🌸 Day 6 – Mastering Dakuten, Handakuten & Combo Sounds in Hiragana 🇯🇵✨

Konnichiwa, minna-san! 🙌 Today has been such a fulfilling day. Since it wasn’t a working day, I had the whole day to dedicate to my Japanese learning—and wow, what a day it was! 🧠🎌

I spent 3 solid hours diving deep into new concepts and finally learning to read full Japanese greetings without relying heavily on Romaji. This is a big achievement for me, and I’m so thrilled to share it with you all. 💪🌟

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🔄 Revision Done:

• Dakuten (だくてん / "ten-ten") and Handakuten (はんだくてん / "maru")

• Combo sounds with small や・ゆ・よ (ya/yu/yo)

• Long vowels and small つ (っ)

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🌀 What Are Dakuten & Handakuten?

These are small marks added to kana that change their pronunciation:

Dakuten (ﾞ - looks like a double quote mark):

• Changes: か → が, さ → ざ, た → だ, は → ば, etc.

• Example: か (ka) → が (ga), た (ta) → だ (da)

Handakuten (ﾟ - small circle):

• Applies only to the H-series kana

• Changes: は (ha) → ぱ (pa), ひ (hi) → ぴ (pi), etc.

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🧠 Tip to Memorize:

• Focus on the I-syllables like: き (ki), し (shi), ち (chi), に (ni), ひ (hi), み (mi), り (ri)

• Combine with small や・ゆ・よ:

  • きゃ, きゅ, きょ → kya, kyu, kyo

  • しゃ, しゅ, しょ → sha, shu, sho

  • ちゃ, ちゅ, ちょ → cha, chu, cho

  • ぎゃ, ぎゅ, ぎょ → gya, gyu, gyo

  • にゃ, にゅ, にょ → nya, nyu, nyo

  • ひゃ, ひゅ, ひょ → hya, hyu, hyo

  • ぴゃ, ぴゅ, ぴょ → pya, pyu, pyo

This pattern recognition trick helped me memorize combos quickly!

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📚 Practice Material Used:

• I tried reading the Minna no Nihongo greeting section without Romaji, and I could read almost everything fluently. That felt amazing! 💖

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🛠️ Tools I Recommend:

• 📱 Duolingo – For bite-size practice

• 📘 Airlearn App/Kanji Study – For structured grammar and vocabulary

• 📖 Minna no Nihongo – A great textbook for real-life Japanese

🎥 Beginner-Friendly YouTube Resources:

• How to Read Hiragana Easily

• Master Hiragana in 1 Hour

• Hiragana Song for Easy Memorization

These videos are great companions for anyone just starting their Japanese language journey! 🎧📺

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📁 GitHub Study Resources:

Yesterday, someone messaged me on LinkedIn asking for study materials. That motivated me to create a GitHub repository where I’ve uploaded all my Japanese learning resources so far. Feel free to check it out, download, and use them on your journey!

🔗 Visit My GitHub Repository

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✍️ My Name in Japanese:

Richa → りちゃ

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🌟 Final Thought:

Today I felt the joy of progress—slow, steady, and real. The more I immerse myself in this beautiful language, the more I fall in love with it. 🇯🇵💞

So if you’re learning Japanese too, let’s stay connected and grow together. Feel free to share tips, corrections, or join the journey! 🗣️📖

ありがとう ございます! またね!
~ Richa (りちゃ)