Lesson 5 · Hiragana

な に ぬ ね の

No exceptions in this row — but four of the five look like each other, and that is the work.

ぬ and ね are close cousins, and two more of the family (れ, わ) arrive later. Tofugu’s tell is the one to hold on to: ぬ is all curve, ね has corners.

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Warm up

All twenty so far.

な — na

• な

  na

  A nun praying at the cross, craving nachos. The cross up in the air is the giveaway.

  

N before あ gives な. Like the “na” in nachos.

Fish

さかな — fish. On every menu, and now readable.

に — ni

• に

  ni

  A needle pulling thread.

  

N before い gives に. Like the “nee” in needle.

Meat

にく — meat. The other half of the menu.

ぬ — nu

• ぬ

  nu

  Noodles. You know it is this one and not ね because there are no sharp angles — it is all smooth and bendable, with an extra loop at the bottom.

  

N before う gives ぬ. Like the “noo” in noodle.

Dog

いぬ — dog.

ね — ne

• ね

  ne

  Nelly the cat — a loop at the end for the tail, and sharp corners on the left that ぬ does not have.

  

N before え gives ね. Like the “ne” in Nelly.

ぬ or ね

Noodles or the cat. ぬ is smooth all the way round; ね has sharp corners on the left and a loop for a tail.

Cat

ねこ — cat. Nelly, in word form.

の — no

• の

  no

  A big pig nose. Or a No Smoking sign — take whichever sticks.

  

N before お gives の. Like the “no” in nose.

Mushroom

きのこ — mushroom.

The row together

Pair them up. All five at once, which is where the family resemblance bites.

Read them cold

No options.

All twenty-five

Words

Half of a menu is now readable.

Spell every word