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📖 Chapter 1 · “Hiragana & Numbers” (pp. 7–14). Print → paper “B5” → margins “None” → enable “Background graphics”.
Chapter 1 · ひらがな — the friendly wayあ

Chapter 1 · Lesson 1 — Hiragana, gently

The friendly way into hiragana

Begin with the five vowel sounds. Learn their shapes, say them aloud, and use them in tiny words. Once that first row feels steady, the か-family shows how one consonant travels across the same five vowel positions.

Today’s pathMeet 5 vowel sounds → add the か-family → read 4 tiny words → recall 2 without romaji.
aiueo
あ
a
an Antenna + apple — “ah”
い
i
two “ee” lines
う
u
a quiff — “oo”
え
e
an exotic bird
お
o
it has a tail — “oh”
Next signal · the か-family
か
ka
蚊 = a mosquito (ka!)
き
ki
looks like a key
く
ku
a cuckoo’s beak
け
ke
a keg on its side
こ
ko
two pieces — “co”
Build your first vowel words
Cover & readHide the romaji and read あお and うえ. Then point to each vowel in the four words before trying the か-family.

“Wait — I just read the vowels! あお… ao… blue! あい… ai… love!” — Tsuki

Chapter 1 · ひらがな IIさ

Hiragana II — the さ・た・な families

Three more families (and three rebels)

Keep the same five vowel sounds while the consonant changes. Three combinations are best learned as whole sounds — watch for the red “!”.

Today’s pathMeet 15 kana → notice し・ち・つ → read 3 words → recall the trio.
—a—i—u—e—o
さ
sa
a sail
し
shi
a hook — “she”, not si
す
su
a swirl/screw
せ
se
“say”
そ
so
zigzag sewing
た
ta
t + a → “ta”
ち
chi
“cheese”, not ti
つ
tsu
a tsunami curl, not tu
て
te
手 = hand (te!)
と
to
a toe with a nail
な
na
a nun kneeling
に
ni
two knees
ぬ
nu
noodles
ね
ne
a cat’s curl — neko
の
no
a “no entry” loop
The three rebels
し = shi · ち = chi · つ = tsu — never “si / ti / tu”. Tsuki trips on every one of these. If a word feels odd, check for a rebel first.
Read these now
No-look trioCover the red cells and say shi · chi · tsu. Reveal, check, then read すし・ねこ・さかな once without romaji.
Chapter 1 · ひらがな III + transformationsん

Hiragana III — the home stretch

The last families, then the magic marks

Meet the final rows, then use three transformations to read the main voiced, p-sound, and blended hiragana patterns.

Today’s pathMeet the last rows → transform a sound → blend small ゃ・ゅ・ょ → recall the rule.
は
ha
a hat
ひ
hi
a smile — “hee”
ふ
fu
富士 Mt Fuji
へ
he
a hill
ほ
ho
は + a bar
ま
ma
mama’s bun
み
mi
“21” → mi
む
mu
a cow — “muu”
め
me
an eye — 目
も
mo
a fish-hook
や
ya
a yak
ゆ
yu
a fish
よ
yo
a yo-yo
ら
ra
“rah”
り
ri
two strokes
る
ru
a loop
れ
re
a bent leg
ろ
ro
る without the loop
わ
wa
“wah”
を
o (wo)
object-particle only
ん
n
the lone consonant
Three marks that finish the job

1 · Dakuten ゛ — two dashes voice a sound:

か→がka→ga さ→ざsa→za た→だta→da は→ばha→ba

2 · Handakuten ゜ — a little circle makes “p”:

は→ぱha→pa

3 · Small ゃ ゅ ょ — shrink + attach to blend:

き+ゃ=きゃkya し+ゃ=しゃsha き+ょ=きょkyo
Your hiragana map is complete
Try the map — sound these out: (sakura), (denwa, phone — dakuten!), (kyō, today — a small ょ), (gakkō, school — the little っ holds a beat).
Make the soundChange か → が, blend き + ょ → きょ, then tap the held beat in がっこう: ga · (hold) · kō.
Chapter 1 · 数 — the numbers you’ll use today円

Numbers (数 · kazu)

Count to 99 by learning ten things

Japanese numbers are wonderfully logical. Learn 1–10, learn one combining trick, and you can already say almost any number.

Today’s pathMeet 1–10 → build tens + ones → read one real price → recall three numbers.
1–5
一
ichi
1
二
ni
2
三
san
3
四
yon · shi
4
五
go
5
六
roku
6
七
nana · shichi
7
八
hachi
8
九
kyū · ku
9
十
jū
10

The combining trick

Stack tens and ones, just like saying them aloud:

=jū-ichi · 11 =ni-jū · 20 =san-jū-go · 35

Bigger units & money

=hyaku · 100 =sen · 1,000 =man · 10,000 =en · yen

Price you’ll really say: コーヒーは です (sanbyaku-gojū-en — ¥350). Tiny shifts happen at 300 (sanbyaku) & 600 (roppyaku) — your ear learns these fast.

Recruit your first number trio

一The First Line
ichi · ひと(つ)
One calm stroke across the void — the origin of all counting.
二The Twin Paths
ni · ふた(つ)
Two rails walking side by side, never crossing.
三The Three Steps
san · みっ(つ)
A tiny staircase — three lines that finally feel steady.
Build itWithout looking at the examples, say 10, 28 and 53. Then read 三百五十円 as one price.
Chapter 1 · これ・それ・あれ — this & that何

Pointing your way through Japan

これ · それ · あれ — “this” & “that”

Pointing words are a graceful shortcut. Japanese sorts “this/that” by distance — and the endings follow a neat こ・そ・あ pattern.

Today’s pathMap near me / near you / over there → name one object → ask what it is → recall by pointing.
near ME

これ

kore
この + noun
this one (by me)
near YOU

それ

sore
その + noun
that one (by you)
over THERE

あれ

are
あの + noun
that one (far from us)

…and to ask “which?” → (dore) / + noun.

Pattern · naming & asking
Point & switchPoint near you, near someone else and far away: これ・それ・あれ. Now add a noun and switch to この・その・あの.

“Lost the word? Just point and say これ、ください — ‘this one, please.’ *snap* Works every time.” — Marina

Chapter 1 · Counters — how Japan counts本

Counters (助数詞)

Counting things, not just numbers

Japanese pairs numbers with a little “counter” that depends on the thing’s shape. Start with the universal one — 〜つ — then add a few you’ll use daily.

Today’s pathChoose a counter → say number + counter → order one item → recall the safe 〜つ route.

〜つ · the all-purpose counter (1–10)

12345
ひとつhitotsuふたつfutatsu みっつmittsuよっつyottsuいつつitsutsu
678910
むっつmuttsuななつnanatsu やっつyattsuここのつkokonotsuとおtō

Most end in つ (except とお). It is a useful beginner fallback for many everyday objects when you do not know the specific counter.

A few counters you’ll need
〜枚まい flat things (tickets, paper)
〜人にん people — but ひとり (1), ふたり (2)!
〜個こ small objects
〜本ほん long, thin things (pens, bottles)
The famous 〜本 sound-shift (pens & bottles)
123456
いっぽんipponにほんnihon さんぼんsanbonよんほんyonhon ごほんgohonろっぽんroppon

The h sound shifts in several forms, including 1, 3, 6, 8, and 10. Say the examples aloud — “ippon… sanbon” — and notice how the sound changes for easier pronunciation.

Tsuki tries → then repairs
Tsuki orders “coffee, 三 (san)!” — a bare number. Add the counter and it lands: コーヒーを みっつ ください (three coffees, please). When unsure of the counter, 〜つ is a useful first route.
Counter choiceChoose for each: two tickets 枚, three bottles 本, two people 人. Then order three coffees with 〜つ, no look.
Chapter 1 · Dialogue — at the conbini円

Dialogue · the convenience store

コンビニで — “How much is this?”

The conbini is your daily training ground. Watch the loop: Marina just does it, Tsuki fumbles a counter, Selene fixes it.

Dialogue loopNotice the item + counter → build your order → say it once with no look.
🏪 The conbini · lunchtimeコンビニ
Marina — points & orders
Tsuki — charges in
Selene — fixes the counter
店
Clerk (店員) — responds
Tsuki — recovers nicely
先
The takeaway
Two phrases unlock every shop: 〜を ください (… please / I’ll take …) and いくら ですか (how much is it?). Add a counter and you sound like a local: ひとつ ください.
No-lookPoint to an imaginary item and say これを ください。いくら ですか。 Then add ひとつ before ください.

Your turn — order at the counter

Chapter 1 · Kanji Guild — Roster #1一

Kanji Guild · Roster #1

Your recruits so far

Every kanji you’ve met is a character on your team. Here they are — and notice how 人 (Hito) keeps showing up inside other characters. That’s the system working for you.

✓
一
First Line
ichi
✓
二
Twin Paths
ni
✓
三
Three Steps
san
✓
四
Four Corners
yon
✓
五
Open Hand
go
✓
六
Roof of Six
roku
✓
七
Lucky Hook
nana
✓
八
Open Gate
hachi
✓
九
The Curl
kyū
✓
十
Crossroads
jū
✓
人
Hito · Traveler
hito
大
…Hito, arms wide!
ōkii · big
休
…Hito by a tree
yasu · rest
百
coming…
hyaku
円
coming…
en

💜 大 and 休 aren’t yet “recruited” — but you can already spot Hito hiding in them. That’s how 100 kanji become learnable: meet one, recognise a dozen.

Quest 1 — “Hiragana & Numbers” ✦

  • Read every hiragana (all three rebels included!)
  • Count 1–10, then build any number to 99 (二十五 = 25)
  • Use 〜つ to count objects — and 〜本 for the long ones
  • Point & name: これ／それ／あれ + これを ください
  • Ask いくら ですか and recognise 円
  • 🏅 Guild total: 11 recruits (一〜十 + 人)

Next → Chapter 2: greetings, names, and the first sentence you can carry into a real introduction. 🌸