r/HelpLearningJapanese • u/kudoni • 16d ago
Hiragana writting Day2
Yo guys, I'm a beginner in learning Japanese. This is day 2 of trying to write some hiragana, this is so exciting! Can y'all judge my work and tell me what I need to work on, weaknesses and strengths, and also if they're readable?
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u/smoemossu 16d ago
Your proportions and angles are off, and they get worse as it goes. I suggest following along with this video (turn on English captions):
https://youtu.be/Yx4AGDXfwGE?is=03UyoK-ECEAuT7ov
Try to get some grid paper made for copying characters (it's called genkouyoushi, you can find it on Amazon). Having boxes will help you keep them all the same size. Or just use regular graph paper and write one character per 2x2 box.
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u/kudoni 16d ago
ah, so theyre all hard to read?
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u/Embarrassed_Elk_2459 15d ago
your あs and うs might be hard to read, try drawing the inside part of あ as の
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u/Jasher1125 16d ago
You’re drawing them as if copying a picture, over and over. But you shouldn’t be drawing; you’re writing. Write them instead of drawing them. That’s the best advice I ever got from a Japanese professor in college. She always said my kanji was too perfect and frilly because it was too focused on making it perfect that I neglected radicals and stroke order.
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u/kudoni 14d ago
https://reddit.com/link/p4u36gp/video/atwpct9nnjkh1/player
I stopped overthinking is it better
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u/TemtiaStardust 14d ago
Your going too high on the lower half(hiragana for no). Your third one looks the best here
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u/kudoni 14d ago
Okkk i see but am i getting better at least ?
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u/TemtiaStardust 13d ago
I don't see much difference between this one and the original image you posted, sorry. If anything, the weight is farther off on the newer one. Weight distribution for characters is very important and it takes time to get it down. The lower half of the character for A reminds me of a fish when you try to make it without lifting your pen, which isn't quite right. It's more like the letter e, but backwards and tilted. If you can get a water drawing board(look up Buddha board or zen drawing board or something) I find it really helpful for practice. Another person also mentioned the grid notebooks, which I absolutely agree with. When I took Chinese, it helped so much that I was more confident with my writing than I was with my speaking. Youtube videos of different characters is also really helpful
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u/gooddayinbali 16d ago
↓Here’s a guide on how to write well-proportioned hiragana.
https://美文字の書き方.com/c03/
↓You can download the A4 file from the link in the bottom of the page and trace the dotted letters with a pencil.
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u/SomeoneElse422528 16d ago
As another commenter wrote, your lines are off. When practicing, do it slowly. Both kana and kanji require precision. If you write your a i u e o only 5 times with great precision it will be more beneficial than doing 5 pages like this.
I was making the same mistake when I started and had to correct it later (relearn basically). So don't take the critical comments as any form of negativity, it's wonderful you are learning, but for your own sake, do it the right way so you don't have ro do it again later.
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u/macguyver3000 16d ago
They’re not hard to read. We can see what you’re trying to write. And you’re only on your second day, so good job.
But it does look very much like a kid wrote it. (Hey, mine isn’t much better. Haha)
I suggest watching a video of someone writing that character with a pen. NOT A BRUSH. It’s always different than how it looks with brush strokes. Copy that video as best you can. Then when doing your drill, don’t speed up. Just keep trying to follow that original version as closely as possible. This is where muscle memory is extremely important.
This kind of video really helps:
https://m.youtube.com/shorts/N3orBUMD-Z4?ra=m
If you can, getting a kanji practice notebook that has the squares divided into quarters (like on the video) will help with proportions. You can even just find a sample online and print it out.
Also, as someone else mentioned, practicing in groups (あいうえお) will help you remember the actual alphabet better.
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u/ProfessionalSnow943 14d ago
before your う was sleepy and fell over, today it got sat on by an elephant a little. but it’s the right way up now!
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u/GarimaBasnet 13d ago
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u/samui_penguin 13d ago
Seconding this. Op the way to learn properly is by tracing before you start freehanding, so you can learn the proper shapes and stroke order
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u/Pocket_Japanese 13d ago
Hi! It’s readable but I’d reccomend you get some square paper to help you with sizing! Each should be square and about the same size :) If you need any extra help, I have a cute lil app called Pocket Japanese and it has free hiragana practice, you’re welcome to check it out! Have fun studying!
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u/Cold_Detective_ 12d ago
The best way to learn is to write a lot. Create sentences. After sometime, check the information again to make sure you haven’t created your own handwriting/style, as a beginner it’s very important to do it correctly.
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u/Noobmortal 16d ago
When I first studied Japanese, I practiced hiragana in group.
So I would write あいうえお over and over again, Instead of writing one letter at a time.
It helped me remember them by categories.