This, that, that over there — これ・それ・あれ・どれ
Point without grabbing: これ near you, それ near them, あれ far from both, どれ for which. Same です machine, new fingers.
August 2026
I am not — ではありません and も (also)
Deny a wrong label with ではありません, then add another person or thing with も. Polite no, then also — the two tools you need when Japan guesses.
Katakana マ〜ン — reading a convenience-store shelf without panic
Finish the katakana chart with マ ヤ ラ ワ and ン. Read パン and ラーメン on a convenience-store shelf, heat the cup if they ask, and leave in です/ます.
Katakana サ〜ハ — coffee, hotel, and the long vowel mark ー
Add katakana サ タ ナ ハ and the long mark ー. Order コーヒー, read ホテル, and stop treating the bar as optional decoration.
Katakana ア・カ — menus, stations, and words that came from abroad
Meet katakana アイウエオ and カキクケコ as the same sounds in a sharper coat. Read アメリカ and カメラ on a cafe board and a station shelf — loans as Japanese, not English in costume.
Hiragana や・ら・わ・ん, dakuten, and small ゃゅょ
Finish hiragana: やゆよ, らりるれろ, わをん. Add dakuten for がざだば, and small ゃゅょ so きょう is one beat. Then you can read わたし, ください, and さくら.
Hiragana は・ま rows — は as a particle, not only a letter
Write はひふへほ and まみむめも. Hear は as ha in はい and as わ when it marks a topic. See ま inside ます. Two cups: one hot, one cold.
Hiragana た・な rows — who, what, and the sound of ん later
Write たちつてと and なにぬねの. Read なに and たな. Preview たべます as a word on a lunch plan, not as a full ます lesson. だ waits for dakuten.
Hiragana か・さ rows — shops, umbrellas, and the first hard consonants
Attach the first consonants to あいうえお. Write かきくけこ and さしすせそ, then own かさ (umbrella) and あさ (morning) as real words, not romaji puzzles.