Best way to learn hiragana and katakana

Hiragana is a phonetic alphabet which consists of 46 symbols, and basically represents every sound of the Japanese language. It is being used along side KANJI (Chinese characters) to form VERB TENSES, CONJUNCTIONS and ADJECTIVE ENDINGS, so it plays a vital role. It is also being used to write the so called furigana (small prints above or below the kanji to show how it should be pronounced) as well as particles and words that have no kanji. Kanji by themselves do not indicate any tense, so when hiragana is attached it forms a verb, and depending on what the verb ending is, it shows the reader what tense is being used. In basic terms hiragana is what gives grammatical structures to sentences.

The Japanese language is an interesting language as native- and non native words are clearly distinguished by the symbols they are written in. Hiragana is always being used for native words where katakana is for words of foreign origin.

Katakana is just like hiragana a phonetic alphabet consisting of 46 symbols, and works in the same way in regards to pronunciation. The main difference is what the alphabet is used for. Its main areas of use are: writing FOREIGN NAMES, FOREIGN LOAN WORDS and for EMPHASIS.
Places of frequent katakana use would be on restaurant menus and cafe signs where foreign words such as pizza and orange juice, just to give a basic example, would be written in katakana. Electronic stores are also places with lots of foreign words such cameras and computers, and general advertising also boasts quite a lot of katakana. The symbols are often referred to as "block" style symbols as they appear quite harsh compared to the more smooth strokes of the hiragana alphabet.

The "usual" study method is to start out learning hiragana, and the progress on to katakana, when you are confident in reading and writing all the symbols by heart. I started out that way and can only strongly recommend that you do the same, but everyone is different, so do as you please... leaning is meant to be fun after all :-)
Anyway as hiragana forms such a vital part of the Japanese language and is used in every Japanese sentence, it's ultimately the hiragana symbols that you'll have a greater exposure to. They seem to be a little easier to remember, and as one constantly is being reminded of their shape when reading, they seem to stick a bit better than katakana.

Katakana appear a lot less frequently, so it takes a little more effort to be up to date with them, as they are not being used as frequently. It's particularly hand writing which can be a problem, as there is usually not much of a chance to use them a lot. So keep it up! The main thing is not to confuse your learning process with Kanji. Only once you are confident in both phonetic alphabets, you can slowly introduce kanji.

In regards to stroke order you'd probably think "why does it matter?", but well it does and certainly in the Japanese schooling system. I didn't initially focus on the correct stroke order, and had to spend a lot of time correcting it later on, so don't make the same mistake.

If you find your self among Japanese friends or colleges the first thing they'll point out is your funny stroke order, so spend your time getting it right from the start, and you'll save yourself a lot of hassle. Another thing is also getting yourself used to strictly following a system, as you'll need it when moving on to kanji. When learning and writing kanji the stroke order plays a huge role, so get your self accustomed, and let your pen repeat the strokes.

The best way to learn is often the most simple. One way is to get your self organised with a couple of books, this is what I did, and take it as it comes. Study in what ever pace that suits you, and simply write the symbols over and over again on a piece of paper until they stick. Don't do it all in one go, so you get sick and tired of it. It's important to stay motivated so try not to overdo it. There are many great study books out there for learning hiragana and katakana. Most of them contain similar features such as easy to read tables, various exercises, memory techniques, thorough explanations of use and stroke order, combined with an overview of the history and background of the phonetic alphabets. Have a look through and see whatever method suits you best, but once and for all keep it simple and have some fun with it!

Spice up your household with fun mugs for easy learning!

Tea please Japanese mug by JapanDesigns

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