Using the Telephone: Writing Hiragana (y-/w-) and Practice

Let's look at writing hiragana and then complete some practice activities.

Hiragana Stroke Order: y- and w-

The following cards contain a gif demonstrating the correct stroke order for the hiragana symbols based on y- and w- (や、ゆ、よ、わ、を). If you need to watch the order more than once, reload the page. Practice writing these new hiragana using correct stroke order!

Download and print the Hiragana Writing Practice - y/w handout. You do not have to turn this in, but use it to practice your writing skills.

Interactive Activities

The directions for the activities below are written with the idea of you working with a partner. If you do not have a partner available, complete the practice on your own, completing both parts of the activity as well as you can.

Vocabulary check

Silently review the vocabulary for this lesson. Then have a kurasumeeto orally test your knowledge of the new Japanese words, phrases, and expressions. Your partner says the eigo, and you give the nihongo. Switch and test your partner.

Telephone numbers

Work with your partner to complete the chart below by asking and answering questions about the telephone numbers and names of the various individuals. Mask your partner’s side of the chart and look only at your side. Complete this activity by speaking in Japanese only. If you need to have your partner repeat something, say, “Moo ichi-do itte kudasai.” (Please say it again.) Compare your completed charts when you finish.

To find out a person’s telephone number:

Ask: Person’s name-san-no denwa bangoo-wa nan-ban desu-ka?
Answer: Phone # desu. (Use the particle -no for the hyphen.)

To find out the person’s name for whom you already have a telephone number:

Ask: Phone #-wa dare-no denwa bangoo desu-ka?
Answer: Person’s name-san-no desu.

Use the following names and phone numbers to practice.

Tanaka: 378-9210
Watanabe: 5037-9421
Sasaki: 44-6572
Ueda: 941-7083
Yamamoto: 5702-9931
Suzuki: 690-3571
Itoo: 818-9056
Kobayashi: 74-1035

Denwa bangoo-o yonde kudasai.

Practice reading the following telephone numbers fluently and accurately. Look only at your part. Partner A reads the telephone numbers while Partner B checks. Change roles and repeat.

Partner B begins by telling Partner A, “Denwa bangoo-o yonde kudasai.” If the number is read correctly, Partner B says, “Soo desu. Tsugi-o yonde kudasai.” (That’s right. Read the next, please.) If the number is read incorrectly, Partner B says, “Chotto chigaimasu. Moo ichi-do yonde kudasai.” (It’s a little different. Read it again, please.)

**Phone Number Practice**
Partner A	Partner B
320-786-4195	san ni zero-no nana hachi roku-no yon ichi kyuu go
530-447-9532	go san zero-no yon yon nana-no kyuu go san ni
6279-4305	roku ni nana kyuu-no yon san zero go
0536-9-1472	zero go san roku-no kyuu-no ichi yon nana ni

Note: For the digits 4, 7, and 9 in telephone numbers, use yon, nana, and kyuu. Read the hyphen as -no.

Dialogue

You will need to form a chiisai guruupu of three kurasumeeto to practice this dialogue. Satoosan and Ishida-san can be male or female. Kenji-san is male so change the name to Akiko(-san) if you need another female part.

Assign the three parts and begin practicing the dialogue by following the steps you have used before in this course (see Lesson 1). One or two guruupu should volunteer to perform for the kurasu, or the facilitator may select the groups. Performers may look quickly at their scripts if they forget a line, but they should NOT READ their lines.

Phone Conversation Dialogue

Satoo: (makes the phone call)

Ishida: Moshi-moshi?

Satoo: Aa, Ishida-san desu-ka?

Ishida: Hai, soo desu.

Satoo: Aa, Tookyoo-Daigaku-no Satoo desu kedo . . . Kenji-san, o-negai-shimasu.

Ishida: Hai, Kenji desu-ne. (goes to get him) Kenji! Denwa! Satoo-san desu.

Kenji: Moshi-moshi? Kenji-desu.

Satoo: Aa, Kenji-san, konnichi-wa.

Kenji: Aa, konnichi-wa.

Satoo: Sumimasen kedo, Yamaguchi Hiroshi-san-no denwa bangoo-ga wakarimasu-ka?

Kenji: Yamaguchi Hiroshi-san desu-ka? Chotto wakarimasen kedo . . .Aa, Yokohama*-no denwa-choo-ga arimasu-yo.

Satoo: Aa, soo desu-ka? Ja, nan-ban desu-ka?

Kenji: Chotto matte kudasai.** (looks in the denwa-choo) Aa, arimasu. Yamaguchi Hiroshi-san-no denwa bangoo-wa 662-3721 desu.

Satoo: Aa, doomo. Ja, sayonara.

Kenji: Ja, mata. (hangs up)

Satoo: (hangs up)

Notes

Yokohama, Japan’s second largest city, is located near Tokyo.
Chotto matte kudasai. = Please wait a moment.

Check Your Understanding

With whom did Satoo-san wish to speak?
What did Satoo-san need?
Was the call successful?

Hiragana reading practice

Practice reading the following sentences until you can read them accurately and fluently. Cover the sentences in roomaji as you practice the ones written in hiragana.

ああ、すみません。まちがえました。
- Aa, sumimasen. Machigaemashita.
いしかわさんの　でんわ　ばんごうは　なんばん　ですか。
- Ishikawa-san-no denwa bangoo-wa nan-ban desu-ka?
にしもと　です　けど、うえださん　おねがい　します。
- Nishimoto desu kedo, Ueda-san o-negai shimasu.

Reading Practice: Dialogue (Hiragana Practice)

Read the following dialogue, making sure you understand the meaning. Then read the lines aloud several times for accuracy and fluency. The dialogue in Romanized Japanese is given at the bottom of the previous page.

わたなべ：（でんわを　します）

よねだ：もしもし

わたなべ：ああ、やまぐちさん　ですか。

よねだ：いいえ、ちがいます。

わたなべ：ああ、すみません。まちがえました。

Note

でんわ means telephone or telephone call. でんわを　します means make(s) a telephone call.

Reading Practice: Dialogue (Romanized version for review)

Watanabe: (Denwa-o shimasu)*

Yoneda: Moshi-moshi?

Watanabe: Aa, Yamaguchi-san desu-ka?

Yoneda: Iie, chigaimasu.

Watanabe: Aa, sumimasen. Machigaemashita.

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