Japanese for English speakers House · Lesson 3

Spelling rules

Clarify spelling in Japanese by reciting a whole kana row — 'カッシャン: か、き、く、け、こ の か' = 'Kasshan, ka as in ka-ki-ku-ke-ko'. Useful when names are easily confused.

Conversation

  1. PX296 PX296

    ピシ君、お兄さんの名前はカッシャンですか、

    Pishi kun, onīsan no namae wa kasshan desu ka,

    Pishi, is your brother's name Cassian,

    Tip: <onīsan> = your / his / her older brother

  2. PX296 PX296

    ガッシャンですか？

    or Gassian?

    Tip: <...desuka...desuka> = it is ... or ...?

  3. Pishi Pishi

    カッシャンですよ

    Kasshandesu yo

    It is Cassian!

  4. Pishi Pishi

    か、き、く、け、このかです

    Ka,ki, ku, ke, ko no kadesu

    "Ka" as in ka, ki, ku, ke, ko

    Tip: To clarify the spelling of words you are unsure of, repeat the entire line of the japanese alphabet

Common questions

Quick answers about this lesson's grammar and vocabulary.

How do you confirm spelling in Japanese?

Cite the kana row containing the character: '「か」、 か、き、く、け、こ の か'. This is the equivalent of saying 'A as in apple' in English.

What does ...ですか...ですか mean?

'Is it ... or is it ...?' — used to ask the listener to choose between two options: カッシャンですか、ガッシャンですか?

Why is spelling clarification important in Japanese?

Many syllables sound similar (especially voiced/unvoiced pairs like か/が, さ/ざ). Reciting the row leaves no doubt.

Test yourself

Pick the English translation for each line from this lesson. Wrong answers are pulled from other Japanese lessons.

3 quick questions on what you just heard.

Next lesson in House House lesson →