Index
Home pageFeatures
Princess Mononoke Film ComicJapanese Alphabet Book
「チエのともだちあいうえお」 (Che's friends ABC's) by
功力嘉子 . It is all in hiragana, with one sentence per primary character in the hiragana alphabet. There are also example words for characters with nigori marks (for voiced consonant sounds). Thanks to my Japanese teacher, Noriko Ralphs, for help in improving the translations.
If you can't see the Japanese characters on this site
but you do have a graphical browser,
activate Monash Japanese Viewer to convert it to images for you.
You may want to refer to the romanized version.
See also the Japanese alphabet summary page.
あさひがのぼったひがしのそらに
a: The morning sun rose in the eastern sky.
いつものようにきれいだね
i: It's beautiful as always, isn't it?
うすむらさきのくものなかかくれておひさま
またでたよ
u: The sun came out again from behind a light-purple cloud.
えほんでみたよりすばらしい
e: It was more wonderful than in a picture book.
おこっているときないんだものおひさまほんとに
いいこだよ
o: The sun has no time to be angry; she's a really good child.
かあかあもりのからすがやってきて
ka: "Caaw, caaw," the forest crow came calling.
きのえだにとまってかあかあないていた
ki: On the branch of a tree it rested, crying "Caaw, caaw."
くろいはっぴのおじさんくわをふりあげ
おどかすと
ku: When the black-coated man shooed it away with his hoe
けろけろがえるそれをみて
ke: the croaking frogs looked at this
こえもたてずににげだした
ko: and made their escape too.
さくらのさいたいなかのおうち
sa: The cherry tree bloomed by the country house.
しろいうさぎをかっている
shi: We have white rabbits as pets.
すんだおめめはまっかっか
su: Their clear eyes are bright red.
せのびをしてはぴょんぴょんはねる
se: They stand on tiptoes, hopping and leaping.
そらではおひさまにこにこしてる
so: From the sky the sun smiles down.
たけからうまれたかぐやひめ
ta: Princess Kaguya was born from a piece of bamboo.
ちいさなときからきれいなむすめ
chi: From her childhood she was a beautiful daughter.
つきをながめてないてたが
tsu: When she saw the moon, she cried.
てんにょにつれられかえっていった
te: A heavenly maiden came and took her back to her home on the moon.
とおいむかしのおはなしよ
to: They say this happened long, long ago.
なつのひなかの
na: In the middle of a summer's day...
にじのはし
ni: there was the bridge of a rainbow.
ぬけてみたいねなないろのはし
nu: We'd like to go under it, right? A seven-colored bridge.
ねんねんころりのうたごえは
ne: There's a voice singing a lullabye.
のみちでこもりするおねえさんかしら
no: I wonder if that's an older sister babysitting on that path.
はごいたついて
ha: They are playing with shuttlecocks.
ひいふうみいどこかできいえる
hi: We hear "One..two..three" coming from somewhere.
ふえのねはのどかなしらべをしてこるよ
fu: A flute is making the soothing sound.
へいわなにほんのおしょうがつ
he: Peaceful Japan celebrates New Year's day..
ほうらあがったやっこだこ
ho: by flying kites.
まがりくねったほそいあぜみち
ma: The narrow field paths zigzagged around.
みんなせっせとちょうしをあわせ
mi: Everyone works hard to make things better.
むかしながらのいねかりしごと
mu: Since long ago, rice-harvesting work is the same.
めえめえいやきもおとなしく
me: "Baah, baah" bleated the boy's obedient pet lamb.
もうすぐしまうよひがくれる
mo: Not long after, they finished as the day grew dark.
やまからひょこひょこたぬきのこ
ya: Baby racoons scampered down from the mountains.
ゆうべこやぶにやってきて
yu: Last night, they came to a small thicket.
よみちにまよってかえれない
yo: They lost their way in the dark and couldn't get home.
らんどせるせおってかえりみち
ra: We go along the homeward trail with backpacks on our backs.
りんごのほっぺたまっかっか
ri: We have cheeks flushed red as apples.
るすいのかあさんまってるよ
ru: Mother can wait to take care of us at home.
れんげのはなたばてにかかえ
re: I'm holding a bouquet of milk vetch flowers under my arm.
ろじのおくへかけていく
ro: I go running deep into an alley.
わたりどりがおおぞらちかくとんでいるきたの
おくにへかえるのね
wa: Migrating birds fly close to the heavens as they go home again,
don't they?
れつをつくってとんでいるおやどりことり
とんでいる
wo: They form a line as they fly: parent birds, then the little birds.
ぐんぐんとおくへいきましたげんきでらいねん
n: They fly steadily far away, looking forward to coming back next year.
めうしが一ぴきくさをたべています
1: One cow is eating grass.
ほんを二さつかってきました
2: I bought two books and came back.
おうちが三げんたちました
3: There are three houses in a group.
えんぴつを四ほんもっています
4: I have four pencils.
五にんばやしはにぎやかです
5: Five court musicians are making lively music.
あさがおが六つさきました
6: Six morning-glories are blooming.
七ひきのこやぎのおはなしをしましょう
7: Let's talk about the seven sheep.
ぼーとが八そううかんでいます
8: Eight boats are floating.
ひょこが九わかえりました
9: Nine chicks have hatched.
十がつにはうんどうかいがあります
10: In the tenth month (October) there's an athletic meet.
Here are the other example words:
がっこう
ga: school
ぎんなん
gi: ginko nuts
ぐろーぶ
gu: gloves
げた
ge: wooden sandals
ごむぐつ
go: rubber boots
ざる
za: basket
じてんしゃ
ji: bicycle
ず
zu: pants
ぜりー
ze: candy
ぞう
zo: elephant
だちょう
da: ostrich
こーひーぢゃわん
ji (chi with nigori): coffee cup
みかづき
zu (tsu with nigori): crescent moon
でんしゃ
de: electric train
どんぐり
do: acorns
ばりかん
ba: barber's clippers
ぱん
pa: bread
びーだま
bi: marbles
ぴんぽん
pi: ping-pong
ぶた
bu: pig
ぷーる
pu: swimming pool
べんけい
be: strongman
ぺんぎん
pe: penguin
ぼーと
bo: boat
ぽすと
po: mailbox
