2.20. Japanese Alphabet: Hiragana: Occupation Vocabulary

2.20. Japanese Alphabet: Hiragana: Occupation Vocabulary

The Japanese language is one of the most complex in the world, both in terms of grammar and writing. One of the first things you need to learn when studying Japanese is the hiragana alphabet. Hiragana is one of three writing systems used in Japanese, the other two being katakana and kanji. In this chapter, we'll focus on hiragana and learn some words related to professions.

What is Hiragana?

Hiragana is a phonetic writing system, which means that each character represents a specific sound. It is mainly used for writing native Japanese words, grammatical particles, and words that do not have a corresponding kanji. There are 46 basic characters in hiragana, each of which can be modified by diacritics to represent additional sounds.

Job Vocabulary in Hiragana

Learning job-related vocabulary is a great way to expand your knowledge of hiragana and Japanese in general. Here are some common trade words you can start learning:

• 医者 (いしゃ) - Doctor: 'Isha' is the Japanese word for doctor. The first character is a kanji that means 'doctor' and the second is a hiragana that represents the sound 'sha'.
• 教師 (きょうし) - Teacher: 'Kyoushi' is the Japanese word for teacher. The first character is a kanji that means 'teach' and the second is a hiragana that represents the sound 'shi'.
• 警察官 (けいさつかん) - Policeman: 'Keisatsukan' is the Japanese word for policeman. The first two characters are kanji which mean 'police' and the last two are hiragana which represent the sound 'kan'.
• 弁護士 (べんごし) - Lawyer: 'Bengoshi' is the Japanese word for lawyer. The first two characters are kanji that mean 'defense' and 'person' and the last one is a hiragana that represents the 'shi' sound.

Practicing Hiragana

The best way to learn hiragana is through constant practice. Start writing each character several times until you feel comfortable with its shape and sound. Then try writing simple words and sentences using the characters you've learned.

Also, try to incorporate hiragana into your daily life whenever possible. For example, you could try writing your shopping list or notes in hiragana. Not only will this help reinforce what you've learned, but it will also help you become more familiar with how hiragana is used in a real context.

Finally, remember that practice makes perfect. Don't worry if you can't remember all the characters at once. Keep practicing and eventually you'll master them.

We hope that this chapter has given you a good introduction to hiragana and Japanese trade vocabulary. Keep studying and practicing, and you'll be on your way to becoming fluent in Japanese!

Next page of the Free Ebook:

23Japanese Alphabet: Hiragana: Hobbies and Activities Vocabulary

3 minutes