Japanese mixes scripts within a sentence. Learn the usual written form of each word together with its role.

The idea

Lexical verbs often use kanji for the stem and hiragana for the ending: 食べます. Particles and grammatical endings use hiragana. After a te-form, the auxiliary request ください is usually written in hiragana; common loanwords such as コーヒー normally use katakana.

Patterns to compare
UseExample
Lexical verb食べます
Auxiliary request見てください
Common loanwordコーヒー

Examples

  • 毎朝まいあさ朝あさご飯はんを食たべます。I eat breakfast every morning.
  • この写真しゃしんを見みてください。Please look at this photo.
  • 庭にわに猫ねこがいます。There is a cat in the garden.
  • 意味いみがわかります。I understand the meaning.
  • あの店みせはとても便利べんりです。That shop is very convenient.
  • 駅えきでコーヒーを飲のみます。I drink coffee at the station.

Read-aloud uses a synthetic Japanese voice available on your device. Voice quality and availability vary; it does not assess your pronunciation.

Watch out

A possible kanji spelling is not always the usual choice: 珈琲 exists, but コーヒー is common. わかります can also be written 分かります; spelling varies with context and style.

Try it yourself

  1. 朝あさご飯はんを＿。（食べます／たべます）

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    食べます

    食べます is the conventional mixed spelling: 食 carries the lexical meaning and べます is the ending.

  2. 写真しゃしんを見みて＿。（ください／下さい）

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    ください

    ください is the usual hiragana spelling for the auxiliary request after 見て.

  3. 駅えきで＿を飲のみます。（コーヒー／珈琲）

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    コーヒー

    コーヒー is the common katakana spelling of this loanword; 珈琲 also exists.

Use it today

Find the three scripts in the examples. Say each word, then choose the conventional form specified in each exercise.