My First HIRAGANA & KATAKANA Book – Japanese Culture Through Characters and Sounds

My First HIRAGANA & KATAKANA Book is an illustrated introduction to Japan’s two unique phonetic writing systems: hiragana and katakana.

Designed to make first contact with Japanese fun and intuitive, the book combines characters, sounds, vocabulary and cultural references with colorful illustrations. Readers can explore not only the Japanese writing system, but also everyday objects, traditional culture and words commonly seen in modern Japan.

It is suitable as a beginner learning resource, a souvenir from Japan, or a gift for someone interested in Japanese language and culture.

Product Features

• Learn both hiragana and katakana
• Illustrated introduction to Japanese characters and sounds
• Includes a wide range of practical vocabulary
• Covers everyday Japanese words
• Introduces traditional Japanese cultural vocabulary
• Includes words commonly encountered in modern Japan
• Explains voiced and semi-voiced sounds
• Covers contracted sounds
• Includes support for long vowels and small っ
• Introduces Japanese onomatopoeia
• Includes traditional Japanese word games
• Bonus downloadable PDF materials
• Suitable for complete beginners
• Useful as a Japanese-learning gift or souvenir

Learn Japanese Through Words & Culture

The book contains a wide variety of vocabulary selected to introduce both the Japanese language and Japanese culture.

Examples include words related to:

• Everyday objects and situations
• Traditional Japanese culture
• Food and lifestyle
• Things commonly seen around Japanese cities
• Modern Japanese life

By turning the pages and exploring the illustrations, learners can become familiar with Japanese characters while naturally discovering the culture behind the words.

Beyond Basic Hiragana & Katakana

The book also supports some of the areas that beginners often find more difficult.

Helpful columns explain topics such as:

• Long vowels
• Contracted sounds
• Small っ and double consonants
• Differences in Japanese sound patterns
• Onomatopoeia

This makes the book useful not only for recognizing individual characters, but also for understanding how Japanese sounds work in real words.

Japanese Word Games

Readers are introduced to traditional Japanese language games including:

• Shiritori – a word-chain game using the final sound of the previous word
• Karuta – a traditional Japanese card game involving listening and word recognition

These activities offer another way to experience Japanese language and culture beyond simple memorization.

Bonus Digital Content

Purchasers can access downloadable PDF materials including:

• Illustrated Gojūon Chart – suitable for printing and displaying as a poster
• Original Karuta Set – printable cards for playing and learning

These materials provide additional opportunities for visual study and interactive practice.

Contents

Part 1 – Basic Sounds / Seion
Introduces the core hiragana and katakana sounds.

Part 2 – Voiced & Semi-Voiced Sounds
Covers dakuten and handakuten sound changes.

Part 3 – Contracted Sounds
Introduces combinations such as きゃ / キャ and related patterns.

Part 4 – Onomatopoeia & Word Games
Explores expressive Japanese vocabulary and traditional language games.

About the Author

Yuko Hashimoto (橋本 夕子) is a Japanese language teacher and translator.

She is a teacher member of the Association for Japanese-Language Teaching (AJALT) and contributed to the Japanese for Busy People, Revised 4th Edition series.

Her translation work also includes publications in the fields of travel, business and art.

Recommended For

• Complete beginners in Japanese
• Learners studying hiragana and katakana
• Travelers interested in Japanese language
• People looking for a Japan-themed educational gift
• Visual learners
• Students interested in Japanese culture
• Learners who want vocabulary together with script study
• Parents and teachers introducing Japanese to beginners

Product Information

Product Name: My First HIRAGANA & KATAKANA Book
Product Type: Japanese language and culture learning book
Main Focus: Hiragana, Katakana, Vocabulary & Japanese Culture
Target Level: Beginner
Bonus Content: Downloadable illustrated Gojūon chart and printable original karuta
Author: Yuko Hashimoto (橋本 夕子)
Publisher: Natsume Co., Ltd. (ナツメ社)
Publication Date: June 16, 2026
Language: Japanese
Print Length: 192 pages
ISBN-10: 4816378928
ISBN-13: 978-4816378928

Important Note

This book is an illustrated introductory resource combining hiragana, katakana, Japanese vocabulary and cultural content. It is not a dedicated JLPT preparation textbook.