One Hiragana, Short Japanese Words Part 1: あいうえお

Short Japanese words are a good way to start learning Japanese. This is part one of a series to introduce Hiragana by teaching words that are only one Hiragana character long.

https://japaneseuniverse.com/2024/02/18/pac-man-in-japaneseconcepts-behind-development-to-global-icon/

INDEX

あ – Ah, I just Remembered

あ, is a Japanese interrogative or emotion word. It is used when you just remember or notice something.

あ、思い出した！
あ、おもいだした！
ah, I just remembered something

胃(い) – My Stomach hurts

胃(い) is the word for stomach in Japanese. There are other words in Japanese that refer to stomach or belly. They are 腹(はら) and おなか. In contrast to these words though, 胃 just refers to your stomach.

胃が痛い
いがいたい
My stomach hurts

鵜(う) – Swallowing like a Cormorant

鵜(う) is a bird known as a cormorant in English. It is a bird with a big mouth. These birds swoop down and catch fish and swallow them whole. So, in Japanese, the word 鵜呑み(うのみ、cormorant swallowing) means to swallow something whole. Specifically, it us used metaphorically to refer to believing someone nievely or talking someones word as is.

絵(え) – I will Draw a Picture

絵(え)is the word for a picture. Not a picture like the one from a camera, that would be 写真(しゃしん). But, instead a picture like the one you would paint or draw. So, in other words, it refers to drawings and paintings.

絵を描く
えをかく
I will draw a picture

尾(お) – The Dog Wags it’s Tail

尾(お)means tail. When you are just talking about a tale in Japanese you can also say しっぽ.

犬が尾を振る
いぬがおをふる
The dog wags its tail