Three scripts, your first greetings
Meet hiragana, katakana, and kanji through phrases you can use today.
What you’ll work on
- Recognize the jobs of the three scripts
- Greet and thank someone politely
- Read kana as sound clues
A short conversation
Google voice when available; device voice as a fallback. Kana readings help you read the written words; they do not show pitch accent.
How the words match
Tap a word in either language to see its partner. Some phrases work as a group; particles explain the grammar.
- おはようございます。ohayougozaimasugood morning (polite)Learn this greeting as one expression.
How the words match
Tap a word in either language to see its partner. Some phrases work as a group; particles explain the grammar.
- おはようございます。ohayougozaimasugood morning (polite)Learn this greeting as one expression.
How the words match
Tap a word in either language to see its partner. Some phrases work as a group; particles explain the grammar.
- ありがとうございます。arigatougozaimasuthank you (polite)A complete polite expression; the English words do not map to individual kana.
How the words match
Tap a word in either language to see its partner. Some phrases work as a group; particles explain the grammar.
- どういたしまして。douitashimashiteyou are welcomeA set response to thanks.
Three scripts work together
Hiragana writes grammatical endings, particles, and many everyday words. Katakana commonly writes borrowed words and foreign names. Kanji often carries the core meaning of nouns and word stems. An ordinary sentence can mix all three.
A kanji can have several readings. Learn a word, its kana reading, and its meaning together rather than assigning one sound to every character. The smaller reading line here uses kana; it is not a separate translation.
How the words match
Tap a word in either language to see its partner. Some phrases work as a group; particles explain the grammar.
- にほんごnihongoJapanese languageLearn にほんご as the reading of the whole word; kanji readings depend on the word.
How the words match
Tap a word in either language to see its partner. Some phrases work as a group; particles explain the grammar.
- コーヒーkoohiicoffeeThe long-vowel marks extend the preceding vowels.
Begin with useful complete phrases
Use おはようございます in the morning and こんにちは during the day. こんばんは is an evening greeting. The は at the end of こんにちは and こんばんは is pronounced wa, although the spelling is は.
ありがとうございます is a polite thank-you. These phrases are useful before you can analyze their grammar. A common casual goodbye is またね; with people you do not know well, use the polite phrase また会いましょう when it fits the situation.
How the words match
Tap a word in either language to see its partner. Some phrases work as a group; particles explain the grammar.
- こんにちは。konnichiwahello / good afternoonA set greeting; its final は is pronounced wa.
How the words match
Tap a word in either language to see its partner. Some phrases work as a group; particles explain the grammar.
- こんばんは。konbanwagood eveningA set greeting; its final は is pronounced wa.
How the words match
Tap a word in either language to see its partner. Some phrases work as a group; particles explain the grammar.
- またmataagain
- あいましょう。aimashoulet’s meet / see each otherA polite invitation or suggestion; naturally used as a farewell here.
The natural English farewell is not a literal word-for-word translation.
Lesson vocabulary
Listen once, say it aloud, and try to recall the Japanese before looking.
| Japanese / reading | English | Listen |
|---|---|---|
| こんにちは こんにちは | hello | |
| おはようございます おはようございます | good morning (polite) | |
| こんばんは こんばんは | good evening | |
| ありがとうございます ありがとうございます | thank you (polite) | |
| 日本語 にほんご | Japanese language | |
| コーヒー コーヒー | coffee |
Practice questions
Try every question, then check your answers. Punctuation and spacing do not affect your score. Use the displayed Japanese spelling or the complete kana reading; mixed spellings are accepted only when explicitly listed. Long vowels, small kana, and verb endings matter.
Showing an answer makes that question a practice item worth zero for this attempt. Retry with the answers hidden when you’re ready. If audio cannot play, use Show answer / text to practice by reading.
Independent practice
These are independent practice tasks. The site does not record your voice, save your writing, or grade open-ended answers. Ask a teacher or conversation partner for feedback when you can.
Speaking practice
Greet an imaginary classmate in the morning, thank them, and repeat each phrase after the audio.
Writing practice
Copy 日本語 and its reading にほんご. Write one greeting in hiragana and one borrowed word in katakana.
Review the lesson objectives
Select the tasks you can complete independently. This self-assessment does not change your quiz score.
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