win on ぱあ=1 space. The aim is to catch up to your partner. When you land on the same space your partner is on, you win the round. Colour in the tile and start a new round. When all the tiles are coloured, the winner is the person with the most tiles. (Modify this game with any kana, kanji or words that need reviewing.)
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Kana snatch
Give each pair of Ss a set of kana letters. Ss put the letters on the table in front of them. The Tt then yells out one of the letters. Ss need to grab the letter. The fastest gets to keep the letter. If there is a tie then they play junkenpon to see who keeps the letter. The Ss with the most letters at the end is the winner.
Three different sets of karuta cards. (1) Words written with the first letter of each hiragana character (2) Words written in romaji representing each hiragana letter (3) Hiragana cards.
How to play: Using the hiragana only set (1) student listen to the teacher saying the beginning sound of each word and find the corresponding card. OR Using the romaji set (2) and hiragana letter set (3) match the romaji with the hiragana sound.
Donated by H Thompson
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Line up kana
Divide the class into three groups. Get each group to stand into a straight line in front of the teacher. Tt shows a hiragana/katakana. The three Ss standing at the front of each line must say the letter. The Ss who is the fastest gets to go to the end of the line. The Tt shows the next letter and so on. Each time the leader of the team gets back to the front of their line their team gets a point.
Use hiragana/katakana or kanji in place of X or O on a naughts and crosses board. The teacher can demonstrate on the board the correct stroke order and the students can copy these into the boxes at the top the worksheet.
Donated by K Caughey.
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Newspaper kana
Get old Japanese newspapers, magazines or advertisements (print off Japanese webpages). Get Ss to find the hiragana, katakana or kanji you are studying. Ss then cut out the letters and clue them into their books.
Get a number of small stones or flat marbles. On each stone write a hiragana letter. Divide the class into small groups. Give each group a bag of stones. Spread the stones out onto the desk/floor. A Ss reads two of the stones and flicks the one stone onto the other. If the stones touch (without touching any other stone) then they get to keep the stone. The Ss with the most stones at the end wins.
OHT memory A Suzuki
Put up an OHT with kana, words, phrases, Kanji or pictures. Ss have one minute to remember whats on the OHT. Tt removes the OHT and Ss write down all things they can remember. The Ss who remembers the most words wins.
Students create a circle in which the teacher will be in the center. Each student takes a hiragana card. The teacher says はじぇめてください (hajimete kudasai) and starts counting a specific duration of time (for instance from1 to 30 seconds). During the time in which the teacher is counting, the students are passing the hiragana cards to their right or left. Then the teacher says とめてください (tomete kudasai) and the students stop passing the cards. The teacher commences to walk to one student, then to another. Every time the teacher gets close to one student, the student must say the hiragana card given to her/him. If the student can't recall the hiragana they are holding, then he/she is eliminated. When the circle gets smaller with fewer students, the number of hiragana cards to say by each student increases. And the activity continues until just one student remains.
Donated by R Peralta
Pipe cleaner Kana
Give each Ss a bunch of pipe cleaners. Get them to create kana or kanji out of the pipe cleaners. (Play dough could be used instead of pipe cleaners.)
Students quickly recognise hiragana by doing a puzzle. Print each puzzle on to card, laminate then cut into pieces. Ideal activity for small groups. 5 different puzzles available.
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Students pratise hiragana characters with this "Read it, write it, make it" board. The board is broken up into three sections - read it, make it, write it! Laminate it and they can use it for practicing hiragana, katakana, short words, kanji etc. For the 'make it' section students need to make the hiragana character out of play dough, pipecleaners or any other malleable substance.
Donated by A Roccasalva
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Copy a picture from each chapter in the textbook that Ss have studied. Then draw a bubble above each picture. Ss write a word, sentence or dialogue about each picture.
Run and write
Divide the class into two teams. Allocate a runner for each team. Tt shows a flashcard in English the Ss then run to the board and write the word in the target language. The person to first do this gets a point. The team with the most points at the end is the winner.
Run and circle
Write on the board the kana or kanji being studied. Divide the class into 2 teams. One Ss from each team stands at the back of the room. The Tt then yells out a letter. The Ss run and circle the letter. The fastest gets a point for their team. The next Ss of each team then has a go until all Ss have had a turn.
Scavenger Hunt Kana
Put hiragana letters all around the room. Divide the class into two teams. Select two Ss. Tt says a hiragana letter. The first Ss to find that letter and say it in Japanese gets a point for their team. The team with the most points is the winner.
Sit students in a circle. Put 2 sets of hiragana cards into the centre of the circle. Give each student a number. Call a hiragana card, then a two numbers. The students with these numbers must stand up and grab the two hiragana cards mentioned. The person to grab the cards the first gets to keep the cards. The student with the most cards at the end wins. (Have a hiragana chart on a PPT available if students are still unfamiliar with the hiragana.) EXTRA: Say a kana and the students must grab one hiragana and one katakana card. AND/OR Have blank cards as wild cards. - Small cards available from: http://www.kids-points.com/drill/index.html
Created by I Foley
Tic-Tac-Toe hiragana Adapted from www.superteacherideas.com
Divide your students into two teams. Draw a big tic-tac-toe grid up on the board. Choose one person of one team to start. Give them a kana or kanji. Get one of the students from one of the teams to come up and write the hiragana. If they write the hiragana correctly, then a person from the same team gets to come up and writes another kana or kanji. If they get it wrong, then a person from the opposite team gets to come up. The first to complete 3 squares in a row is the winner.
EXTRA: Have a completed tic-tac-toe grid on the board. Two Ss come up to the board. If they can read a kana (or word) correctly they can draw a maru (circle) or batsu (cross) for their team. The first team to get 3 in a row is the winner.
Print the cards (using colour), laminate and cut out. Divide the class into groups. Each Ss in the group gets 7 cards. The remaining cards are put in a pile in the middle of the group, with one card facing up, Going clockwise around the group, Ss match a card with the one facing up in the middle (either hiragana group ie all the m's mamimumemo, まみむめも or match the ending of a hiragana). Continue around. The aim of the game is for Ss to collect 5 matching hiragana in their hand eg. either aiueo, あいうえお, kakikukeko, かきくけこetc OR akasatana, あかさたな, ikishichinihi, いきしちにひ etc. The winner is the first person to do so. For more details on UNO rules see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uno_(card_game)
Donated by K Duquemin
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Writing mat
Laminate the hiragana or katakana writing charts. Ss then trace over the letters using whiteboard pens (or any non permanent marker). The chart can be erased and used again. EXTRA: Glue the chart onto card. Cut each character out. Punch a hole in the corner and join with string. Ss write the romaji on the back and can test themselves or their partner.
Writing mats are available from http://www.sakaisensei.co.uk/kana.html
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Posters
Ten Tens poster
Poster showing how hiragana sounds change when ten tens or marus are added. Includes mnemonics. Donated by J Peterson
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Mnemonic posters for hiragana
Posters based on the mnemonics clues for "Hiragana in 48 minutes" Donated by K Doonican
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PowerPoints
Animated How to write hiragana
PowerPoint showing how to write the main hiragana (kakijun) through animated stroke ordered characters. Donated by M Wongpoon
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GAME - Fast moving hiragana
A hiragana symbol quickly flashes across the screen, Ss guess the hiragana they see. On the next click of the mouse, the PowerPoint reveals the symbol and Ss can see if their guess was correct.
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GAME - Hiragana bang
Divide the class into pairs, see which student can say the hiragana that flashes up the fastest. Donated by N Gilbert.
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GAME - Hiragana circle
In each slide, a hiragana is partially covered by a circle graphic. The students have to guess the hiragana that is hidden from the parts that are visible. When they guess, click again, and the circle is removed. Another click takes you to the next slide. Donated by J Donehoo
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GAME - Hiragana circle V2
Press 'play slide show' and the slides will automatically show a hidden hiragana symbol, then reveal the symbol and its pronunciation. Ss watch the slide show and try to guess/learn the hiragana. (Ideal for independent learning. Play at the beginning of the class if you have Ss arriving at different times.) Created by I Foley
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GAME - Hiragana fire fighter
Animated PowerPoint show - watch the fire fighter shoot hiragana at the fire to put it out (あいうえおかきくけこ). Ss shout out the hiragana they see. Donated by K Ellis.
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GAME - Hiragana reading
Go through each hiragana letter using the arrows. Then, select a square according to colour and a number (ie. pink 1, orange 3, blue 2 etc), then guess the hiragana that is shown when the corresponding square is clicked. Three different games. Donated by A. Zaini
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GAME - Who wants to be a millionaire hiragana
Read the questions, related to reading hiragana, and the four possible answers. The student then selects their answer. The teacher clicks on the answer and it will highlight. If it is correct the next dollar amount appears. Continue until 1 million dollars. If the answer is incorrect the game ends. Donated by A Huxley
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Hiragana rules - Yuuon
PowerPoint describing how to write combination hiragana such as kya, kyu, kyo etc. Includes practice words. Created by I Foley
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Hiragana rules - Long vowel sounds
PowerPoint describing how to write long vowel sounds, double consonants, traditional sounds and particles. Created by I Foley
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Hiragana rules - Ten ten and maru
PowerPoint introducing the changes which occur when a tenten or maru is added to a hiragana symbol. Includes a simple rhyme to help students remember the rules.
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How to write hiragana PowerPoint
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Learn hiragana through mnemonics
A PowerPoint introducing each hiragana symbol with a picture mnemonic to help students remember them more easily. Ie A is for 'Antenna'. Donated by A Thompson
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Niteiru moji
PowerPoint used to compare similar hiragana characters. Can be printed and used as writing practise. Adapted from http://print-kids.net/print/kokugo/niteiru-hiragana-katakana/ Created by I Foley
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Reading and writing hiragana
PowerPoint introducing hiragana including stoke order animations, mnemonic, hiragana chart reference, common font changes in hand writing and print, combination hiragana, small tsu and other useful tips. Created by I Foley
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Romaji sounds
PowerPoint introducing basic pronunciation of Japanese using romaji based on hiragana. Donated by P Okubo
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Signs in hiragana
PowerPoint where students try to read the signs written in hiragana. Donated by A Baxter
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Strategies for learning hiragana
PowerPoint introducing strategies to help students learn hiragana including mnemonics, songs, games, flashcards etc. Created by I Foley
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Stroke order A to KO
Animated PowerPoint showing the hiragana stroke order for A through to KO. Donated by Z Cuantiq
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Stoke order hiragana
PowerPoint introducing hiragana according to the numbers of strokes it has (1 stroke to 4 stoke chracters). Includes writing practise sheets and match up activity. Created by I Foley.
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Videos
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Aiueo Rap - Genki Japan |
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Aiueo Ouen Taisou
Tomica and Plarail presents hiragana using their cars and trains as back drops. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hv82o8Q-b7k |
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Hanake's hiragana song
Hiragana song with a difference. Sung on the spur of the moment. Ideal for teenagers learning hiragana! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Njvulx5N_qE |
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Hiragana song
Need teenagers to get interested in Japanese? This song may just do the trick... Hiragana song with a difference! Donated by C. Bowen. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWHMkItw7-4&feature=relmfu |
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Hiragana no uta
Hiragana song showing each basic character followed by things starting with each hiragana line sining characters and finally a hiragana chart. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IpHIUxhdaI |
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Japanese Alphabet song |
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Websites
Hiragana interactive
Great for an interactive whiteboard, get students to draw the romaji into hiragana. Other games too. (Watch a short advert and then you can play.) http://www.flashgamecrazy.com/playgame/1245/htlj-hiragana.html |
Hiragana interactive: ChipChat
A hiragana game suitable for an interactive whiteboard. http://www.chipchat.com/NihonGo/protect/HiraganaDrill.html |
Hiragana kakijun
Practice hiragana writing order かきじゅん on an interactive whiteboard or with a mouse using this online game. http://homepage2.nifty.com/momo-ch/momonote02.htm |
Hiragana marugoto
Hiragana stroke order animations, listen to each hiragana, see how the hiragana is used in common vocabulary, hiragana quizzes. http://a1.marugotoweb.jp/basic_training.php?p=h |
Hiragana kakijun 2
Practice hiragana writing order かきじゅん on an interactive whiteboard or with a mouse using this online game. http://yurudara.up.seesaa.net/image/11aiu.swf |
Hiragana listening practice
Listen to the hiragana, stroke order animations, quizzes practicing selected hiragana. www.onlinenihongo.com |
HIragana map quiz
Click and drag the hiragana in the correct place. Answers can be checked and Ss are given a tick or cross accordingly. http://www.mapquiz.net/hk/hiragana01/t1.html |
Hiragana master drill
Flashcard drills with reading, character recognition (audio) and typing. http://japanese-lesson.com/characters/hiragana/hiragana_drill/index.html |
Hiragana matching game
http://genkienglish.net/genkijapan/hiragana1.htm A game where students need to click on the cards and match the hiragana. Hiragana have sound. |
Hiragana match up
http://www.sakaisensei.co.uk/hotpotato/hiragana_practice_index.html Select the hiragana being studied then Ss match the hiragana with the romaji. |
Hiragana mnemonics
Recognise and remember hiragana with these mnemonics. http://www.canyouchopstick.com/2010/12/hiragana-mnemonic/ |
Hiragana practice |
Hiragana practice |
Hiragana roots
See how hiragana and katakana have originated from Chinese characters. http://www.ugoky.com/hiragana/hiragana_ugoky.swf |
Hiragana tiles |
Hiragana writing practice
Use the interactive whiteboard to practice writing hiragana. Watch the correct stroke order and write. http://japaneselanguageculturefood.com/japanese-language-hiragana.htm |
Kana and basic kanji games
Various games for practicing hiragana, katakana and basic kanji. Plus numerous vocabulary pages. http://www.learn-hiragana-katakana.com/ |
Kana Bento
A mobile friendly Hiragana and Katakana drag and drop game. Match kana with romaji by dragging and dropping kanas onto a grid. The dragging and grid kanas can be any of combination of Hiragana/Katakana/Romanji. https://drlingua.com/japanese/games/kana-bento/ |
Kana challenge by Study Japanese
http://www.studyjapanese.org/games/kanachallenge/ Quick paced multiple choice kana activity. |
Kana flashcard game
Practice hiragana and katakana with this game. It shows you a flashcard and you need to type the correct hiragana. It shows you a red smilie if you are incorrect and a green smilie if you are correct. http://kana.gerke-preussner.de/flashcards.html |
Kana frenzy
Invader type game for both hiragana and katakana. Rather than just letters, you need type an entire word to blow it up. http://edulift.eu/frenzy/jp/ |
Kana grid
A game for iPads and desktops which helps kids differentiate Hiragana and Katakana kanas. https://drlingua.com/japanese/games/kana-grid/ |
Kana game: Stackana
Practice hiragana and katakana with this Tetris style game. http://www.xleeque.com/stackana-japanese-puzzle-game.aspx |
Kanagrams
Select all or some of the hiragana or katakana symbols. Three different games available. 'Textboxer' is a game where students type the romaji for the kana. 'Quick click' where students select the correct kana from a selection of 6 for the romaji. 'Connector' is a game where students draw a line between the kana and matching romaji pronunciation. http://www.kanagrams.com/app.php?type=play |
Kana invaders
Practice hiragana and katakana with this invaders type and shoot game. http://learnjapanesepod.com/kana-invaders/ |
Kana listening
Listen, read and write kana using this useful website. http://www.coscom.co.jp/hiragana-katakana/index.html |
Kana practice |
Kana quizzes |
Kana recall activity |
Nihongo Gold Games
A variety of kana reading games for beginners. Topics include occupations, positions, jobs, mode of transport, animals, natural landscapes, sports. pets, time, colours, shapes, directions, nationalities and more. Includes multiple choice questions with listening and reading. https://nihongogoldgames.com/ |
Zondle games
Join Zondle for free. Then search the database for 100s of interactive games for hiragana, katakana, kanji and vocabulary. Or, create your own sets. (Free to join.) www.zondle.com |
Worksheets
AB hiragana information gap
Divide the class into pairs. Give one person in the pair the 'Person A' card and the other the 'Person B' card. Using the card coordinates (eg A,1), in pairs they ask their partner what the missing hiragana is on their card. Ie Question: Aの1は なんですか。Answer: ひらがな ’な’ です。 Listening to the answers each student completes his/her card. When finished the students compare their cards to see if all the hiragana are the same. Donated by K Cuff
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Battleships
Divide the class into pairs. Give each Ss a battleships board. Ss select the hiragana to insert on the top row. Then each student plots the position of 6 ships (2 of each type) on a grid in secret. Each ship occupies a specified number of consecutive squares on the grid and can be arranged vertically or horizontally. Ships are not allowed to overlap.The number of squares for each ship depends on the type of ship: Battleship – 5 squares, Cruiser – 3 squares, Patrol boat – 2 squares. Once the ships have been positioned, take turns ‘firing at’ the partner by calling out plot coordinates such as ‘2-ha (hiragana ha).’ If a ship occupies the space, it is marked (x) and announced as a ‘hit’. A ‘miss’ is marked with a diagonal line (/) through the square. When all the squares of the ship have been hit, the ship is sunk and you will say: ‘Battleship/cruiser/patrol boat wa shizumimashita’. The first person to sink all of their partner’s ships wins the game. Donated by S Tomimori |
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Bingo hiragana cards SET 1
Use this class set of bingo cards to play hiragana bingo. How to play: Tt calls out a hiragana letter. If the Ss has the hiragana on their bingo card they colour it in. The first to get 5 in a row is the winner. (Alternative, the first to get a 'T' shape is the winner.) Donated by S O'Wheel
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Bingo hiragana cards SET 2
Use this class set of bingo cards to play hiragana bingo. Donated by C Bidois
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Cut and paste hiragana puzzle
Students cut the pictures on the left of the page and match it to the corresponding hiragana on the right to create a picture. Donated by E Kuo
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Dakuten Handakuten
Practice ten ten (dakuten) and maru (handakuten) with this 12 pages PDF. http://elearn.toplanguage.co.jp/file/dullsound.pdf |
Dot to dot hiragana
Connect the dots following the order of hiragana. Donated by R Hill
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Free choice - kana learning
Students select an activity from the free choice chart and practise kana according to their choice. Donated by S Golding
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Hiragana challenge and master
Worksheets with various activities where students practise the first hiragana characters from a to so such as remembering the story for each character, challenging a friend to listen/say/write a character and changing romaji to hiragana.
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Hiragana nazori
Tracing hiragana letters using these worksheets. 5 different thicknesses of hiragana. http://www.kids-points.com/pdf/nazori/nazorihiragana.pdf |
Hiragana nurie
Hiragana nurie, festival nurie, various simple colouring in pictures for young children. http://www.sakunet.ne.jp/~hayaka1/nurie.html |
Hiragana recognition tests
Students guess the correct hiragana from 5 different choices. (Katakana recognition tests available too.)
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Hiragana table writing practice
Practice writing hiragana using this table. Donated by Chacaha.
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Hiragana "Word of the day" template
Template to create a hiragana word of the day. (Eg. practice writing the word 'Hon'.) Donated by K Williams
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Hiragana worksheets
Ideal for primary school students - hiragana writing practice with pictures. http://www1.iwate-ed.jp/tantou/tokusi/kyouzai/aiueo/index.html |
Hiragana worksheets |
Kana worksheets by MLC |
Hiragana and Katakana writing practice |
Introduction to the writing system
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Kana drill cards
Print out the kana drill card template and create kana cards. http://www.unckel.de/kanacards/index-en.html |
Kana worksheets in colour
Hiragana and katakana worksheets including stroke order beautifully presented in colour. http://happyfu-fu.com/hiroshiandsakura/index.html |
Kana word writing practice
Ss practice writing basic words in hiragana and katakana. Donated by: J Matunding
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Poem reading
Practise reading hiragana with this poem. Donated by M Lim
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Quiz - Hiragana and Katakana gap fill
Complete the hiragana and katakana tables with the random hiragana and katakana characters. Donated by K Quarrier
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Reading A/B activity
Divide the class into two. Give one person in the pair worksheet 'A' and the other worksheet 'B'. Ss ask each other the missing words i.e.「Aの1は何ですか。」「Bの3は何ですか。」and write down the answer in Hiragana. If the student doesn't know the meaning of the hiragana word they then need to ask the meaning in Japanese「~は英語で何ですか。」10 points are allocated for each correct hiragana and 20 points for each word. (N.B. The picture on both sheets is a one of 'Osushi'.) Donated by Mari
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Reading practise - How many?
Ss read the hiragana words in the box and count how many of each word appears. Then they translate the words into English. Donated by LWE
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Revision hiragana worksheet
Revise writing hiragana by changing romaji words to hiragana and hiragana words back into romaji. Donated by J King
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Shuwa Sign language
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Stroke order hiragana colouring in
Colour in the hiragana according to its stroke order. (4 pages) Donated by: Pinar
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Sumo wrestler reading game
Students find all the hiragana symbols ending in the 'a' sound and find out which sumo wrestler wins the trophy. Donated by E Ellis
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TenTen Maru mini booklet (5 pages)
Practice ten ten and maru rules, mini tsu rules and combination character rules. Created by Angela Vause
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TenTen Maru sound changes
This worksheet introduces students to the concept of sound changes to certain hiragana when either a てんてん or まる are added. Simple mnemonic devices are used to assist students in remembering the rules for these sound changes, and exceptions to these rules are also noted. Donated by Jade Cleave.
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Ten Ten and Maru worksheet
A worksheet where students practise how ten ten and marus change the sounds in hiragana. Donated by L Hunter
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Test - hiragana writing
Ss write the missing hiragana to complete the empty hiragana chart.
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Test writing the 46 hiragana
Test hiragana knowledge by filling in the table with the missing hiragana letters. Donated by L Carrington
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