Families, Part 3: Vocabulary and Reading Hiragana (h-/b/-p-)

Six siblings pose for a picture with big smiles At the end of this lesson you will be able to:

Ask about and state the number of family members
Read the hiragana:
- ばびぶべぼ
  - ba bi bu be bo
- ぱぴぷぺぽ
  - pa pi pu pe po

Image note: when we look at a group of children who all have the same parents, we call them siblings. For English-speakers, it doesn't matter if it is your family or someone else's family: we use the same word: sibling(s). In Japanese, there is a way to be clear that you are talking about someone else's siblings. Keep in mind differences like this between English and Japanese as you continue building your skills.

Vocabulary

Words

hitori - one person
futari - two people
#-nin - # of people (above two)
kyoodai - brothers and sisters, siblings (humble form)
go-kyoodai - brothers and sisters, siblings (honorific form)
imasu - is/are; has/have
imasen - isn’t/aren’t; doesn’t/don’t have
-ga - particle indicating the subject
-mo - also, too (a particle)

Phrases and expressions

Nan-nin? How many people?
Nan-nin desu-ka? How many people are there?

Other words and expressions you will hear in this lesson

sugoi - wow, awesome, neat

Vocabulary Notes

Kyoodai ~ go-kyoodai

Use the humble form kyoodai when referring to your own siblings and the honorific form go-kyoodai when talking about another person’s brothers and sisters. Memorize humble and honorific forms together since there are no rules as to when to use the honorific prefix go- as opposed to o-.

Reading Hiragana h-/b-/p-

Handakuten (small circle)

You have learned how by adding dakuten (two small dots) to the ka, sa, ta, and ha lines of the hiragana chart, it is possible to create four additional lines, beginning with ga, za, da, and ba. By adding a small circle called a handakuten, the pa line is formed from the ha line.

**Hiragana h-/b-/p-**
h- plain	は ha	ひ hi	ふ fu	へ he	ほ ho
b- with dakuten	ば ba	び bi	ぶ bu	べ be	ぼ bo
p- with handakuten	ぱ pa	ぴ pi	ぷ pu	ぺ pe	ぽ po

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