Let's Learn Hiragana

     Now I really can't remember when I found this book...  I know I got it at a used bookstore but I can't remember if I got it before or after finding Textfugu.  Either way, this book taught me hiragana.

     In 2013 I really buckled down studying this book.  It's nicely simplistic inside and I was quick on the uptake with it.  It explained to me how hiragana worked and several grammar rules while reading and writing.  I would recommend this book to anyone starting out.  George Trombley also has a book or two on this and while I haven't used them I'm sure they're worth checking out.

     While I studied this book, I would write all the kana I was learning in an empty notebook.  I do recommend practicing writing hiragana while learning it.  I wrote them down... a lot.....

     And I do mean A LOT!  Everyday.  Mulitple times a day.  For months.  At home.  At work.  In the bathroom even.  When I finally got the chart format in my head, I would grab scraps of paper and try to write the entire chart form memory.  My pockets were full of paper notes with hiragana all over them.  I would, however, always keep ONE good hiragana chart in my pocket that I KNEW was completely correct, that way, I could compare and find mistakes on all my other note papers.

     It took me a long time (I wanna say close to a year) for me to start feeling pretty natural with hiragana.  I'm fortunate enough to live not too far from an area with an amazing Japanese grocery store.  It's an exciting feeling when I can walk in and start reading the cool looking food labels.  I may not have known what those labels said, but I could sound out the words and that was worlds away from where I was before.


Let's Learn Hiragana Workbook - Amazon.com
George Trombley's Kana From Zero Workbook  - Amazon.com

勉強 (べんきょう) (benkyou) = study