When Japanese sounds and spelling differ

男の子がノートと「は・を・へ」の文字カードを見比べている色鉛筆イラスト。

Compare learning activities · A guide for adults

When Japanese sounds and spelling differ

Compare the particles は・を・へ and long-vowel spellings: two challenges that arise after children begin to read hiragana.

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Choose by the skill being explored. HOP, STEP and JUMP describe Chicodori content levels, not overseas school grades. The branch descriptions explain what to look for in each activity.

HOP · JapaneseCharacters & spelling
HOP · JapaneseSentence structure

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Hiragana spelling illustrationHiragana spelling
Particle Defenders: は・を・へ · activity previewChoose in a sentenceCheck は・を・へ in contextExplore the activities ＋Cat Helper in Word Town · activity previewChoose a spellingNotice long-vowel spellingsExplore the activities ＋

2 activities or resources to compare.

If it sounds like wa, do you write わ?

In ぼくは, the particle は is pronounced wa. Choosing a character by its sound differs from choosing the spelling that belongs in a sentence. The Japanese examples remain part of the learning content.

Where to explore next

Beyond recognizing hiragana ›Choosing words beyond “great” ›
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Choose in a sentence

Check は・を・へ in context

Particle Defenders: は・を・へ · activity previewEnglish guide · Japanese activity →

Particle Defenders: は・を・へ

Choose a particle in a sentence

Choose は, を or へ by how it is used in the sentence, rather than sound alone.

What to look for
Does the child notice the difference between the sound wa and the written は in ぼくは?
Where it can lead
Particles and connections within sentences.

Choose a spelling

Notice long-vowel spellings

Cat Helper in Word Town · activity previewEnglish guide · Japanese activity →

Cat Helper in Word Town

Compare similar sounds through spelling

Choose between forms such as おとうと and おとおと. Check the spelling of the word instead of relying only on how it sounds.

What to look for
Which character represents the long vowel?
Where it can lead
Reviewing the spelling of Japanese words.

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