After hiragana and katakana: read your first Japanese sentence
Start beginner vocabulary and grammar together, then practise reading short sentences. You do not have to finish a vocabulary list before reading a sentence. Today, read “This is a manga,” change the noun, and ask “Is this a manga?” Try it below.
In this article
Put your first words into a short sentence
This lesson is for readers who can recognize most hiragana and katakana. Look up unfamiliar characters as you go. You will meet voiced kana and the long-vowel mark ー; you do not need to learn every pronunciation rule at once here.
Look at each picture and read the sentence. Only the noun changes. Guess the meaning, then open the explanation to check. The reading above 地図 lets you read the word without learning all its kanji first.
これはマンガです。
Check the meaning and word
This is a manga.
マンガ means manga or comics; it is also commonly written 漫画. Here we use katakana to practise reading the word in a sentence.
これはノートです。
Check the meaning and word
This is a notebook.
Here, ノート is a paper notebook. The mark ー lengthens the preceding vowel; do not skip it.
これは地図です。
Check the meaning and word
This is a map.
地図 is read ちず. Connect the written word and its reading with the meaning: map.
Break down これはマンガです: topic は is read wa
これ refers to “this,” something near the speaker. は marks what the sentence will talk about: this thing. As a particle, it is written は but pronounced わ (wa). That does not change every は inside an ordinary word to wa.
マンガ identifies the thing, and です makes this noun sentence polite. Learn this “A is B” pattern first. It is not a formula for every Japanese sentence, and not every sentence takes です.
- これ
This
- は
Topic marker; pronounced wa
- マンガ
Manga; the noun in this example
- です
Polite ending for this noun sentence
Add か to ask a question
これはマンガです。 says “This is a manga.” Add か at the end: これはマンガですか。 asks “Is this a manga?” It is a basic polite way to ask.
If the person is indeed holding a manga, you can answer はい、マンガです。 (“Yes, it is a manga.”). When you both know which thing you mean, the answer need not repeat これは. Practise this short exchange before adding every negative form or demonstrative.
How is は pronounced in これはマンガです。?
Choose first, then check the explanation.
Show explanation
The topic is “this.” The particle is written は and pronounced わ (wa).
What does これはノートですか。 mean?
Choose first, then check the explanation.
Show explanation
Here ノート means notebook. The final か turns the sentence into a question. Changing the noun changes the meaning too.
Choose one sentence from something you want to read
Choose a manga, travel guide or another Japanese text that interests you, and take one short sentence. Check the words’ readings and meanings in that context, then the grammar. Close the translation and explain the meaning in your own words. If every part is unfamiliar, try a shorter beginner text with an explanation first.
Today we changed nouns only. A real text may use verbs, adjectives or leave things unsaid. Do not attach です to every new ending. Learn how each new pattern is formed.
For a public course with matching audio, try the Japan Foundation’s Irodori Starter. It provides everyday situations and exercises. The three illustrations and questions here are our own separate lesson material.
Continue with beginner words, grammar and sentence analysis in Maho
Start at N5 in Maho’s JLPT N5–N1 vocabulary and grammar courses. Compare readings, meanings, pictures and examples, then check the grammar notes. This is a place to study after kana, rather than a complete kana stroke-order or handwriting course.
Use image or text analysis to break down a sentence you want to read. Then ask Maho AI: “What does は mark here? How would I say it with ノート instead?” Check the explanation, then try another sentence.