Here are some mnemonics to help with learning Japanese hiragana – which is a good place (just before katakana) to start learning written Japanese (Check out this hiragana chart, and this one, too!):
- あ – a: Looks like a man with a snake wrapped around him screaming “AAAA!”
- い – i: Looks like a pair of legs, perhaps kicking something that goes “IIII!”
- う – u: Looks like a child pointing out a toy he wants to his mother and going “UUUU!”
- え – e: Looks like a woman putting her hand up and walking away from a man she’s not interested in and going “Eh…”
- お – o: Looks like a man rowing a boat with his “O”ar.
- か – ka: Looks like a man doing a backflip! It’s amazing that he “K”an do that!
- き – ki: Looks like a skeleton “KI”y!
- く – ku: Looks like a bird’s beak that is “KU-KU”ing!
- け – ke: Looks like one person carrying something, and another person asking to help. Alternatively, looks like a “KE”g.
- こ – ko: Looks like a “KO”iled spring.
- さ – sa: Looks like a guy with a big, “SA”gging belly!
- し – shi: “SHI” has long hair!