Hiragana k row: か き く け こ

The idea

The five basic hiragana are か き く け こ, read ka, ki, ku, ke, ko in Hepburn romanization. The chart pairs them with katakana for the same sounds. Read かさ・ねこ as whole words, then find the row’s signs in the example sentences.

Examples

• 猫ねこはかわいいです。The cat is cute.
• 傘かさを買かいます。I buy an umbrella.
• 駅えきはどこですか。Where is the station?
• ここに本ほんがあります。There is a book here.
• 机つくえの上うえに本ほんがあります。There is a book on the desk.
• 今朝けさは寒さむいです。It is cold this morning.

Watch out

Do not confuse く with け: く is ku, while け is ke. Compare the whole shape and read each in a word, such as つくえ and けさ.

Try it yourself

1. Write the hiragana counterpart of キ.

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   き

   キ and き represent the same sound, ki; き is the hiragana form requested.

2. Write the hiragana counterpart of ク.

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   く

   ク and く represent the same sound, ku; く is the hiragana form requested.

3. Complete ね＿ (cat) with one hiragana character.

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   こ

   ねこ means cat; こ completes its spelling.

4. Complete つ＿え (desk) with one hiragana character.

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   く

   つくえ means desk; く completes its spelling.

Use it today

Cover the chart. Read two words from the examples aloud, write their readings in kana from memory, then compare them with the furigana and chart.