Welcome to Day 3 of your 100-day challenge to master JLPT N5!

Yesterday, we conquered the Hiragana vowels (あいうえお), the foundation of Japanese sounds.
Today, we’re going to learn the K-line—かきくけこ (ka, ki, ku, ke, ko).

Main Lesson: Mastering the Hiragana K-Line Step-by-Step

Hiragana is a phonetic script where each character represents a syllable, and the K-line combines the consonant “k” with the five vowels you learned yesterday: あ (a), い (i), う (u), え (e), お (o). The result is か (ka), き (ki), く (ku), け (ke), and こ (ko).

Pronunciation Guide

The K-line combines a crisp “k” sound with each vowel. Japanese pronunciation is consistent, with no silent letters. Here’s how to say them, using Romaji as a guide:

• か (ka): Like “kah” in “car.” Sharp “k” with an open “ah.”
• き (ki): Like “key.” Clear “k” with a high “ee.”
• く (ku): Like “coo” in “cool,” but shorter, with relaxed lips.
• け (ke): Like “keh” in “kettle.” Short and flat “eh.”
• こ (ko): Like “koh” in “coat.” Round and steady “oh.”

Pro Tip: Keep each syllable equal in length for a natural Japanese rhythm. Practice saying かきくけこ like a beat: “Kah-kee-koo-keh-koh.”

Step-by-Step Learning

1. Memorize Shapes and Sounds:
   • Write each K-line character 10 times, following stroke order (see image below).
   • Say them aloud: か (ka), き (ki), く (ku), け (ke), こ (ko).

2. Recognize in Words:
   • Combine K-line characters with vowels for simple words:
     • かく (kaku, to write): か + く
     • きく (kiku, to listen): き + く
     • ここ (koko, here): こ + こ
3. Remember Extra Terms: Add dakuten (゛) to get voiced sounds:
   • か (ka) → が (ga, like “gah” in “garden”).
   • き (ki) → ぎ (gi, like “gee” in “geese”).
   • く (ku) → ぐ (gu, like “goo” in “goose”).
   • け (ke) → げ (ge, like “geh” in “get”).
   • こ (ko) → ご (go, like “go” in “goal”).

Practice Section: Typing Game – the K-Line

Type and remember the K-line fun and interactive!

Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

English speakers often stumble here:

• Confusing Shapes: き (ki) vs. さ (sa)—ki has a loop, sa is straighter.
• Confusing か with 力 (a kanji) and カ (katakana):
  力: Kanji, meaning “power” or “strength”
  カ: Katakana, used for foreign loanwords (e.g., カメラ, kamera, camera)

On computers or phones, some fonts make it tough to tell characters apart. Even native Japanese speakers might not be able to tell them apart if only that single character is written.
But usually, you can figure out if it’s hiragana, katakana, or kanji by checking the characters around them.

Conclusion: Wrap-Up and Next Steps

Today, you’ve mastered the Hiragana K-line—かきくけこ. You’re now reading and writing words like かく (write) and ここ (here), a huge step in your JLPT N5 prep.

Keep practicing daily to make these characters second nature!

Tomorrow: “Day 4: Hiragana S-Line (Sa, Shi, Su, Se, So).”

Stay consistent! Share your Day 3 progress in the comments or with #LearnJapaneseN5. Subscribe for daily lessons, and invite a friend to join the 100-day challenge. Let’s keep the Japanese learning adventure going!