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LAURASIAN

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In this photo, I was teaching science to third grade students. The topic of that day was "solar and lunar eclipses." It was the very first class about the topic, so I prepared a worksheet for them. Before beginning work on the worksheet, I used a science textbook from Japan used by similarly-aged Japanese pupils. I wanted to show them the photos of solar and lunar eclipses. The students looked confused at first-it was probably because they had no idea what "日食、月食" meant.

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Japanese-American Cultural & Language Exchange Programs

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In this photo, I was teaching science to third grade students. The topic of that day was "solar and lunar eclipses." It was the very first class about the topic, so I prepared a worksheet for them. Before beginning work on the worksheet, I used a science textbook from Japan used by similarly-aged Japanese pupils.

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Japan has a lots of great Anime, movies and shows. Great & fun way to learn real language!

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The Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs' KAKEHASHI Project identifies and selects groups of Americans ready to learn about Japan in ways that connect to their specific fields. Participant groups include students, local and national policy makers, business leaders, Congressional staffers, pop culture enthusiasts, athletes and many more.

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embassy of japan in the united states of america

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The Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs' KAKEHASHI Project identifies and selects groups of Americans ready to learn about Japan in ways that connect to their specific fields. Participant groups include students, local and national policy makers, business leaders, Congressional staffers, pop culture enthusiasts, athletes and many more.

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There are many local places you can feel Japan(or Asia!)

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1. The National Cherry Blossom Festival & Sakura Matsuri Japanese Street Festival Image from http://www.nationalcherryblossomfestival.org/news/press-room/high-res-images/
The most famous Japanese-American event in the country, the National Cherry Blossom Festival has brought thousands of people to DC to celebrate Japanese-American relations. The trees were a gift from Japan to the US in 1912, and the festival begins with the lighting of the Japanese Stone Lantern, given to the US by Japan in 1954. The Cherry Blossom Festival includes a parade, lectures, dance exhibits, and many Japanese cultural events each year. Tickets to the opening ceremony are free, but must be reserved ahead of time. Watch the countdown to the peak bloom here.

The Sakura Matsuri Street Festival ends the Cherry Blossom Festival with a street fair and festival celebrating Japanese culture in downtown DC. Enjoy Japanese food, cultural lessons, dancing, pottery, technology, and crafts lessons at the Street Festival.

Consider applying to be a Cherry Blossom Festival Goodwill Ambassador, a competitive post open to college students and recent graduates to act as liaisons between the festival and the Japanese American community and Japanese Embassy.

2. Attend a Washin'an Tea Room Open House

Image from http://www.tankokaidc.org/about/washin-an.

The Urasenke Tea Ceremony Association of Washington, DC is a nonprofit dedicated to cultural and educational events about the Japanese tea ceremony. Every Thursday their tea room hosts an open house, in which visitors can experience and learn about the tea ceremony. Reservations are required. Several weekly events are available to members, with student memberships available.

Enjoy Art, Films, and Music at the Freer and Sackler Galleries*
Image from http://www.asia.si.edu/collections/japanese_highlights.asp
The Freer Gallery hosts the Smithsonian Institution's Japanese Art collections which showcase four millennia of Japanese history. The museum features not just art, but also regularly shows Japanese films and performances, featuring not just classical movies and music, but also contemporary Japanese pop culture. Performances are typically free, but may require ticket reservations.

1. Check out Events at the Japanese Information and Culture Center
Image from https://picasaweb.google.com/110110203650069790184/OrigamiFunNight10242014#6075320205953059346

Recent JICC events have included origami nights, shodo calligraphy demonstrations, and painting and haiku competitions. The center is open during business hours and has ongoing walk-in exhibitions. The current exhibition features masterful origami works in honor of World Origami Days.

The JICC runs two calendars: a JICC events calendar, and a very thorough DC-area events calendar, both of which are regularly updated with Japanese cultural events around the area.

2. Visit the National Bonsai and Penjing Museum

Image from https://www.bonsai-nbf.org/japanese-collection/
*Note that the Freer Gallery will be closed January 4, 2016 through the summer of 2017. While it's closed, consider making the trek to Baltimore's Walters Art Gallery, with its collections of Japanese Art and armor.

Tour an Authentic Tea House
Image from http://www.washingtonian.com/articles/arts-events/hidden-gems-2014-invite-only/
Honor Japanese Americans' Experiences in World War II

The National Bonsai and Penjing Museum is located at the National Arboretum, and supported by the National Bonsai Foundation. The museum is home to dozens of Japanese and American grown bonsai, complete with a Japanese stroll garden and exhibits of traditional Japanese homes. Of special interest is the Yamaki Pine, the oldest of the Japanese bonsai in the museum, and a tree that survived the atomic bomb blast in Hiroshima.

Note that the Bonsai and Penjing Museum has more limited hours than the Arboretum.

Explore the Adventures of Japanese Anime and Manga

The Ippakutei Teahouse, located behind the Embassy of Japan, has been called the best traditional teahouse outside of Japan, and one of Washington, DC's hidden treasures. The Ippakutei Teahouse and Old Ambassador's Residence of the Embassy of Japan are open one to two times a year to public tours, often around the Cherry Blossom Festival. Make sure to keep checking back on the JICC website for the next opportunity!

The National Japanese American Memorial honors both those Japanese Americans who gave their lives during World War II, and those who were interned by the US government. Take time to read about the symbolism in each part of the site before visiting to fully appreciate the Memorial.

The game of go was first attested in China in the 4th century BCE, and appears to have reached Japan in the 5th and 6th centuries CE. Despite its relatively simple rules, its complex permutations can lead to addictive strategy and competition. While you could teach yourself, consider attending free community go events held by the Washington Go Association or the Takoma Park Intergenerational Strategy Games Club (call ahead to confirm), or even re-forming the UMD Go Club!
Bonus! Visit the Library of Congress Japanese Collections
Image from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anime

The UMD Terrapin Anime Society meets discuss Japanese animation and encourage its appreciate among students. Stop by a club meeting to find out more!

The DC area has several chains that carry Japanese ingredients. One independent store, Hana Japanese Market specializes solely Japanese foods: stop by to explore new ingredients and try making Japanese foods yourself!

Image from http://www.loc.gov/rr/asian/USCapital.html

View of the United States Capitol
from Journal and Sketches from
the Voyage to America
( Meriken kôkai nikki ryakuzu), 1860

From the Library of Congress, "The Asian Reading Room is the primary public access point for researchers seeking to use the Asian collections of the Library of Congress in the many languages of Asia. The reading room covers the area from the South Asian subcontinent and Southeast Asia to China, Japan, Korea, and Mongolia. With over 3 million books, periodicals and newspapers, a large number of manuscripts, and electronic media, the collections are the most comprehensive sources of Asian language materials outside of Asia."

A competitive fellowship is available to help researchers interested in performing Asian studies research at the Library of Congress.

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10 Ways to Experience Japanese Culture around Washington, DC

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The National Cherry Blossom Festival & Sakura Matsuri Japanese Street Festival Image from http://www.nationalcherryblossomfestival.org/news/press-room/high-res-images/ The most famous Japanese-American event in the country, the National Cherry Blossom Festival has brought thousands of people to DC to celebrate Japanese-American relations.

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May is Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month in the United States. AAPI heritage month is a celebration of the accomplishments of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in U.S. society and culture; most often these lists are made up of AAPI doctors, scientists and those holding positions within the U.S. government. Rarely shared are the stories of those within the AAPI community who have stood up against racism and injustice which shaped a much fairer society, and those who have used the arts as a medium of change. The United States has a long history of extreme racists policies against its Asian and Pacific Islander citizens, and throughout the history of this country the AAPI has fought back.

The Chinese in the United States faced great hardships upon their arrival; in 1871, there was a massacre of Chinese immigrants in Los Angeles, California. The Chinese Exclusion Act further legalized anti-Chinese sentiments. Chinese radicals fought against the abuses they faced and did not stay silent. Chinese women in the garment industry made history through strikes and uprisings in the 1980s, and Su Ko Lee led a strike in the 1930s fighting for higher wages.

U.S. citizens of Japanese descent were rounded up and sent to internment camps during WWII; Canada followed suit and sent their Japanese citizens to similar camps. Durning this time, the governments of Perú, Chile, Argentina and México sent many of their Japanese citizens to the United States to be detained.

The U.S. genocide and enslavement of Filipinos during war and colonization is still virtually unknown to many, as is the fact that Filipino labor workers first began organizing and striking in agricultural fields, pioneering the farm labor movement in the United States.

The U.S. government brutalized South East Asia during the Vietnam War; over 2 million tons of cluster bombs where dropped in Lao, simply because if its geographic location to Vietnam, making it the most bombed country in the history of humanity-creating a legacy of death, trauma and amputations. The U.S. government also recruited Hmong child soldiers to fight the Vietcong and caused a major refugee crisis in the region.

U.S. aggressions against Polynesia and oceania

Take a deep breath and repeat after me, "Hawaiʻi is NOT the United States and it is a stolen kingdom." Now exhale. Not only did the United States, and its sugar and fruit companies, steal the kingdom of Hawaiʻi from its people, Hawaiian land has been used for bomb testings, destroying precious ecosystems and its indigenous peoples have been displaced and disenfranchised. Native Hawaiians are often seen as merely "exotic" tourist attractions in their own land.

American Samoa, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands are all colonies of the United States government whose economies are strangled. Most citizens live in poverty yet have sent hundreds of thousands of men and women to battle for the U.S. military. They have no true rights nor sovereignty over their own affairs and land.

Asia is a large continent

Asia is a very large continent that encompasses countries within East Asia, Eurasia, West Asia, Central Asia, South Asia and South East Asia. Asia is made up of many different ethnic groups, peoples and cultures who practice many different faiths. Even within respective Asian countries there are varying people groups, customs, languages and traditions-not all Asians are "the same".

the global asian struggle continues

To this day, there are still Asian struggles across the globe; Filipina women face grave abuses and exploitation working as nannies and domestic workers in the Arab Gulf States and Hong Kong. Many have their passports taken from them upon arrival, are subjected to verbal, sexual and physical abuses and can rarely escape. Bangladeshi women and children have been killed working in sweatshops that have collapsed while sewing the cheap clothes that we consume; they are also paid very little and work in slave-like conditions. Asians and Pacific Islanders across the globe are fighting against gentrification, racism, sexism, classism, police brutality and capitalism. And anti-Asian sentiments across the globe are becoming normalized due to the Covid-19 outbreak, furthering discrimination.

Asians and Pacific Islanders in activism

Many believe that Asian communities have remained silent. However, Asians and Pacific Islanders have a long history of intersectional activism and have joined global liberation and independence struggles throughout time. Asian and Pacific Islanders have made revolutionary impacts in many different areas, and this blog post is dedicated to honoring the revolutionary efforts of Asians and Pacific Islanders from around the world.

30 revolutionary Asians and Pacific Islanders from around the world to celebrate for AAPI Heritage Month:

1. yuri kochiyama

Yuri Kochiyama was a radical Japanese-American liberation activist and a pioneer of the intersectionality movement. Born in California to Japanese immigrants in 1921, Yuri lived what she felt was an "all American childhood". After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor her life would drastically change; Yuri's father was arrested by the FBI, accused of being a "threat to national security", was detained for six weeks and died just days after his release. Yuri, her mother and brother were some of the many U.S. citizens of Japanese descent to be held in internment camps; it was in the camps where Yuri developed a deep pride in her Japanese heritage and the experience sparked her passion for activism. She married Bill Kochiyama and they had six children; Yuri and Bill moved to New York City with their children and lived in housing projects surrounded by Black and Latino communities. Yuri advocated for safer streets and integrated schools, this led her to dig deep into the histories of Black Americans and Puerto Ricans. Yuri's daughter remembers piles of radical leaflets all over the dinner table and her mother taping political newspaper clippings to the walls of their home-she said that their home "felt like 'the movement' 24/7." Yuri and Bill would take their children on summer vacations to the Southern United States to see landmarks of the civil rights movement that was taking place. Fate would lead Yuri to a close friendship with Malcolm X, with whom she shared a birthday, that would radically change the course of her life. Yuri had been an advocate for integration, but her friendship with Malcolm was eye-opening; Yuri changed the course of her activism and began to fight for the total liberation of marginalized peoples around the world. Yuri understood that the fight against oppression and capitalism was global and in order to win the fight, marginalized peoples must unite. Yuri joined the Republic of New Afrika, a militant Black nationalist organization based in Harlem. She also joined the Young Lords Party, made up of radical Puerto Ricans in the NYC diaspora, and her work in the Asian struggle movement was extensive. Yuri was opposed to the Vietnam War, supported labor organizing, helped develop ethnic study programs and fought for compensation for Japanese concentration camp survivors. Yuri was present at some of the most iconic moments of the liberation struggle; she was at the Audubon Ballroom listening to Malcolm X speak when he was murdered-Yuri famously rushed to the stage and held his head as he lay dying crying out, "please, Malcolm! Please, Malcolm! Stay alive!" In 1977, the Young Lords famously occupied the Statue of Liberty and laid the Puerto Rican flag across it-Yuri was there. After the 9/11 attacks in New York City, she organized against the racial profiling of Arab Americans, Muslims and the South Asian community. Yuri is one of the founding members of Asians for Mumia, in solidarity with imprisoned former Black Panther, Mumia Abu-Jamal -Yuri was known to sign her Christmas cards with "free Mumia". Yuri unapologetically supported radical, anti-imperial groups around the world who challenged injustice. She is an example of true solidarity amongst marginalized peoples, and her intersectional activism should be mirrored by all.

5. Tilsa Tsuchiya

Tilsa Tsuchiya was a Japanese-Peruvian-Chinese artist famous for her paintings and prints based on Peruvian mythological legends and folklore. Her father was a doctor who immigrated to Perú from Japan, and her mother was of Peruvian and Chinese ancestry. She was drawn to artistic expressions at an early age and began her career as an artist by drawing pictures; she would eventually study at the Escuela Nacional Superior Autónoma de Bellas Artes (National Superior Autonomous School of Fine Arts) in Lima. Her father passed away in the middle of her studies, and her mother just two years later. After the death of her mother, she left school and opened a framing shop with her brother. She would return to school a few years later, studying under prestigious Peruvian artists such as Carlos Quizpez Asín and Manuel Zapata Orihuela. Tsuchiya stood out amongst her classmates due to her creativity. She won a gold medal for painting while in university and graduated with honors. She would continue her studies in France where she expanded her expertise from painting to engraving and printmaking. While her work was deeply influenced by Peruvian mythological legends, she also used her art to push gender narratives and expressions of female sexuality. She is hailed as one of the most influential and celebrated Peruvian artists.

6. Philip Vera Cruz

Philip Vera Cruz was a Filipino leader in the Asian American Movement, a farmworker and a leader in the labor movement. He also organized alongside César Chávez and fellow Filipino labor leader, Larry Itliong. Born in the Philippines in 1904, Vera Cruz moved to the United States in 1926 where he eventually became a farmworker. Farm work in the U.S. at the time was nearly slave labor, and most jobs were held by Filipino workers. Laborers worked ten-hour days for seventy cents per hour in grueling 110-degree heat. They lived on filthy labor camps with outdoor showers, kitchens that were infested with roaches and mosquitoes and toilets so filled with feces that they were nearly impossible to use. Laborers had very little rights on the job, no access to benefits nor healthcare provided to them. Vera Cruz picked grapes, lettuce and harvested asparagus. He joined his first strike in 1948, organized by Filipino farmworkers who worked in asparagus fields. This strike would inspire Filipino laborers across California, and it was one of the acts that sparked the entire farm labor movement in the United States. Filipino workers began to organize all over the state and Vera Cruz would lead chapters in his local unions. While most people associate the Delano Grape Strikes with Mexican Americans and César Chávez, they were started by Filipino-American workers, of which Vera Cruz was one of the early organizers. Filipino workers decided to merge their unions with those of Mexican Americans, creating the now-famous United Farm Workers (UWF). Vera Cruz would serve as the second vice president of the union, and he also served on the managing board. Vera Cruz stayed radical his entire life, fighting for workers' rights and inspiring college students to fight for the underrepresented.

7. junko Tabei

Junko Tabei was a Japanese mountaineer and the first woman to reach the top of Mt. Everest. She was also the first woman to climb the highest peak on every continent. She founded the Joshi-Tohan Club, which was a women-only mountaineering club in Japan-the first of its kind. She wanted to create a space for women in Japan to discover climbing, and as a way to combat the discrimination she had encountered in all-male climbing groups. Tabei refused to take corporate sponsors and funded all her own trips. She funded her climbs through tutoring children in English, accepting paid public appearances and leading mountain climbing tours. She was also an avid environmentalist whose postgraduate studies focused on the degradation of Mt. Everest due to the waste left behind from climbing tourism. Tabei revolutionized the ideals of who a Japanese woman, wife and mother could be. By the end of her life in 2016, she had scaled 70 mountains, many of which were some of the highest in the world.

9. Queen Velu Nachiyar

Velu Nachiyar was a Tamil queen from India who fought against the invading British and their colonial power. Known as the "brave woman", she was born in 1730 as a princess into the Ramnad kingdom. She was the only child of her parents and was raised as if she was a male heir who would one day rule the kingdom. Queen Velu was trained in martial arts, horse riding, war weapons and archery. She became a scholar of foreign languages and spoke fluent Urdu, English and French, along with her native Tamil. She married the king of Sivagangai, with whom she had a daughter, and they ruled the kingdom for more than twenty years. Their kingdom was eventually attacked by the British and her husband killed-Queen Velu and her daughter fled for their lives. After the king's death, Velu took to battle to avenge his murder and to fight back against the colonial oppressors. She formed an army and built alliances with other kingdoms within India to attack the British. One of her closest allies was the sultan of Moysore, whom she impressed by her fluency in Urdu. This friendship led her to more allies who helped her build a powerful army to attack the British. The sultan provided her with a 400 pound salary per month, she was revered as a queen while in exile and was given 5000 calvary and 5000 infantry soldiers to help in her quest of destroying the British, along with plenty of weapons for the battle. In 1780, Velu learned the location of a British weapons storehouse; she arraigned a suicide attack against the storehouse to destroy the weapons. A woman named Kuyili, who was a commander in the army and adoptive daughter of Velu, doused her body in ghee, set herself on fire and then jumped in the armory, blowing it up. This was a devastating blow to the British and a huge victory for Queen Velu. The queen's second adoptive daughter, Udaiyaal, also destroyed a British arsenal in a separate suicide attack-Velu would create a women's army and named it after Udaiyaal. Queen Velu recaptured Sivaganga and is one of the few royals to regain their kingdoms from the British. She ruled for ten more years and at her death left the throne to her biological daughter, Vellacci.

10. Cecil Rajendra

Cecil Rajendra is a Malaysian poet, human rights activists and lawyer. Commonly referred to as the "lawyer-poet", he has spent decades providing legal aid for the poor, pushing to make Malaysia's justice system work for all and writing poetry-his writing is comprised of complex themes such as human rights, environmental concerns and repressive laws. In 1980, Rajendra and friends set up a free legal aid clinic in a little wooden shack in his hometown of Penang. Many workers were confronting sexual harassment, inadequate working conditions, poor housing and even weren't receiving payments for their labor. Rajendra also spearheaded the movement against Malaysia's Internal Security Act, which allowed persons to be held without official criminal charges or trials under specific circumstances as defined in Malaysian law. He created the first mobile legal aid clinic in the country, giving citizens the opportunity to learn about their legal rights. In 2019, Rajendra won the International Bar Association's pro bono award for his groundbreaking work on behalf of Malaysia's most underrepresented citizens. He is also the author of over 25 books, and his poems have been published in over 50 countries.

13. the Polynesian Panther party

The Polynesian Panthers were a liberation activist group that fought for Polynesian and Māori empowerment in New Zealand. Inspired by the Black Power movement in the United States, along with Māori protests within the country, inner city youth in Auckland were emboldened to stand against capitalism and to fight for visibility. Auckland's urban areas were filled with Pacific Islander immigrants, and their Kiwi-born children, who were subjected to police brutality, faced harsh discrimination, disenfranchisement and were constantly called racial slurs-"Black bastards" and "dumb coconuts" were often yelled at young Tongan and Samoan boys. Poverty was rampant, and the lack of opportunities and access to quality education was taking a toll on the new generation of Kiwi-born Pacific Islanders. The undocumented in the community lived in fear of dawn raids where police raided mostly Polynesian homes in the early morning, targeting those who may have overstayed their visas. Founded in 1971 by Fred Schmidt, Nooroa Teavae, Paul Dapp, Vaughan Sanft, Eddie Williams and Will 'Ilolahia, the Polynesian Panthers members were made up of university students, high schoolers and former gang members. They stood against the exploitative nature of capitalism and believed that overthrowing its system was one of the most fundamental paths toward liberation. The group joined the anti-Vietnam War movement, created after school homework help programs in their communities, ran food co-ops and promoted Polynesian languages and visibility in mainstream New Zealand culture; the group also advocated for tenets' rights and fought against slumlords renting in Polynesian communities. Brown Pacific Islander boys couldn't ride their bikes in their neighborhoods without being stopped by the police; they were constantly harassed as police demanded to see their IDs and passports. Those who did not carry them were immediately jailed until a passport was produced. In response, the Polynesian Panthers created the Police Investigation Group (PIG) to monitor the location of police officers and the community and their harassment. They also successfully petitioned to get stoplights placed in their neighborhoods as many Polynesian children were being killed while trying to cross the streets. The group worked closely with Māori activists and stood in solidarity with the oppressed peoples around the world. They are also credited with founding the Pacific Resource Centre, and the fruits of their radical labor are still seen throughout the country today.

14. Arlen Siu

Arlen Sui was a Chinese-Nicaraguan revolutionary icon. She was born in 1955 to a Chinese immigrant father and a Nicaraguan mother. She joined the Sandinista movement when she was 18 years old. Sui was a talented singer, songwriter and musician who played multiple instruments-she loved poetry. She authored the poem, Rural María, which tells the story of poor, suffering mothers in rural Nicaragua. The poem has since been turned into a song sang by varying artists in Latin America. Her concerts on the university campus were often under watch of the national guard, who placed snipers around the university to monitor political activity. Siu also authored many feminist writings that have become widely read and admired in the country. She fought for women to have political importance within the Sandinistas and would eventually be killed at 20 years old in an ambush by national guard. She is hailed as a martyr and one of the first women killed in the revolutionary movement.

15. Adrian Cola Rienzi

In 1833, the British government abolished slavery but still had a fully functioning colonial empire that thrived off the exploitation of its colonies around the globe. With sugar, tropical fruits and other products still in demand, the British, French and Dutch turned to India and indentured servanthood to replace slave labor-they simply exchanged one slave system for another. Colonies such as Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago received the largest number of Indian indentured servants in the Western Hemisphere; between 1835 and 1918, nearly 342,000 Indians arrived in Guyana and 144,000 in Trinidad. Many stayed in the area and created their own unique Indo-Caribbean cultures. Adrian Cola Rienez was an Indo-Trinidadian politician, trade unionist and activist who fought on behalf of marginalized workers and also advocated for religious equality for Trinidad's Hindi and Muslim populations within a system that favored Christianity. Born as Krishna Deonarine in 1905, Rienzi attended law school in England; there he was exposed to anti-imperialism work from Irish classmates and became passionate about the global anti-imperialist fight. He built a friendship with the Indian trade unionist, Shapurji Saklatvala, while living in London, and had close ties with the Universal Negro Improvement Association and the Irish Republican Congress. Rienzi returned to Trinidad and dedicated himself to labor unions, founding various ones on the island. He was the president of the Trinidad and Tobago Trade Union council and founded the Sugar Estates and Factory Workers Union along with the Oil Fields Workers' Union. Rienzi worked relentlessly to improve the plight of the Indo-Trinidadian; he fought for the legal recognition of Muslim and Hindu marriages on the island, the religious right of cremation and the founding of Hindu and Muslim schools.

16. Anna May wong

Anna May Wong, born Wong Liu Tsong, was the first Asian-American movie star. Born in Los Angeles, California, Wong grew up near Chinatown but was sucked into the dream of becoming a film star at an early age. She gave herself the stage name "Anna May Wong" when she was eleven-years-old. Wong and her family lived in a racially diverse neighborhood and were, surprisingly, allowed to attend public school. They faced extreme racial attacks from other students. Wong described their experience as follows, "we tried to walk unconcernedly home from school, always with a larger and larger crowd of our tormentors around us shouting, 'ch*nk, ch*nk, Chinaman. ch*nk, ch*nk, Chinaman.' Yanking our 'pigtails' as they called our straight black braids of hair. Pushing us off the sidewalk into the street. Pinching us. Slapping us...every day was one of torture for us." At the age of 14, Wong decided to try out for her first movie role and was cast as an extra. She would eventually land more prominent roles that typecast her as "exotic" and a "temptress"-perpetuating stereotypes of Asian women, but they were the only roles available to her. Wong also became a notable and an intricate part of the Hollywood fashion and social scene; she grew a fan base for her work, but extreme racism within the entertainment industry prevented her from ever landing a lead role. There were also strict anti-race mixing laws that kept her from sharing on-screen kiss scenes with male leads, who were all white at the time. In an attempt to create her own stories, Wong started a production company that would never take off due to the corruption of her business partner. She persistently pursued the lead role in , a story that centered around Chinese characters, and the part was given to a white actress who played the role in Brown face-Wong was offered a supporting role of a "scheming girl" which she turned down in protest against negative stereotypes. Like many Black actresses of her day, Wong became overwhelmed by the racism and discrimination in Hollywood and left the United States for Europe where she had a successful stage career.

17. Gidra zine Staff

In the 1960s, university campuses around the world were set ablaze by activism for change, anti-war protests and students of color embracing their ethnic identities like never before. Asian Americans were extremely active on the political scene in the United States, debunking all myths of being the silent minorities lurking in the shadows. Built on a coalition of Black and Brown students, Asian Americans were in the front lines of the 1968 protests demanding ethnic studies programs on university campuses. They were arrested alongside Black, Latino and Native American students, and they protested in radical ways across campuses, causing social disruption. The term "Asian American" had just been coined, and Asian-American students were demanding that their voices were heard and their histories taught. They were angry, organized, radical and reaching back deep into their ethic roots and identities. They were not orientals, but Asians loud and proud. In 1969, a group of radical Asian-American students at UCLA created the first Asian-centered radical zine, Gidra-named after a dragon in the Godzilla movie. The publication centered on activism, radical politics, justice and the gentrification of Asian neighborhoods. Its contributors were labor activists, historians and others who were involved in the movement. Gidra addressed controversial issues: they were heavily involved in the anti-Vietnam War movement, they struggled for Asian visibility, supported anti-imperialist and anti-capitalism world views and stood in solidarity with the oppressed peoples of Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean.

18. Queen Liliʻuokalani

Liliʻuokalani, born Lydia Kamakaaeha, was the queen and last ruling monarch of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi. She was the first and only queen to rule the Hawaiian islands, reigning from 1891 until they were seized and stolen by the imperial government of the United States of America. Liliʻuokalani ascended to the throne in 1891 after the death of her brother. By the time she would rule, much of the monarchy's power had been dissolved by a new constitution that favored mostly white wealthy landowners and elite businessmen who resided on the island. In the 1800s, pineapple and sugar production in Hawaii was a booming business; much of the wealth and production was owned by white, U.S. businessmen who were constantly at odds with the Hawaiian monarchy and wanted Hawaiʻi to become a part of the United States to protect their financial interests. When Liliʻuokalani's brother, David, was king, he was forced at gunpoint by white militia to sign the Bayonet Constitution; it not only limited the monarchy's power, but also stated that only Hawaiian and white men who were wealthy had the ability to vote. When Liliʻuokalani became queen, she rejected the new "constitution" and proposed her own that restored full power to the Hawaiian monarchy and voting rights for the poor. The audacity of her demands angered the white elite, and they decided that she must be overthrown-a coup d'état was soon in order. Led by the U.S. government and Sanford Dole, of the Dole Food Company, warships came to the shores of Hawaiʻi along with U.S. troops and removed Liliʻuokalani by force; she surrendered knowing that her kingdom was outnumbered. Dole was named the first president of the "Republic of Hawaiʻi", and it eventually became the 50th U.S. state. Queen Liliʻuokalani was arrested after a failed insurrection to restore her to the throne. She was found guilty and sentenced to hard prison labor and fined $5,000. In exchange for a "pardon" for her and her supporters, she reluctantly "yielded" to the U.S. government. Queen Liliʻuokalani remained defiant and demanded a free Kingdom of Hawaiʻi until her death. She was also a gifted songwriter with over 150 songs to her credit, including the famous .

19. Kapitan Pattimura

Kapitan Pattimura was an Indonesian hero, famous for his battles against Dutch colonizers. Born in 1783, Pattimura was of Ambonese origin from the Maluku region of Indonesia. The Dutch have a brutal and oppressive legacy in the Indonesian islands; Pattimura's home island was no exception to these injustices, and racism. Although the island was predominately Christian, the Dutch did not allow Maluku clergymen to receive a salary. After the Dutch re-captured Maluku from the British, Pattimura forged an armed rebellion against the Dutch, fearing that they would continue to limit resources and opportunities to his people. On May 16, 1817, he led a band of rebels and overtook Fort Duurstede, the center of Dutch rule on the island. Pattimura and his army, which included women, killed the residents and fought off Dutch reinforcement. He is held as a Maluku legend and a national Indonesian freedom fighter.

20. Grace lee Boggs

Born in Providence, Rhode Island to Chinese immigrants, Grace Lee Boggs was a radical Chinese American activist, author, philosopher and civil rights leader. Boggs received a PhD in philosophy and poured over the writings of revolutionary thinkers such as Karl Marx; she even translated portions of his works from German to English for the first time. This would lead her on a lifelong quest for critical thinking and challenging ideas. After her studies, Lee Boggs was unable to find work due to her race; she was often told by prospective employers that they didn't hire "orientals". She eventually moved to Chicago to take a position at the University of Chicago's library, and this is where she began her work in activism by fighting for tenants' rights. She joined the Worker's Party and would eventually become a prominent figure in the Detroit Black Power movement and would marry Black activist, James Boggs. Lee Boggs was so involved in the movement, that she's referred to as "Afro Chinese" in her FBI file. She was present at the famous March on Washington and dedicated herself to cross-cultural activism. Lee Boggs and her husband were amongst the founders of the organization National Organization for an American Revolution (ROAR), she also authored multiple books, one of her last at the age of 95 titled Next American Revolution: Sustainable Activism for the Twenty-First Century.

21.Vue Pa Chay

Vue Pa Chay was a Hmong revolutionary hero who led his people in a revolt against French colonization in South East Asia-the region was known then as French Indochina. To fund the expenses of WWI, the French began to impose heavy taxes on the countries of Indochina; the Hmong people, who were marginalized within the region, paid the heaviest burden. One of the tax demands of the French government was opium, and the governments within Indochina put extreme burdens on Hmong people to fulfill the demand. When unable to pay, tax collectors would confiscate livestock and other possessions. Some families were forced to sell their own children to produce tax money and many committed suicide due to the pressures. Orphaned as a child, Chay was raised by relatives in a Hmong village in Northwestern Vietnam, near the border of China. He would eventually marry, have a child and claim that God called him to liberate the Hmong people from Tai and French oppressors; he would do outrageous acts to prove this calling such as making balls of cotton explode. Many began to reverence Chay, and his reputation grew. He began to build a coalition of Hmong nationalists throughout Vietnam, Lao and China, with the aim of organizing a rebellion against the French. While French-sympathizing Hmong considered Chay a madman, Hmong nationalists regarded him as a messiah figure who would restore them to their own kingdom. As the numbers began to grow, the movement became self-sustained with Hmong-made weapons and ammunition. Chay and his soldiers began attacking and won many battles as the French were ill-prepared to fight in the jungle. The French would eventually attempt to squash the rebellion by hiring mercenaries to kill Chay; he was executed and the mercenaries each paid 500 bars of silver. Chay's bravery and passion for independence inspired the governments of Vietnam and Lao to name a military squadron after him.

23. Xanana Gusmão

Xanana Gusmão is an independence leader and politician from East Timor who served as the country's first president and fourth prime minister respectively. He was an active member of (Revolutionary Front for an Independent East Timor), a group committed to abolishing the Indonesian occupation of East Timor. In 1975, the Portuguese left East Timor after over 400 years of colonial rule; nine days later, Indonesian forces invaded that island nation. Gusmão was at the forefront of the resistance, spending days walking throughout various villages recruiting soldiers and gathering support from the community. Gusmão would soon use the international media as a means to draw attention to their struggle and inform the world of atrocities such as the massacre of Santa Cruz -the shooting of over 250 pro-independence protestors. Gusmão was eventually arrested and sentenced to life in prison. The sentence was reduced to 20 years, and he was placed under house arrest in 1999. Gusmão was able to aid in negotiations with the Indonesian government that eventually led to an independent East Timor.

24. Sushma Shimkhada

Sushma Shimkhada was a revolutionary Nepalese sculptor, known for her stunning and creative works. Born in 1936, Shimkhada is hailed as Nepal's first female sculptor, and was a rebel-feminist and ahead of her time. Entering the sculpting scene as a woman anywhere in the world took courage, but attempting to break into the scene in her native Nepal was a particularly daunting task due to cultural gender expectations and the fact that it was a male-dominated space. She proposed radical feminist ideals through her art, with a special focus on the power of the womb as the center of all creation. The womb was a sacred place that birthed creativity and every woman could reach deep into its divine power. She used her work as a medium of Hindu feminism long before anyone was ready to hear her message. While Shimkhada faced discrimination and hardships in her journey as a female sculptor in a male-dominated profession, she would eventually find recognition, win awards for her work and hold international exhibitions.

25. Yellow Pearl

Many are not aware that Asian Americans were active in the 1960s and 1970s political art scene. From poets to visual artists, filmmakers and musicians, Asian Americans led their radical voices through the arts. Yellow Pearl was an Asian-American folk group known for its political messages calling for civil rights, racial solidarity and Asian American visibility and empowerment. The group was founded by Chris Kando Iijima, Charlie Chin and Nobuko JoAnne Miyamoto-three Asian-American artists who became known on the activism scene for their politically-charged lyrics and melodic sounds. Based in New York City, the group wrote songs about the Asian experience in the United States, spoke against global imperialism and preformed before multiethnic crowds. They lent their voices to Black and Latino radical communities, and Miyatmoto would befriend fellow Japanese American activist, Yuri Kochiyama, while performing at a Black nationalists event. Their album, A Grain of Sand: Music for the Struggle by Asians in America, touched on themes of identity struggle, along with racial solidarity amongst oppressed peoples. The song, Somos Asiaticos (We are Asians) was written and performed in Spanish to show unity with the Latino communities in NYC, highlighting the common struggles between peoples of color in the United States. With songs like Imperialism is Another Word for Hunger, Wandering Chinaman and We Are the Children, Yellow Pearl was the radical voice of a generation.

26. Women of the North Vietnamese Army
*Sexual violence trigger warning
War is traumatic and should never be fetishized nor romanticized; war is especially brutal on women and children as they are often subjected to rape, sexual assault and slavery during these times. The United States' inequitable military attacks on the sovereign nation of Vietnam, and its surrounding countries, have left indelible scars throughout South East Asia. The U.S. narrative of Vietnamese women during the war normally consists of portrayals of them as sexually-charged prostitutes, desperately seeking U.S. soldiers for green cards to "escape" from communism. When in reality, U.S. servicemen often violently sexually assaulted, raped and brutalized Vietnamese women. What is rarely told are the stories of the women who, while facing paralyzing traumas as war tore through their land, chose to stand up and fight against an imperial oppressor. North Vietnam was under the communist leadership of Ho Chi Minh, and the area had transformed the lives of women through social and economic empowerment. The North Vietnamese government had outlawed child marriages, spousal abuse and forced marriages. The government also put an emphasis on women working in the industrial industry and outside of traditional cultural gender roles, which frowned upon women working outside of the home. Thousands of women in North Vietnam volunteered to join the Viet Cong to protect their country, and they were respected comrades in the anti-imperial struggle. Viet Cong women participated in active combat, shot down U.S. military airplanes, laid boobytraps, were spies, drove trucks and managed the Ho Chi Minh Trail -ensuring that supplies, weapons and food were transferred to fellow soldiers. The countless women who served in the North Vietnamese army aided in their country's victory over the United States government.

27. the tape family

70 years before the Brown v. Board of Education case famously led to the end of legal segregation by race in schools across the United States, two Chinese immigrants fought for their daughter's right to attend elementary school in San Francisco. Mary and Joseph Tape were from China and came to the U.S. as unaccompanied minors. California has a very dark history of brutal anti-Asian discrimination and policies, and Chinese immigrants in particular suffered profusely under harsh anti-Chinese laws and propaganda. Mary and Joseph adapted to the culture, were able to obtain a middle-class lifestyle and had three children whom they wanted to attend school. In 1880, California passed legislation that guaranteed free, public education to all children, yet Chinese children in San Francisco were denied access to public schools and were forced to attend mission-run schools in Chinatown. The Tape family wanted their daughter, Mamie, to attend a public school in their neighborhood, but she was denied enrollment. Subsequently, they hired a lawyer to fight their case. Tape v. Hurly was the landmark case brought before the Superior Court and argued that being denied access to the school of her choice was in violation of the 1880 law, and it also violated Mamie's rights as a U.S. citizen under the 14th Amendment of the Constitution. The school board would use the "separate but equal" doctrine of the U.S. South to justify their denial of Mamie's enrollment, and it urged the state to commission separate public schools for children of Chinese ancestry. The school superintendent wrote a letter to the state assembly warning that if they didn't approve separate public schools for Chinese students, that white schools would be "...inundated with 'Mongolians.' Trouble will follow." The Tape family lost their appeal and Mamie was denied access to the school in her neighborhood. Despite the outcome of the case, the Tape family's anti-school segregation fight laid the groundwork for future anti-segregation cases in the nation.

28. Ryu Gwan-sun

* Sexual assault, rape and violence against women trigger warning.

Ryu Gwan-Sun was a teenage, Korean revolutionary hero and intricate figure in Korea's independence from Japanese occupation. In 1919, political groups disbanded by the Japanese, along with Christians, teachers and students, began to organize for a free Korea. They met in secret, wrote their own declaration of independence and planned public demonstrations of resistance. On March 1st, the first public gathering took place and demonstrators marched through the streets of Seoul reading their demands out loud and shouting "long live Korean independence!" One of the protesters present at the March 1st uprising was the young Ryu Gwan-Sun-a student from rural Korea studying in the capital. Students and teachers throughout Seoul joined independence demonstrations and many of them were arrested. To squash the uprisings, the Governor-General of Korea canceled school. Gwan-Sun returned to her village where she worked tirelessly to organize and recruit her family and neighbors in the independence movement. She went door-to-door encouraging local villagers to fight against the occupation; she handed out Korean flags, which were outlawed by the Japanese government, and helped plan demonstrations with residents from surrounding areas. Gwan-Sun organized an independence rally at Awunae Marketplace that over 2,000 people from surrounding towns attended. Gwan-Sun, her parents and protestors marched, non-violently while crying out "long live Korean independence!" Soon after, the police arrived and responded with brutal force; shots were fired and many were arrested. Gwan-Sun was one of the detained and both her parents were killed by police gunfire that day. Sent to Seoul for trial, she was offered a lighter sentence to turn in movement leaders-she refused. She was sentenced to a women's prison where female inmates were violently tortured, raped and sexually assaulted. Gwan-Sun herself suffered this violence as occupying forces demanded the locations and safe houses and independence movement collaborators. Despite the torture, Gwan-Sun continued to rebelliously defy Japanese colonial rule and called for an independent Korea and organized her fellow inmates to resist againt the Japanese. Gwan-Sun eventually died from the impact of torture and malnutrition around the age of 19, but remains a heroine of the Korean independence movement and the anti-colonial struggle.

29. Wifredo Lam

Wifredo Lam was a world-renowned Afro-Chinese Cuban artist, who built his career around reviving the Afro-Cuban spirit through art. Lam's father was a Chinese immigrant and his mother an Afro-Cuban. His artistic interests took him to Spain, where he studied under Fernando Álvarez de Sotomayor y Zaragoza-Salvador Dalí's teacher. His years in Spain led him to a friendship with Pablo Picasso and other famous European painters of the era; he also spent time living in France, where he was an intricate part of the thriving art community. Upon returning to Cuba, Lam began reaching deep into his African heritage, creating figures in his work that fused human and plant elements-influences that came from African poetry and culture. In solidarity with the Cuban Revolution, he gifted a painting for the presidential palace that currently hangs in the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes in Havana. Lam's work can be found in fine art museums all over the world and he held hundreds of exhibits in his lifetime.

30. Haunani-kay Trask

Haunani-Kay Trask is an Indigenous Hawaiian educator, activist, Hawaiian nationalist, author, poet, filmmaker and all-around badass. Born in 1949 to a politically active family, many of whom advocated for Hawaiian statehood, Trask has dedicated her life to advocating for a free and independent Hawaiʻi and to keeping Hawaiian culture alive while brutalized under imperial rule. Trask became heavily involved in the anti-Vietnam War movement while studying at the University of Wisconsin, and she became an active supporter of the Black Panther Party while studying at the University of Chicago. It was during her university studies that she made the connection to the symbiotic relationship that racism and capitalism share, and how the system exploits marginalized communities across the globe. Trask has worked tirelessly advocating for Hawaiian sovereignty, has participated in, and organized, protests for land rights. Trask famously confronted white male anthropologists who claimed expertise on Hawaiian culture and politics and spent years teaching at the University of Hawaiʻi at Manoa on the subjects of Polynesian women, political movements in Hawaiʻi and the Pacific Islands. She is a founding member of the Kamakakuokalani Center for Hawaiian Studies at the university and has written numerous books. Trask anchored and produced First Friday, a monthly public television show highlighting cultural and political issues that impact Native Hawaiians. In 2019, she was awarded the Angela Y. Davis Prize for her work in education, activism and the arts.

"we are not American! We will die as Hawaiians!"

Speech by Haunani-kay Trask

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30 Revolutionary Asians And Pacific Islanders To Celebrate For AAPI Heritage Month - Negra Bohemian

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May is Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month in the United States. AAPI heritage month is a celebration of the accomplishments of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in U.S. society and culture; most often these lists are made up of AAPI doctors, scientists and those holding positions within the U.S.

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High School Diplomats (HSD) is a scholarship program that brings together high school students from the United States and Japan each summer through two parallel experiences. HSD U.S. provides the opportunity for American and Japanese students to meet at Princeton University for ten days of cultural exchange. HSD Japan allows American students who have successfully completed HSD U.S. to apply for a full scholarship to travel to Japan for a month the following summer.

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High School Diplomats (HSD) is a scholarship program that brings together high school students from the United States and Japan each summer through two parallel experiences. HSD U.S. provides the opportunity for American and Japanese students to meet at Princeton University for ten days of cultural exchange.

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Almost 500 years ago, a tall African man arrived in Japan. He would go on to become the first foreign-born man to achieve the status of a samurai warrior, and is the subject of two films being produced by Hollywood.

Known as Yasuke, the man was a warrior who reached the rank of samurai under the rule of Oda Nobunaga - a powerful 16th Century Japanese feudal lord who was the first of the three unifiers of Japan.

In 1579, his arrival in Kyoto, the capital at the time, caused such a sensation that people climbed over one another to get a glimpse of him with some being crushed to death, according to historian Lawrence Winkler.

Within a year, Yasuke had joined the upper echelons of Japan's warrior class, the samurai. Before long, he was speaking Japanese fluently and riding alongside Nobunaga in battle.

"His height was 6 shaku 2 sun (roughly 6 feet, 2 inches (1.88m)... he was black, and his skin was like charcoal," a fellow samurai, Matsudaira Ietada, described him in his diary in 1579.

The average height of a Japanese man in 1900 was 157.9m (5 feet 2 inches) so Yasuke would have towered over most Japanese people in the 16th Century, when people were generally shorter due to worse nutrition.

Making of a warrior

There are no records of Yasuke's date or country of birth. Most historians say he came from Mozambique but some have suggested other countries such as Ethiopia or Nigeria.

What is known, however, is that Yasuke arrived in Japan with an Italian Jesuit named Alessandro Valignano on an inspection tour, and appears in recorded history only between 1579 and 1582.

Some experts say he was a slave, but it is hard to say.

Floyd Webb and Deborah DeSnoo, filmmakers working on a documentary about him, believe assertions that he was a slave to be speculative at best.

"It would have been impossible for Yasuke to rise to the rank of a samurai in just a year without a warrior background," Ms DeSnoo says.

Samurais often began their training in childhood.

Friendship with the warlord

Yasuke met Nobunaga shortly after his arrival in Japan and he piqued his interest, the filmmakers say, by being a talented conversationalist.

Yasuke already spoke some Japanese and the two men got on well, according to academic Thomas Lockley, who has written a book on Yasuke.

According to Mr Lockley, Yasuke entertained Nobunaga with tales from Africa and India, where Mr Lockley believes Yasuke had spent some time before going to Japan.

Mr Webb believes that because of his command of the Japanese language, Yasuke would have been viewed favourably.

"He was unlike the Jesuits, who had a religious agenda for the soul of Japan," Mr Webb says.

There are reports that Nobunaga instructed his nephew to give Yasuke a sum of money at their very first meeting.

French-Ivorian writer Serge Bile was so intrigued by Yasuke's extraordinary rise that he wrote a book about the warrior.

"It's part of the mystery surrounding this character. That's why he fascinates me," he told the BBC.

The African warrior and the Japanese warlord had a lot in common.

Nobunaga was a great fan of the martial arts and spent a lot of time practising them. He was also an eccentric person, who according to Mr Webb, often dressed in Western-style clothes and sought the company of highly disciplined and intelligent people.

"[Yasuke] carried the warrior spirit," Mr Webb says. He understood the cultural language of Japan and loved to dance and perform Utenzi - a historic form of Swahili narrative poetry celebrating heroic deeds, Mr Webb adds. This suggests Yasuke could have come from Mozambique, as some historians believe, given that Swahili is still spoken in some northern parts of the country.

Similarly, Nobunaga was a lover of Noh Drama - a form of classical Japanese musical drama - and it is widely reported that he was a patron of the arts.

Nobunaga grew fond of Yasuke and treated him like family - the African was among a very select group of people allowed to dine with him.

"Nobunaga praised Yasuke's strength and stature, describing his might as that of 10 men," Ms DeSnoo says.

The legend lives on

When Nobunaga bestowed the rank of samurai on Yasuke the idea of a non-Japanese samurai was something unheard of. Later, other foreigners would also obtain the title.

As the first foreign-born samurai, Yasuke fought important battles alongside Oda Nobunaga.

He was also there on the fateful night one of Nobunaga's generals, Akechi Mitsuhide, turned against him and set the warlord's palace alight, trapping Nobunaga in one of the rooms. Nobunaga ended his own life by performing seppuku, a ritual suicide.

Before he killed himself, he asked Yasuke to decapitate him and take his head and sword to his son, according to historian Thomas Lockley. It was a sign of great trust.

The legend of Yasuke comes to an end shortly after this, in 1582. The fall of Nobunaga at the hands of a treacherous general resulted in the exile of the first black samurai, possibly back to a Jesuit mission in Kyoto.

Though his fate and the last years of his life remain unknown, Yasuke has lived on in the imaginations of many Japanese who grew up with the award-winning children's book Kuro-suke (kuro meaning "black" in Japanese) by Kurusu Yoshio.

The book, which dramatises Yasuke's life, ends with a bittersweet note: after Nobunaga kills himself, Kuro-suke (Yasuke) is taken to a temple where he dreams of his parents in Africa and weeps.

Entertainment industry newspaper Variety reported in May that Black Panther actor Chadwick Boseman is set to play Yasuke in a forthcoming feature film.

It will be the second Hollywood film being developed on the life of Yasuke.

In 2017, Hollywood studio Lionsgate announced it was developing a film on the life of the black samurai.

Nearly 500 years later, his unusual life continues to awe and inspire people.

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Almost 500 years ago, a tall African man arrived in Japan. He would go on to become the first foreign-born man to achieve the status of a samurai warrior, and is the subject of two films being produced by Hollywood.

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Densho: Japanese American Incarceration and Japanese Internment

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During World War II, Black and Japanese American fates crossed in ways that neither group could have anticipated. While Japanese Americans were being forced to abandon the lives they'd built on the West Coast, African Americans were in the midst of the Great Migration from the South. During the war, many Black migrants set their sites on the West coast where labor shortages in the defense industry signalled new employment opportunities. Vacated Japanese American neighborhoods provided space for these new arrivals to establish themselves, but the process of putting down roots did not come easy.

Take Los Angeles for example. While Black laborers were welcomed in the city's defense industries, the lives and families they brought with them were not. Restrictive housing covenants barred people of color from living in white neighborhoods, so the newly vacated Japanese American neighborhood known as Little Tokyo was one of the few places that had space available to arriving African Americans.

80,000 people-most of whom were African American-took up residence in an area that had been home to approximately 30,000 Japanese Americans before the war. Little Tokyo was rechristened Bronzeville and Black-owned businesses replaced shuttered Japanese Americans establishments. The deserted Kawafuku restaurant reopened as Shepp's Playhouse, one of many night clubs that hosted the likes of Coleman Hawkins, Herb Jeffries from the Duke Ellington band, and T-Bone Walker.

As the Black community began to thrive, overcrowding and governmental neglect led to an increase in crime and public health concerns in Bronzeville. The neighborhood was treated as a blight by the city of Los Angeles, with officials regularly issuing evictions and abatement notices in response to living conditions they deemed substandard. This was the cruel irony of the structural racism Black residents faced in wartime Los Angeles: they were punished for the inevitable outcomes of overcrowding that the city's restrictive housing covenants had precipitated.

Even as African Americans were struggling for their own basic rights in Los Angeles, individual stories document an incredible showing of support for incarcerated Japanese Americans. Takashi Hoshizaki, for example, recalled the shock and joy he felt at discovering his Black neighbors, the Marshalls, had traveled all the way to the Pomona detention facility in order to bring apple pie and ice cream to his family. Boyle Heights resident Mollie Wilson had a number of Japanese American friends in pre-War Los Angeles. Throughout their incarceration, she kept in regular contact with several of them, sending morale-boosting letters, cards, pictures, and gifts.

African Americans expressed support for Japanese Americans in the public sphere too. Scholar Greg Robinson writes about Hugh McBeth, a Los Angeles-based Black attorney and the leader of California's Race Relations Commission. McBeth was an outspoken defender of Japanese Americans during the war. In speeches, lobbying, investigatory reports, and lawsuits, he challenged official discrimination," and argued that "race-based confinement constituted unconstitutional racial discrimination."

A November 1943 article in the progressive Black newspaper, the California Eagle, called the " persecution of the Japanese-American minority...one of the disgraceful aspects of the nation's conduct of the People's War." In a showing of support, they discontinued use of the racial slur, "Jap," even though mainstream news outlets would continue using it for years to come.

As Scott Kurashige explains in The Shifting Grounds of Race: Black and Japanese Americans in the Making of Multiethnic Los Angeles,"Throughout the following year, California Eagle columnist Rev. Hamilton T. Boswell devoted considerable effort to educating its readers about the problems confronting Japanese Americans and encouraging Blacks to develop greater cooperative bonds with other communities of color," and condemning "the undemocratic evacuation of Japanese Americans" as the "greatest disgrace of Democracy since slavery" (165).

After the war, Japanese Americans who returned to Los Angeles rightfully wanted to reclaim their homes and businesses, but they found a profoundly different community than the one they'd left behind. With their neighborhood brimming with new residents, many ended up crowded into temporary housing units. The California Eagle argued that Japanese Americans should be permitted to reclaim their former homes and encouraged its readers to stand in solidarity with those returning from incarceration. Even so, tensions-sometimes directly provoked by white media and politicians-rose to the surface, but so too did new opportunities for interethnic alliance.

As Kurashige argues,"Prominent white politicians and media outlets predicted violent turf battles between Black and Japanese Americans would erupt. Black and Japanese American activists, by contrast, envisioned a new level of interethnic political cooperation developing from heightened interaction between their communities" (2).

Regardless of the many instances of Black and Japanese American alliance during and after World War II, some wartime tensions persisted long after the war itself had ended. This strife was not unique to Los Angeles. Even John Okada called attention to it in his classic novel , set in post-war Seattle:

"He walked gingerly among the Negroes, of whom there had been only a few at one time and of whom there seemed to be nothing but now. They were smoking and shouting and cussing and carousing and the sidewalk was slimy with their spittle."

'Go back to Tokyo, boy.'

Persecution in the drawl of the persecuted."

In some instances, overt anti-Black sentiments rose to the surface in the decades following World War II. Pediatrician and activist Dr. Clifford Iwao Uyeda emerged as a vocal critic of the Civil Rights Movement. In 1961, he issued racist missives contending that Japanese Americans had overcome far greater discrimination than their Black peers, but without sharing their "excessive crime rate." He added that "the re-education of the minority groups themselves towards better citizenship" was more important than legislation supporting equality. Employing the same racist line of thinking, Hokubei Mainichi editor Howard Imazeki challenged African Americans to "improve their own communities before asking for equal rights."

Countering these anti-Black narratives were numerous stories of Japanese Americans supporting Black rights and standing up to racism. There was Joe Ishikawa who worked with African Americans to desegregate swimming pools in post-War Lincoln, Nebraska. And Yuri Kochiyama, who famously allied herself with the Civil Rights Movement and Black nationalists like the Republic of New Africa. After meeting Malcolm X at a courthouse in 1963, they forged a friendship that would last until his death. Just 16 months after their first meeting, Yuri witnessed Malcolm X's assassination and rushed to his side in his dying moments, a tragic moment poignantly captured in this Time Life photograph.

Another Japanese American woman, Ina Sugihara, became a civil rights organizer while living in New York. In 1943, she helped to found the Congress of Racial Equity (CORE) and created multiracial coalitions through the JACL and the watchdog agency, the Fair Employment Practices Committee. In 1945, she wrote presciently about the importance of multiracial alliances to fight discrimination, saying: "The fate of each minority depends upon the extent of justice given all other groups."

Despite her commitment to coaltion-building, anti-Black attitudes impacted Sugihara on a personal level. After her 1955 marriage to Willis Jones, an African American man, she was increasingly marginalized within her own community. As Greg Robinson notes, Sugihara and her husband were "made to feel uncomfortable at community events and she largely withdrew from Japanese American activities."

Anti-Black sentiments persisted in the Japanese American community despite the history of support from and collaboration with African Americans, but those sentiments rarely went unchallenged. The monthly newsletter , considered by many to be the voice of the Asian American movement, became a strong anti-racist agent and proponent of multiracial coalition-building. In the June-July 1970 issue, Mickey Nozawa condemned the Japanese American Citizens League community center in Long Beach for an incident in which a mixed group of Japanese American, Black, and Chicano youth were denied entry and all future access to the community center facilities. Nozawa wrote, "How can we ever bring about meaningful changes in this blatantly racist nation if we allow racism to be practiced within our own community?"

The same issue of Gidra included an exclusive interview with Bobby Seale, the National Chairman of the Black Panther Party who was being held at the San Francisco County Jail while awaiting extradition to Connecticut. In a lengthy discussion of the aims of the Black Panther Party, Seale touched upon the fact that resistance to shared oppressions should be seen as a foundation for multiracial alliance:

"In general, I see the struggle moving with all the people and not just with Black people alone. I see the Asian people playing a very significant part in solving the problems of their own community in coalition, unity, and alliance with Black people because the problems are basically the same as they are for Brown, Red, and poor White Americans-the basic problem of poverty and oppression that we are all subjected to."

Despite this legacy of allegiance, anti-Blackness lingered in some Japanese American communities, no doubt stoked by racist narratives perpetuated by American white supremacy and the model minority myth. As Kim Tran wrote in a recent Everyday Feminism article, "The Black community frequently serves as our negative definition-the people we don't want to be...White supremacy fed us anti-Black racism and many of us believe it out of fear-and hope."

There are signs that these currents of racism might be ebbing while Asian American-Black coalition-building is on the rise. Asian American groups like #Asians4BlackLives stand in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. Meanwhile, Asian American students are speaking out against anti-Black policies on their college campuses. Rather then letting this be a gradual, generational shift, writers like Tran have proposed ways that Asian Americans can broach the thorny subject of anti-Black racism within their own families.

At Densho, we're working with other Seattle-area groups, including the Northwest African American Museum, to launch new collaborations to develop social justice and racial equity curriculum. Densho Executive Director Tom Ikeda said, "As we begin to build coalitions with other communities of color, it's important that we take a hard look at the history of anti-Black sentiment within the Japanese American community. In line with Densho's mission to 'promote equal justice for all' and in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement, we must speak out against the racist attitudes that have festered in our own community."

With the work of pioneers like Yuri Kochimaya, Ina Sugihara, Bobby Seale, and the writers of Gidra and the California Eagle to turn to, we have a strong precedent of multiracial coalition-building to draw upon. This post is the first step in what we hope will be an ongoing conversation.

-

By Natasha Varner, Densho Communications Manager, with scholarly contributions from Brian Niiya and Greg Robinson.
[Header photos: Los Angeles Mayor Fletcher Bowron is shown at front of an abandoned Shinto shrine in Little Tokyo/Bronzeville. Shown with the mayor are a Bronzeville family (unnamed by the source), Dr. George M. Uhl, city health officer, and Nicola Giulli, chairman of the City Housing Authority. Photo dated May 25, 1944. Photo courtesy of Los Angeles Public Library.]

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Intersections of Black and Japanese American History: From Bronzeville to Black Lives Matter

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During World War II, Black and Japanese American fates crossed in ways that neither group could have anticipated. While Japanese Americans were being forced to abandon the lives they'd built on the West Coast, African Americans were in the midst of the Great Migration from the South.

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Storyline

Allegiance illuminates one of American history's lesser known chapters as it tells the story of Sam Kimura, transported back nearly six decades to when his younger self and his sister Kei fought to stay connected to their heritage, their family and themselves after Japanese Americans were wrongfully imprisoned during World War II. An important story told with great resonance and intimacy, Allegiance explores the ties that bind us, the struggle to persevere and the overwhelming power of forgiveness and, most especially, love

Did You Know?

Trivia

Screenings on February 19, 2017, in movie theaters nationwide, commemorating the 75th anniversary of presidential order for internment of Japanese and Japanese/Americans, in response to the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. See more "

Goofs

The title card states that only one character is based on a real person: Mike Masaoka. Two other real persons are depicted: Ben Masaoka, Mike's brother who was killed in combat, and Dillon Myer, the head of the War Relocation Authority. See more "

User Reviews

Details

Release Date:

13 December 2016 (USA)

Also Known As:

George Takei's Allegiance

Box Office

Budget:

$1,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$784,850, 19 February 2017

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$902,012

Company Credits

Technical Specs

See full technical specs "

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Directed by Lorenzo Thione. With Aaron Albano, Belinda Allyn, Marcus Choi, Katie Rose Clarke. Allegiance illuminates one of American history's lesser known chapters as it tells the story of Sam Kimura, transported back nearly six decades to when his younger self and his sister Kei fought to stay connected to their heritage, their family and themselves after Japanese Americans were wrongfully imprisoned during World War II.

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The classic tale of Kimba the White Lion in this rarely-seen film version of the popular TV series! Based on the manga (comic) by the legendary artist, Tezuka Osamu, known as the "God of Comics" in Japan.
Caesar, a white lion, is king of the jungle in Africa. He wants to protect all of the animals and bring peace to his kingdom. However, his reign is cut short by a band of hunters and his consort, Snowene, is captured and put aboard a ship to be sold overseas. While aboard, she gives birth to a single white cub, Kimba, the heir of King Caesar...

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The classic tale of Kimba the White Lion in this rarely-seen film version of the popular TV series! Based on the manga (comic) by the legendary artist, Tezuka Osamu, known as the "God of Comics" in Japan. Caesar, a white lion, is king of the jungle in Africa.

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無料ひらがなドリルメーカー：：おなまえどりる

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自分で作るひらがなプリント::3歳からのなまえ練習

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iPhone Screenshots

1. Description

Study hiragana the fun way using mnemonic pictures
and check your understanding with a variety of quizzes!

Recommended for:
Complete beginners in Japanese
Anyone interested in Japanese letters

2. Features

-Features pictures, sound and animation to help you remember the hiragana characters.
-Includes quizzes for checking your understanding of the hiragana you've learned.
-Includes simple explanations about the Japanese writing system and the characters used in it.
-Ａ hiragana table allows you to tap each hiragana to hear how it's pronounced.

3. Tested Devices

iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6, iPhone 5s, iPhone 5, iPhone 4s, iPad Air2, iPod touch 5th Generation.
*Requires iOS 8 or later

4.Contact the Developer

If you have any questions or suggestions please feel free to send
them to us at the following email address.
app-kc@jpf.go.jp

THANK YOU

This app as well as the online course provided by the Japan Foundation have restored my hope in learning Japanese. I was feeling extremely overwhelmed when I sat down and came across all of the resources available but this app and the course have made it all so clear and easy to understand. I am just now starting my path of learning Japanese but am so excited and looking forward to how much I will learn!

Perfect application for all beginner of learning Japan Language.

It's a really good application for the people who want to study Japan Language. In this application, there are so many Hiragana exercises. Hope to add Katakana and Kanji like Hiragana in this application.

Thank you so much for your kidness,
TTS

Love this app

This is a great app. I've tried memorizing with no success until this app. The creative pictures really help. My one issue is the tiny type in history and directions on how to use the app.

The developer, The Japan Foundation Japanese-Language Institute, Kansai, has not provided details about its privacy practices and handling of data to Apple. For more information, see the developer's privacy policy.

No Details Provided

The developer will be required to provide privacy details when they submit their next app update.

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the japan foundation japanese-language institute

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‎1. Description Study hiragana the fun way using mnemonic pictures and check your understanding with a variety of quizzes! Recommended for: Complete beginners in Japanese Anyone interested in Japanese letters 2. Features -Features pictures, sound and animation to help you remember the hiragana c...

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Duolingo is the world's most popular way to learn a language. It's 100% free, fun and science-based. Practice online on duolingo.com or on the apps!

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Learn Japanese Online for Free! Japanese-Lesson.com offers online self-study programs to learn to speak Japanese. Produced by a native Japanese language teacher.

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Practice writing Japanese on your screen. Let's write!

Motivation

Learning to write in Japanese takes a lot of practice, but this website will take care of a lot of the legwork for you. You can stop wasting paper and looking up stroke-order diagrams and just focus on learning.

Site Organization

Dictionary - Look up any word or character and practice writing it.

Curricula - Quiz yourself with lists of vocabulary and kanji from several popular lesson plans.

About

What's New - Find out about new features, bug fixes, and other improvements to the site.

Future Plans - See what might be in store for the future of the site.

Feedback - Tell me about bugs, suggestions, or just how you're using the site!

Donate - Learn how you can support this website by making a donation.

Credits - See where all the data that makes this website possible comes from.

Try it!

Why not give it a try? Get your mouse, finger, or digitizer pen ready and click the button below to begin.

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Kakimashou - Let's Practice Writing Japanese!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Practice writing Japanese on your screen. Let's write! Learning to write in Japanese takes a lot of practice, but this website will take care of a lot of the legwork for you. You can stop wasting paper and looking up stroke-order diagrams and just focus on learning.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
So you've learned hiragana. Good for you. Ready to do the same thing all over again so you can learn katakana?

This guide assumes you went through our hiragana guide already, so it won't explain how and why this method works. It uses the same style techniques, worksheets, and exercises. It also skips the pronunciation explanations (except when a katakana character is different from hiragana). If you haven't yet, please review the learn hiragana guide before you begin learning the katakana. If you have, then you know the drill. Let's get started with the first ten katakana.

In terms of what you're learning, it will be very simple. Katakana is, for the most part, the same sounds you learned with hiragana. But, the characters representing those sounds are different. It would be like if in English you replaced the letter "A" with the symbol "ア" without changing how it's used and pronounced.

When Do I Use Katakana?

Katakana is used for a variety of things. The most common use is to transcribe foreign words (non-Japanese words). There is some issue with this though. The sounds available in the Japanese languages are not as flexible as other languages. So, words that are transcribed to katakana often don't sound like the original. As you get used to it, though, you'll begin to not only understand non-Japanese words that have been made "Japanese", but also know how to say foreign words using Japanese sounds (and write them in katakana).

Besides foreign words, katakana is also used for:

Scientific words

Animal names

Many foods (especially animal and plant foods) are written in katakana too.

Company names will sometimes write their names in katakana.

When someone wants to emphasize text, much like writing in italics in English.

Often used for onomatopoeia.

"Robot-speech" (as in, when you write out text for robots talking)

For various stylistic purposes

There are other smaller use cases as well, but those will be the main ones (aside from foreign words, which will be 80%+ of the use case)

Katakana Chart

To begin, download this katakana chart.

If you have a printer, print it out. If not, you can follow along digitally too.

Let's Learn Katakana!

As with the hiragana guide, just follow each and every step and you'll come out the other side with the ability to read katakana. Some of you will finish this guide in hours, others days, but overall it should be pretty quick. Learning katakana is a lot easier since you already have that hiragana foundation. At least, I hope you do.

Because of this, I want you to learn ten katakana characters right from the very start. You can handle it, can't you?

As you know from learning hiragana, the first five katakana characters are going to be vowel sounds. After that, it's just that consonant + vowel pattern until we reach katakana's version of "n." For the most part, everything will be pronounced exactly the same. When there is an exception to the rule I'll let you know. Otherwise, this guide does not focus much on pronunciation because it assumes you already know it.

ア is the katakana for "a".

ア has a deformed capital letter " A" in it. You have to turn your head to the side and connect some lines, but it's there.

イ is the katakana for "i".

イ looks like an ea gle, standing on the ground, or on a branch, or wherever. You see its legs and its back, curved down like an eagle's?

ウ is the katakana for "u".

This katakana character looks a lot like its hiragana counterpart: う. It should be similar enough to use as a mnemonic to remember what it is.

エ is the katakana for "e".

Imagine this is the girders an e ngineer would use to build buildings. This character is in the shape of the end of a girder, and its made up of them too.

Or, you can think of it like an e levator, with its doors closed.

オ is the katakana for "o".

This kana looks like a dude flapping open his trench coat to flash you. " Oh my god," you say. " Oh no."

カ is the katakana for "ka".

It looks just like the hiragana for " ka", though it's missing that little extra line. Close enough to make it easy to remember, though.

キ is the katakana for "ki".

It looks like the hiragana for " き" (the top part at least) and also looks like part of a weird key.

ク is the katakana for "ku".

This looks like a long coo k's hat.

ケ is the katakana for "ke".

It looks like the letter " K"!

コ is the katakana for "ko".

See the two 90 degree co rners? The two corners are what help you to remember that this is "ko."
アイウエオカキクケコ Tasks
Now that you've put these kana into your brain (at least somewhat shakily) it's time to pull them out. Recall is the foundation of memory, and you're going to start doing just that. For each "tasks" section make sure you follow along perfectly. Skipping these steps may cause you to fail later on in the future. Having a strong base to build off of is important with each section.

1. Head over to the website Drag n' Drop Katakana. All I want you to do is to find the ten kana you just learned (a-i-u-e-o-ka-ki-ku-ke-ko) and drag them to their correct spot. That's it! It's an exercise in recognizing the kana you learned as well as matching them to the correct sounds. When you've done it once hit the refresh button and do it again and again until you're able to get it done in twenty seconds.

2. Print out, copy, or download this worksheet. You'll need to go through it, filling in the boxes with the romaji for the kana. Try your best not to cheat - even if you spend a while trying to remember a kana it will be beneficial to your memory (as long as you're able to recall it on your own). Looking up the answer doesn't help your memory at all, but struggle (with accomplishment) tells your brain that this is a thing worth remembering. Try using the mnemonics when you need to recall something you can't figure out right away.

This should be fairly easy with only ten kana (and maybe a little boring too), but when you're done move on to the next ten katakana.

Now that you have the "A-column and K-columns" under your belt it's time for the "S & T-columns." You should already know about the "exception pronunciations" from the hiragana guide.

サ is the katakana for "sa".

This kana looks like three sa rdines, stacked on top of each other. The right side one is longer because you use your right hand to pick it up (it's heavier too). This only works if you're right handed.

シ is the katakana for "shi".

This kana looks like a smiley face, but something is wrong with it. Both eyes are sideways and stacked on top of each other like some deep sea fish. She has a very weird face.

ス is the katakana for "su".

This kana looks like a hanger, with which you hang up your fancy su its.

セ is the katakana for "se".

It looks really similar to the hiragana せ, so you should be able to use that to remember this kana.

ソ is the katakana for "so."

It is one needle and a long thread, which you use to sew. Remember, needles are always vertical like this needle, because you need to stab it through something, straight down. This will help you to differentiate this one and the very similar ン.

タ is the katakana for "ta".

This kana looks like a ti dal wave, racing across the sea.

チ is the katakana for "chi".

Doesn't this look like a chee rleader, doing a cheer?

ツ is the katakana for "tsu".

Instead of one needle and thread (ソ), you have two needles and thread. Remember, needles are vertical because you use them to stab into cloth, straight down. This will help you to differentiate this one from シ, which has more horizontal lines. Horizontal lines means it's a face, vertical means it's needles. So this one has two needles.

テ is the katakana for "te".

This kana looks like a te lephone pole.

ト is the katakana for "to".

It looks just like a to tem pole.
サシスセソタチツテト Exercises
Now that you've done another set of ten, it's time for exercises! As usual, these exercises will help you to practice katakana you've previously learned plus the ones you just learned.

1. Back to our best buds Drag n' Drop Katakana. Identify and place the ア, カ, サ, and タ columns into their spots. Do this several times and see if you can do it all in under 30 seconds (or just complete the task 5 times). Once you're able to do either of those, move on.

2. Using this worksheet, print out, copy, or download it and fill out the boxes with the correct romaji. If you can't remember something try to think back to the mnemonic first before cheating. When you're able to do these two tasks move on to the next five kana.

Great - it's time to learn your next ten katakana! ナ is my favorite. Who doesn't love a narwhal?

ナ is the katakana for "na".

See the majestic na rwhal, swimming up to the surface? What a beautiful creature.

ニ is the katakana for "ni".

This is two nee dles, laying on their side. Now, don't get confused about how I said that needles are always vertical... that's only with the katakana that have the slope in them (ソ and ツ). When they're on their own, resting, and not being used to sew anything (no thread) they're just two needles laying on their side.

ヌ is the katakana for nu.

The chopsticks are grabbing onto some noo dles and pulling them out of a bowl.

ネ is the katakana for ne.

A ne cromancer has summoned this zombie. Only a necromancer could create a three legged undead like this, because they certainly don't occur naturally with three legs. That's how you know that necromancy is involved.

ノ is the katakana for "no".

It looks like a really long no se.

ハ is the katakana for "ha."

This is shaped like one of those rice patty ha ts. You'll have to connect the pieces, but you can see it, right?

ヒ is the katakana for "hi."

He has no head, and he is reaching out for you.

フ is the katakana for "fu."

This looks like a big owl beak. Way too big for any normal owl, but perfect for this funny looking owl. Because of the deformation of its beak, it doesn't say "hu hu hu" like you'd expect, it says fu fu fu.

ヘ is the katakana for "he".

This katakana looks just like the hiragana へ. If you know one you know them both!

ホ is the katakana for "ho".

This is a ho ly cross. You can even see the holy light coming off of it. So holy.
ナニヌネノハヒフヘホ Exercises
Time to practice ten at a time! It's a lot, but you're getting better at learning these things, right? Hopefully easier than hiragana was?

1. Using Drag n' Drop Katakana, find the katakana from the ア, カ, サ, タ, ナ, and ハ columns and place them in their correct spots. Try to complete this task 5 times and get your time in under ~1 minute.

2. Using RealKana, check theア, カ, サ, タ, ナ, and ハ, uncheck any hiragana columns, and check all the different typefaces. Then, drill the above kana for 5-10 minutes until you are consistently getting the answer right and you feel comfortable with the different fonts that they present.

3. Copy, print out, or download this worksheet and fill in all the boxes. As always, use the mnemonics and try not to cheat. If this is starting to feel easy, try to time yourself to see how long it takes to complete each section and try to beat yourself each time.

When you are done with these exercises it's time to move on to the next set of katakana.

Not quite ten in this set (before the exercises), but close enough. Let's start with the "M-column."

マ is the katakana for "ma".

Look at all those angles! Those lengths! Those measurements! All that ma th!

ミ is the katakana for "mi."

Three mi ssiles, flying towards you. Be careful!

ム is the katakana for "mu".

It is shaped like a pile of poop. Cow poop. Moo.

メ is the katakana for "me".

This looks like an "X" which is over someone's 目 (め/eye). Meh, I guess they're dead now.

モ is the katakana for "mo".

This looks very similar to the hiragana も, so you should be able to make that connection and remember both of these.

ヤ is the katakana for "ya".

This looks just like the hiragana や, minus a little line.

ユ is the katakana for "yu".

You have a hook for a hand.

ヨ is the katakana for "yo".

This is a yo gurt container. See the sides and imagine the yogurt-container shape.
マミムメモヤユヨ Exercises
Time to practice these eight katakana (and the previous ones as well). Once again, go through the steps to make sure you know everything well!

1. Using Drag n' Drop Katakana, drag the ア, カ, サ, タ, ナ, ハ, マ, and ヤ columns into their spots. You're dragging more kana than you're leaving now, which is pretty neat! Once you've done this three times, or you're able to get this all done fairly quickly (1:30 or so?) move on to step 2.

2. Using RealKana, choose the ア, カ, サ, タ, ナ, ハ, マ, and ヤ columns, unchecking any hiragana columns, and choosing all the typefaces, drill the kana for 10-15 minutes.

3. Using this worksheet, copy, print out, or download it and write in all the boxes. When you're all done, it's time to tackle the last "main katakana" section. You're almost there! Not so hard, right?

Last set! When you're done with this you can start looking at the weird katakana stuff. Some would say that's the horrible part, but I think it's fun.

ラ is the katakana for "ra".

It is a raptor wearing some sweet Ra y-Bans.

リ is the katakana for "ri".

It looks just like the hiragana り, or at least very, very similar.

ル is the katakana for "ru".

There are two routes you can take. Route one and Rou te two.

レ is the katakana for "re".

Look at that beautiful red hair that Re i has! It's so flowing!

ロ is the katakana for "ro".

This road goes around in a square, never ending. What a terrible ro ad this is. What are you, a 12 year old playing Sim City?

ワ is the katakana for "wa".

When you ask a question (that's why this is a question mark) you often begin your question with the word what. What are you doing? What are you wearing? Wha t are you not wearing?

ヲ is the katakana for "wo".

It's pronounced like を is (which is pronounced like お), but to remember this is "wo" think of a dog wo ofing so hard its tongue is flying out.

ン is the katakana for "n/m".

Do you remember how シ is a lady with a weird face? The two little dashes are more horizontal than vertical, which helps us to know it's a face. Who's face? This is M/n Night Shyamalan, and the twist is that he only has one eye. NNNNNNNNNnnnnnoooooo!
ラリルレロワヲン Exercises
This is the last of the main katakana. The exercises will now cover quite a bit (you know quite a bit!), so make sure you understand and know everything before moving on.

1. Using RealKana, choose all of the columns up through ン. Drill for 10-15 minutes until you feel like you can recall pretty much everything.

2. Using Drag n' Drop Katakana, drag the all of the kana into their spots. Try to be able to finish it in three minutes. If that's too easy try two minutes. Two minutes should be difficult but more than doable.

3. Using this worksheet, fill in all the blanks. You know the drill!

That's it! From here on out it's just combinations of kana or variations on kana you already know, which makes things both easier and harder. Let's start with katakana's dakuten.

Dakuten

For the most part, if you know hiragana's dakuten, you know katakana's dakuten. Just as a refresher:

But, there are some katakana out there that you can dakuten that aren't the standard fare.

ウ　→　 ヴ (VU → "BU")

Actually, the Japanese can't pronounce the "V" sound very well, so it comes out as a "BU" sound. That's as close as they can get. But, when you combine that with some small katakana (next section), we can make a sound that almost, but not quite, sounds like a "V".

Combination Katakana

Just like with hiragana, you can combine small katakana with big katakana to make new sounds. It gets a little trickier with katakana though. Let's start with the part you do know (from the hiragana guide) first.

キャ、キュ、キョ　→　KYA, KYU, KYO
ギャ、ギュ、ギョ　→　GYA, GYU, GYO
シャ、シュ、ショ　→　SHA, SHU, SHO
ジャ、ジュ、ジョ　→　JYA, JYU, JYO (or JA, JU, JO)
チャ、チュ、チョ　→　CHA, CHU, CHO
ヂャ、ヂュ、ヂョ　→　DZYA, DZYU, DZYO (you'll never see these, pretty much ever)
ニャ、ニュ、ニョ　→　NYA, NYU, NYO
ヒャ、ヒュ、ヒョ　→　HYA, HYU, HYO
ビャ、ビュ、ビョ　→　BYA, BYU, BYO
ピャ、ピュ、ピョ　→　PYA, PYU, PYO
ミャ、ミュ、ミョ　→　MYA, MYU, MYO
リャ、リュ、リョ　→　RYA, RYU, RYO

With katakana, combinations don't stop here. It gets... weird.

There are many sounds commonly used in non-Japanese languages that katakana needs to try to account for. The most interesting example of this is the sound "V". The closest thing in Japanese? Bw~ sounds.

In addition to this, there are "W" sounds that need to be added in as well. As you know, the kana only cover わ and を, and を isn't really a sound that's used, it's only used as a particle. So, we have to make up for the missing wi and we, and then replace the wo.

You may recognize the ウィ sound from The ニンテンドーウィ (Nintendo Wii).

The third big set is "F" sounds. All that exists in Japanese for "F" sounds is "fu." So you use "fu" to make all the other "F" sounds you need.

Besides these sets, there are also a few more scattered sounds you can make with combination katakana. The rest are:

The most important thing right now is to be able to read these extra combinations and know they exist. You'll see some of these pretty often, which means that through experience they will get natural. It's just one of those things you have to use and experience to become comfortable with it. I think the main problem is that they're foreign... but not completely foreign. They're based off foreign languages, probably a language that you know, which means that these sounds (and the rest of katakana) are asking you to break your own language and speak it incorrectly so that you can speak it "correctly" in Japanese. It's a weird conundrum.

Long Vowels

Unlike hiragana, which deals with long vowels by adding more vowels to things, katakana has a special vowel extender character. Luckily it's very simple: a dash.

When you see this, you'll just need to extend the vowel that it comes after. For example:

This is pretty much the same thing as こ versus こう, though it would be odd to extend the vowel of a foreign word by using another vowel kana (at least most of the time).

You'll see this dash a lot in katakana. Knowing how and when to use it, especially when you try to "spell" out words you don't really know the spelling of, can be challenging. With a lot of experience, mistakes, and even more experience you'll start to understand when and how to use it. For now, just focus on reading it correctly. That part is much easier, and that is the part that will give you the experience you need to reproduce it later on.

Additional Practice

Although you can probably read most katakana words now, there's a little more you should do before going out into the real world. Try to do everything in the "Additional Practice" section. It's for your own good and it will make katakana reading a lot less overwhelming.

First, I'd like you to go back to our dear friend RealKana. This time, check all the boxes. The hiragana, the katakana, and all the typefaces. Studying hiragana together with katakana will help you to be able to use them both together. In Japanese, you'll see katakana, hiragana, and kanji all in one sentence. Might as well get used to that now.

When you feel comfortable with that, it's time to practice with some worksheets. They're a bit different from the other worksheets in that they're "real" sentences and we're not keeping track of the frequency of the kana being used. It's a bit more like real life... with a nice protective bubble. Don't worry a ton about the meaning, but if you can figure it out that's extra points for you! It's all in "English" ... though it has been converted into Japanese pronunciation using katakana.

When you finish this, I bet you'll be feeling pretty special, like some kind of katakana master. If you don't (or even if you do), here's some more katakana practice that's worth doing.

Apps & Other Programs

There are plenty of apps and resources out there to help you drill as well. Some of them you've seen already because of this guide, others you have not.

I'm sure there are plenty of other resources out there as well, but this should be good enough to get you to that level where you can start using the katakana with other resources.

What Next After Learning Katakana?

For most people, becoming comfortable with katakana is a slower process than it was with hiragana. This is mostly because katakana shows up less frequently compared to hiragana, so you don't have as much opportunity to practice. Despite not showing up as often, it is still very important. If you can spend an extra 3-4 hours really studying katakana you'll save yourself 20+ hours in the future, just because katakana won't slow you down. It's worth studying now so that you aren't tripping up later on.

After learning katakana, though, what should you do (besides studying katakana more)?

Kanji

If you haven't started kanji, get started right away. If you like the approach we took here (mnemonics, etc) we made WaniKani to show people that kanji isn't as hard as it seems.

Grammar

Along with kanji or after you have a foundation in kanji, it's time to learn some Japanese grammar. There are many resources to help you to do this. There are sites like Tae Kim's Guide To Japanese as well as textbooks ( we like the Genki series).

I hope this guide helped you to learn katakana effectively and quickly! Keep working hard and you'll continue to get better and better. With katakana you'll be able to read foreign words, read a lot of menus, onomatopoeia, and much more. Keep it up and soon you'll be able to read everything!

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So you've learned hiragana. Good for you. Ready to do the same thing all over again so you can learn katakana? This guide assumes you went through our hiragana guide already, so it won't explain how and why this method works. It uses the same style techniques, worksheets, and exercises.

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I visited Namibia on a solo trip in September 2011. On my return I wrote up my travel journal and it got rather out of hand. The result is this book. If you know me in real life then I'll gladly give you a paper copy for free; just let me know.

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To learn hiragana is to create a foundation for the rest of your Japanese. By learning hiragana, you will learn the basics of Japanese pronunciation. It will also open doors in terms of the Japanese resources you can use. There are no (good) Japanese textbooks or learning resources that don't require you to know hiragana. In essence, it's the first step to learn Japanese.

Many classes and individuals spend months learning hiragana. This is too long. You should be able to learn everything in a couple days. A week, tops. Some people have reported back that they could read all the hiragana after a few hours, using this method. How long it takes depends on you, but if you follow the steps laid out below, you'll come out the other side with the ability to read hiragana.

To make this possible, you will employ a few important methods.

1. Mnemonics: Due to hiragana's relative simplicity (at least compared to kanji), image-based mnemonics are a perfect method for memorization. Each hiragana character has a memorable illustration that goes along with it. For a long time I believed that mnemonics were a waste of time. If this is you, I recommend you give it a serious try. It's amazing what you are able to memorize when using a mnemonic method.

2. No Writing: "WHAT? NO WRITING!?" you scream. I know what you're thinking. But, think about it for a moment. When's the last time you actually wrote something by hand? Probably the last time you had to sign your name on a receipt at a restaurant. The need to write by hand is going down. Most of your written communication comes in the form of typing. Learning to read can be done very quickly and is very useful. Learning to write doubles or triples how long it takes to learn hiragana, with very little real-life benefit. It will be important to learn eventually, but for now you have more important fish to fry.

3. Exercises: As I mentioned earlier, there are exercises for you to go through. They also happen to be very well thought out, too. If you do them, and you don't cheat (yourself), you will learn hiragana. In these exercises, you should do your best to force yourself recall items, even when you don't think you can come up with the answer. The more effort and strain you put into recalling something, the stronger of a memory your brain will end up building (as long as you actually recall it, that is).

For the most part, if you follow along and do everything that this hiragana guide says, you will learn the hiragana. It will be difficult not to.

Hiragana Chart

To begin, download this hiragana chart.

If you have a printer, print it out. If not, you can follow along digitally too.

Hiragana Pronunciation

Before you begin learning to read the hiragana, you have to learn how to pronounce the hiragana. Since hiragana pronunciation is such a listening and speaking thing, we made a video to cover this topic. Follow along.

When you can pronounce the five "vowel sounds" of hiragana, move on to the next section, where you'll learn to read them.

This is the first (and most important!) column in hiragana. It sets the pronunciation of every other column coming after it, because every other column is basically just the a-i-u-e-o column with consonants attached to them. The same basic sound repeats over and over and over, with a consonant plus these five vowel sounds, so make sure you have the right pronunciation for these five right from the start.

Shall we? No, that's okay, after you.

あ is pronounced like the "a" in "c ar" or the "a" in " a wful."

To remember this kana, find the capital " A" inside of it. This "A" will tell you that this kana is also "a" aka あ. There is another similar kana, お, but that one doesn't have an "A" in it, which is how you can differentiate them.

い is pronounced like the "ee" in " ee l."

To remember this kana, just think of a couple of ee ls (i) hanging out. They're upright because they're trying to mimic the letter "i" which also stands upright and also happens to be the way you spell out this character in romaji.

う is pronounced like the "oo" in " oooo ... ahhh!" when you're watching fireworks. It also sounds like the "ou" in "You."

To remember this kana, notice the " U" shape right in it! It's sideways but it's there, telling you what this kana is.

え is pronounced like the "e" in " exotic" or the "e" in " e gg."

To remember this kana, think of it like an exotic bird. The big feathery thing on its head gives it away that it's exotic and not normal. It also lays exotic e ggs, because it's an exotic bird, after all.

お is pronounced like you're saying " oh." It also sounds like the "o" in " o riginal."

Can you see the letter " o" in here, two times? This one looks similar to あ, except for its one key difference: there are two letter "o" symbols visible in there. Make sure you use this to differentiate this kana (お) and that similar kana (あ). This is one area of hiragana where a lot of people trip up, but by using this mnemonic you will be able to figure them out every time.
あいうえお Tasks
Now that you've put these kana into your brain (at least somewhat shakily) it's time to pull them out. Recall is the foundation of memory, and you're going to start doing just that. For each "tasks" section make sure you follow along perfectly. Skipping these steps may cause you to fail later on in the future. Having a strong base to build off of is important with each section.

The next set of hiragana is from the "k-column." This is just the "k" sound plus the vowel sounds you learned above, making it ka-ki-ku-ke-ko. There are no weird exceptions in this column either, so enjoy it while you can.

か is just the "K" sound plus あ, making a "ka" sound.

♫ Ca nnn, can you do the can can, can you do the can can... ♪

To remember this, think of someone who's doing the " Can- Ca n" (ka) dance. The か kana even looks like someone doing the Can-Can.

き is just the "K" sound plus い, making a " ki" sound.

In fact, it sounds just like the word " key" which is the mnemonic we end up using.

To remember this, notice how much it resembles a key (ki).

く is just the "K" sound plus う, making a " ku" sound.

To remember this, think of this kana being the mouth of a coo-coo/cuckoo (ku) bird popping out saying "ku ku, ku ku!"

け is just the "K" sound plus え, making a " ke" sound.

You'll have to use your imagination here, but this kana looks a lot like a keg. The three dimensional shape that it makes is somewhat ke g-like, right?

こ is just the "K" sound plus お, making a " ko" sound.

Ko is a couple of co-habitation (ko) worms. They're so happy together, co-habitating the same area! Alternatively, you could imagine a couple of short co rds laying on the ground next to each other.
かきくけこ Tasks
More tasks! This time we'll include the あいうえお column along with this "K-column" you just learned.

Once again, when you get stuck just think back to the mnemonic before you cheat. When you're done you can move on to the next group.

Now that you have the "K-column" under your belt it's time for the "S-column." There is one weird exception in this row, and that's for "si" aka "shi." It's pronounced just like the word "she" in English, and doesn't quite follow the pattern you've seen up until now. You'll want to use "sa- shi-su-se-so" for this column.

さ is just the "S" sound plus あ, making a " sa" sound.

This kana looks like a weird sign (where the "si" of " si gn" is pronounced like "sa") stuck in the ground. Focus on the pronunciation, not the spelling, from this mnemonic.

し is just the "Sh" sound plus い, making a " shi" sound. Take note that this is the first "exception" kana where it doesn't follow the patterns that show up everywhere else. Instead of being "si" it's "shi" (though you will see it written both ways when dealing with romaji. One more reason why you ought to just learn hiragana already).

This kana looks like a giant hook you're dipping into the water. What do you catch? A poor sea l (shi).

す is just the "S" sound plus う, making a " su" sound.

See the s wing (su) doing a loop-dee-loop throwing that poor kid off of it? Imagine him screaming "I'M GONNA SUE SOMEBODY FOR THIIIIIiiiissss" as he flies off into the distance.

せ is just the "S" sound plus え, making a " se" sound.

This kana looks like a mouth with a big fang in it. What would someone like this say (se)? How se xy is that tooth, btw?

そ is just the "S" sound plus お, making a " so" sound.

This kana is just a songbird (so), flapping its little wings while singing a little tune! " So so so soooo!" ♪
さしすせそ Exercises
Now that we've done three sets of five, it's time for exercises! As usual, these exercises will help you to practice kana you've previously learned plus the ones you just learned.

When you're able to do these two tasks move on to the next five kana.
P.S. Have you noticed how in the worksheets you're being asked to wait 5 minutes then 10 minutes? Waiting is actually an important part of building memory. By waiting and then recalling something as it's fading away, you're telling your mind that it shouldn't forget that item. But, if you keep bringing it up over and over again in a short period of time your brain will just keep it in its short term memory, meaning you probably won't remember it later. Don't skip the waiting periods! In fact, if you think you can wait longer without forgetting much that's even better!
Time for the fourth column, the "T-column." Now you have a lot to remember! Hopefully mnemonics and the reasons for using them are starting to make sense now. If not, that should happen soon.

Like the さ column, you'll find an exception in the た column. In fact, you'll find two exceptions, them being ち (chi) and つ (tsu). So, for this column we'll have "ta, chi, tsu, te, to."

た is just the "T" sound plus あ, making a " ta" sound.

This looks just like the romaji that spells it out: " ta"

ち is just the "Ch" sound plus い, making a " chi" sound.

This is the second "exception" hiragana. Instead of a "ti" sound, it is a "chi" sound. Try not to forget this.

This kana looks like a man's face... except it's missing something: the chi n!

つ is just the "Ts" sound plus う, making a " tsu" sound.

This is another "exception" hiragana. Instead of saying "tu" you say "tsu." Try not to forget this.

Do you remember the kana し? It's a hook that's dipped straight down into the water. This didn't work very well (you caught a poor seal!), so now you're trying a new strategy: pulling the line behind you in a boat. This way the hook is facing sideways. It works, too! You pull up your line and you have two (tsu) fish!

て is just the "T" sound plus え, making a " te" sound.

This kana looks like the uppercase letter "T" where "T" is for " Te n." How many kana can you learn at one time? I bet at least ten of them (let's start with the next set!)

と is just the "T" sound plus お, making a " to" sound.

This kana looks just like someone's toe (to) with a little nail or splinter in it. Imagine how much this would hurt if it was your toe!
たちつてと Exercises
Now that we have a few kana under our belt we'll be adding a third resource to our arsenal. Still, we'll start with something familiar. Just follow along.

When you've completed everything and feel like you can recall all 20 of these kana, move on to the next section. Now it's time to try 10 at a time. You're getting better at this, after all!

This is your first "more than 5 things to learn" group. In fact, it's a whole ten things! But you'll be just fine. You're getting better at learning the hiragana with all this practice. Too bad there's not 150 hiragana for you to practice on.

な is just the "N" sound plus あ, making a " na" sound.

The na ughty (na) nun is praying in front of the cross, asking for forgiveness of her naughty ways.

The cross up in the air like this should be the main giveaway that this is な.

に is just the "N" sound plus い, making a " ni" sound.

Do you see the nee dle (ni) pulling the thread?

ぬ is just the "N" sound plus う, making a " nu" sound.

This kana looks like some noo dles (nu). There are several other kana that are similar to this one (れ, め, ね, わ) but you know this one is noodles because there are no sharp sides in it. It's 100% smooth and bendable, like noodles! It even has an extra loop at the back, because it is a noodle.

ね is just the "N" sound plus え, making a " ne" sound.

This is Ne lly the cat. There are other kana very similar to this one (ぬ, れ, め, わ) but you know this is different because it has a loop at the end for the tail and it's not super bendable like ぬ (noodles) is (see those sharp corners on the left?).

To top things off, Nelly is a ne cromancer. Why? I have no idea, you'd have to ask her. It must have something to do with the undead cat army she's creating.

Also, if you know the word "neko" (Japanese for "cat") you can use that too. This is a ねこ.

の is just the "N" sound plus お, making a " no" sound.

See the big pig no se (no) there? You can also think of this as a "No smoking" sign (the ones with the cigarette and the big red circle and slash through it). Pick the one that sticks with you the best.

Now let's look at the next five in this set. If you're feeling really shaky you can jump over to Tofugu's Learn Hiragana Quiz to practice, but you don't have to (yet)!

は is just the "H" sound plus あ, making a " ha" sound.

This kana looks like the uppercase letter "H" plus the lowercase letter "a." What does that spell? " Ha!"

Why are you laughing? Stop that. Make sure you can see the H+a in the kana.

ひ is just the "H" sound plus い, making a " hi" sound.

He (hi) has a big nose. See that big nose? Now say it out loud. "He has a big nose."

ふ is just the "F/H" sound plus う, making a " fu/hu" sound.

Usually this kana is pronounced with an "f" (fu) in hiragana, so we're going to go with that. However, this kana does look a lot like a hula dancer too, so keep the "hu" in mind as well. If you want, you can think of this hula dancer as a " fu-reaky hu la dancer" to remember the fu.

へ is just the "H" sound plus え, making a " he" sound.

Do you know the famous mountain Mt. Saint He lens? This kana isn't totally flat like Helens is, but it's pretty squat looking. That's why this one is Helens.

ほ is just the "H" sound plus お, making a " ho" sound.

The left side line is a chimney. The right side is a mutated Santa Claus. He has four arms, a snake tail, and no head. Out of his neck he's uttering " ho ho ho... ho ho ho..."

Hopefully he doesn't come down your chimney.
なにぬねのはひふへほ Exercises
Time to practice ten at a time! It's a lot, but you're getting better at learning these things, right?

When you are done with these exercises it's time to move on to the next set of hiragana.

Not quite ten in this set (before the exercises), but close enough. Let's start with the "M-column."

ま is just the "M" sound plus あ, making a " ma" sound.

Removing your head? Doubling your hands and arms? What sort of evil magic is this? What makes it weirder is that your mama is the one doing this magic. Imagine your ma looking like this. Aghh!

み is just the "M" sound plus い, making a " mi" sound.

Looks like lucky number 21. Who just hit the blackjack? Me (mi)! Who just turned 21 as well? Me (mi)!!

む is just the "M" sound plus う, making a " mu" sound.

" Moooooo" (mu), says the cow. "MOOOOOOO."

め is just the "M" sound plus え, making a " me" sound.

Look at that beautiful eye! It's so beautiful because of the ma keup (me) on it. Gotta look pretty in those eyes!

If you also happen to know the word for "eye" in Japanese, that will help too. The word for "eye" in Japanese is just め (me).

も is just the "M" sound plus お, making a " mo" sound.

You want to catch mo re (も) fish so you add more worms to your hook. This is the third "hook" one, so make sure you can differentiate the mnemonics in your head: し, つ, and now も.

This column is a little strange. There are only three items in here, and "ye" and "yi" are seemingly missing. Actually, they used to exist but now they don't (instead people use い or え, because it sounds pretty similar). Because of that, you only have to learn three kana for this section!

や is just the "Y" sound plus あ, making a " ya" sound.

Do you see the ya k in this kana?

ゆ is just the "Y" sound plus う, making a " yu" sound.

This kana is a very u nique (yu) looking fish! It looks like a big eyeball swimming in the water.

よ is just the "Y" sound plus お, making a " yo" sound.

The hitchhiker has his arm and thumb out. He's yelling " YO! yo!" at all the cars that go past him. Why won't they pick him up?
まみむめもやゆよ Exercises
Time to practice these eight hiragana (and the previous ones as well). Once again, go through the steps to make sure you know everything well!

When you're all done, it's time to tackle the last "main hiragana" section. You're almost there! Not so hard, right?

Welcome to the last main set! It's only eight characters just like the last set, so hopefully it's not too bad. It does include the infamous ra-ri-ru-re-ro column though, which does tend to give some people trouble pronunciation-wise. Please be sure to check out our " how to pronounce the Japanese R" article for more information on this.

ら is just the "R" sound plus あ, making a " ra" sound.

The ra pper is rapping at the DJ table.

り is just the "R" sound plus い, making a " ri" sound.

The ree ds (ri) are swaying in the wind.

This kana can also be written without the connection in the middle, too, which makes it more reedlike in that case (I wanted to present the more difficult of the two versions here, though).

る is just the "R" sound plus う, making a " ru" sound.

The is like ろ (you'll learn it in a second) except it has a loop at the end. る is a crazier route (ru). There is a loop (ru) at the end. Are there no rules on this road?

れ is just the "R" sound plus え, making a " re" sound.

This looks like a guy kneeling on the ground, re tching up his dinner.

This kana is similar to め, わ, ぬ, and ね. What makes this one different is the curve at the back. You can identify this as the guy's knees bending, which makes it so you know he's keeled over retching his guts out.

ろ is just the "R" sound plus お, making a " ro" sound.

This is the counterpart to る, except this one doesn't have a loop at the end (there are rules here!). So, this kana is just a plain old road (ro).

And finally, the last group. This is a weird one. It includes わ (which is quite normal), を (which is pronounced just like お, but is primarily used as a particle), and ん (which is the only consonant-only character in all the kanaa). Let's go through them one by one.

わ is just the "W" sound plus あ, making a " wa" sound.

This kana looks like a wa sp flying straight up.

It looks similar to れ, ぬ, ね, and め. It looks especially similar to ね. You know ね is Nelly the cat because of the curl of a tail on the end. So, you can imagine the cat chasing this wasp, which is why it's flying straight up to get away. Its but is also a straight sharp line. This is its stinger.

を is just the "W" sound plus お, though it sounds more like " oh" than it does "wo."

The "w" is pretty silent, though it's still a tiny bit there. You can pretty much just pronounce it like お.

" Whoa!" (wo) yells the guy with no chin (ち). Someone threw a boomerang into his mouth, so of course he's going to yell something. "WHOA!"

ん is just the " N" sound, that's it. It's the only kana that consists of a single consonant.

This kana looks just like the lowercase " n" in English. They happen to be the same sounds, as well. How convenient! nnnんんん.
らりるれろわをん Exercises
This is the last of the main hiragana. The exercises will now cover quite a bit (you know quite a bit!), so make sure you understand and know everything before moving on.

That will finish out all the main hiragana. From here on out it's just combinations of kana or variations on kana you already know, which makes things both easier and harder. Let's start with the "variation hiragana," also known as...

Dakuten

Dakuten takes hiragana you already know and adds an additional symbol to it to change their pronunciation. Usually this symbol is something that looks like a quotation mark, though in one instance you'll see this mark as a small circle. Here they are:

Luckily for you, there are only five rows of dakuten kana to learn, and all you have to learn is what the sound changes to (since you know the kana already). Let's go over each of those dakuten transformations.

か　→　が

Every kana in the か column can have dakuten. When this happens, the "K" sound becomes a "G" sound.

か　→　が (ga)

き　→　ぎ (gi)

く　→　ぐ (gu)

け　→　げ (ge)

こ　→　ご (go)

Because you know the か column already, all you really need to remember is that K → G. Think of it this way:

The car (か) runs into the guard (が) rail.

Before you move on, make sure you know that ka → ga, ki → gi, etc.

さ　→　ざ

When something from the さ column gets dakuten, it changes to a "Z" sound, with the exception of し (which is already an exception, so this makes sense!).

さ　→　ざ (za)

し　→　じ (ji)

す　→　ず (zu)

せ　→　ぜ (ze)

そ　→　ぞ (zo)

All you have to remember is that S → Z, except in the case of し, which goes to じ. Exceptions will breed exceptions, so make sure you keep this in mind. To remember the S → Z part, though, consider the following mnemonic:

My saw (さ) just zapped (ざ) me when I tried to use it. (imagine yourself trying to use a saw/さ and getting zapped/ざ).

Do you remember what the K-column converts to? Do you remember what the S-column converts to? What is the exception in the S-column? When you're able to answer all that, move on to the next dakuten set.

た　→　だ

The T-column kana change to "D" sounds, except for the exceptions (which are ち and づ). Remember: Exception breeds exception!

た　→　だ (da)

ち　→　ぢ (dzi)

Note: If you're typing, write "di."

つ　→　づ (dzu)

Note: If you're typing, write "du."

て　→　で (de)

と　→　ど (do)

The two exceptions (ぢ and づ) very rarely show up, which is lucky for you. They mostly sound like じ and ず, but not quite. You'll get by pronouncing it like that if you must, but the correct pronunciation is more like what's written above... a combination of the D + Z sounds. Everything else is pretty normal. Just bear in mind that if you want to type ぢ and づ, you'll need to type "di" and "du" - not "dzi" and "dzu."

To remember that the た column changes to become the だ column, think of it this way:

Changing these kana to the dakuten versions is a bit like magic... "TADA!" (ta & da)

Do you remember what the K-column changes to? Do you remember what the S-column changes to? What about the T-column? Do you remember the three exceptions we've run into so far? If you can answer all of those questions it's time to move on to the last dakuten set, which is really two sets in one.

は　→　ば, ぱ

The H-column is a bit strange. It has two different kinds of dakuten that can be applied to it. One is that "quotes" symbol you've seen so far, the other is a little circle.

は　→　ば (ba), ぱ (pa)

ひ　→　び (bi), ぴ (pi)

ふ　→　ぶ (bu), ぷ (pu)

へ　→　べ (be), ぺ (pe)

ほ　→　 ぼ (bo), ぽ (po)

You have to remember that the H-column goes to both a "B" and a "P" sound. What a pain. Think of it this way:

You're saying "hahaha" at the bar, because you've been drinking too much.

You say "hahaha" so much at the bar that somebody punches you.

Imagine through that story with you being the one saying "hahaha" (i.e. you're laughing) a couple of times, trying to get the details as vivid as possible (especially the details that have to do with laughing, the bar, and getting punched).

To help you a little more, you can remember that the P-column is the one that uses the little circle. Why? Because that little circle is like a little fist that's about to punch you.

Before moving on, try to recall the mnemonics we used for the following (and remember what each converts to):

When you're able to do and recall everything, it's time to practice and see how good you really are!
Dakuten Practice
This practice will mainly focus on dakuten but also include all the kana you've learned up until this point.

1. Using Tofugu's Learn Hiragana Quiz, select only the dakuten hiragana and drill those for 5-10 minutes until you feel somewhat comfortable.

2. Now, add in all the other kana, mixed in with the dakuten kana.

3. Using this worksheet, fill in all the blanks.

When you're all done with that you should know all the kana fairly well, some better than others. I imagine there will be a few nagging "difficult" kana for you (it will depend on each individual which kana these are), but over time as you use hiragana and read more everything will get easier and easier. The whole point of this guide is to help you to get you reading, making it so you can use various other resources to continue your Japanese study.

Combination Hiragana

There's only one more section to complete. You're not really learning much that's new here, but you are going to learn how to combine different types of kana together to make some new sounds. Mainly, we're going to focus on what small ゃ, ゅ, and ょ can do to kana from the い row (that includes き, し, じ, に, etc). First let's take a quick look at the size difference. It's hard to see when they're not next to each other!

To use these, you'll need to combine them with something from the い row. When you do this, you're essentially combining the first (English) letter of the い-kana with the small ゃ, ゅ, ょ sound. For example:

き + ゃ → KIYA → KYA

じ + ょ → JIYO → JYO

See how the "i" gets dropped and it just becomes one syllable of sound? Here's a list of them all:

きゃ、きゅ、きょ　→　KYA, KYU, KYO

ぎゃ、ぎゅ、ぎょ　→　GYA, GYU, GYO

しゃ、しゅ、しょ　→　SHA, SHU, SHO

じゃ、じゅ、じょ　→　JYA, JYU, JYO (or JA, JU, JO)

ちゃ、ちゅ、ちょ　→　CHA, CHU, CHO

ぢゃ、ぢゅ、ぢょ　→　DYA, DYU, DYO (you'll never see these, pretty much ever)

にゃ、にゅ、にょ　→　NYA, NYU, NYO

ひゃ、ひゅ、ひょ　→　HYA, HYU, HYO

びゃ、びゅ、びょ　→　BYA, BYU, BYO

ぴゃ、ぴゅ、ぴょ　→　PYA, PYU, PYO

みゃ、みゅ、みょ　→　MYA, MYU, MYO

りゃ、りゅ、りょ　→　RYA, RYU, RYO

As you may have noticed, there's no いゃ sound and there's no combination kana for the Y-column. The first kana has to be a sound with a strong consonant in it, and both "i" and "yi" don't fit the bill. Also, "yi" doesn't exist in modern Japanese.
Combination Hiragana Practice
With this knowledge it's time to practice. I've made a worksheet that covers these combination kana. Go through it and fill in all the blanks.

When you're done, you should be able to read almost everything that hiragana throws at you. Everything except one little thing...

Small Tsu (っ)

The small tsu is a weird little thing but we'll make sense of it. The easiest way to think of it, I think, is to call it a "double consonant." Basically, by adding a small っ to something, you are making the (English) letter that follows it double into two consonants. Luckily, you won't see a small tsu before any of the あいうえお kana, so that never becomes an issue. Let's take a look at how the following hiragana converts to romaji.

したい → shitai

しったい → shit_tai

かこ → kako

かっこ → kak_ko

いた　→　ita

いった　→　it_ta

See how that worked? したい is just plain "shitai" without the small っ. But when you add it in, it becomes shittai. The small っ that comes before the "ta" causes the consonant to double, making it "shit_tai." Make sure you understand how that works with kako/kakko too.

In terms of pronunciation, this is different as well. It's almost as if you add a small stop where the small っ exists, with one of the double consonants on either side.

いしょ → isho

いっしょ → ish_sho

You will hear both of the consonants as separate sounds. One that ends the first part of the word, and one that starts the second half (with the small っ) showing you where that half point is.

For a while it will probably be difficult to distinguish a small っ and a large つ, especially in handwriting. After you get more experience and read a lot more you'll be able to make this distinction quite easily.

Additional Practice

Although you could probably go out into the real world and practice hiragana on your own, I thought I'd provide for you some ways to practice your newfound skills. I wouldn't recommend doing everything here all at once but instead spread it out over the course of a couple weeks. Spacing your practice is very important if you want to get better at something more quickly. Doing all this at one time won't be all that effective. Luckily you can always start working on other parts of Japanese in the meantime while you continue to practice hiragana.

Worksheets

We made a couple more worksheets for you to download/copy/print out. They're a little different from before though. This time they're real sentences and we're not keeping track of what kana we're using, so it's a bit more like real life. You'll still want to put the romaji above the kana and read each kana out loud. Don't worry too much about meaning, that's not what we're learning right now and it will definitely be way above your ability level.

When you finish those, I bet you'll be feeling pretty special, like some kind of hiragana master. If you don't, there's always more ways to practice.

Apps & Other Programs

There are plenty of apps and resources out there to help you drill as well. Some of them you've seen already because of this guide, others you have not.

I'm sure there are plenty of other resources out there as well, but this should be good enough to get you to that level where you can start using the hiragana with other resources.

"Real Life" Practice

Of course, if you'd like to practice more there are plenty of "real life" ways to practice hiragana. Just go to any Japanese website and read all the hiragana that you can find. If anything it will teach you to differentiate between kanji, katakana, and hiragana, which is a nice skill to have. Try the Yomiuri Online, or any of these beginner Japanese reading resources.

Moving On Practice

After learning hiragana to a moderately slow level, you don't have to keep drilling it until it's fast. In fact, you can just move on to something else. Hiragana will keep popping up just about everywhere, so by learning something new you're actually reviewing the hiragana at the same time!

What Next?

Hiragana is only the start of things to come. You have so much more to do and hiragana will help you to get there. Although the answer to the question "what's next" is going to be somewhat vague / dependent on the individual, here are some suggestions to move you along your way.

Kanji

I do highly recommend that you get started on kanji right away. A lot of people think they should wait until they have a higher level of Japanese but that is usually a terrible idea. Being good at kanji speeds up just about every other facet of learning the Japanese language, from grammar to reading to speaking to listening. If you're weak at kanji you'll be weaker at everything else. Many people think kanji is difficult, but we made WaniKani to show that it's not as hard as people think.

Katakana

At the same time as kanji it's worth learning katakana. Katakana won't come up nearly as much especially at a really early stage of Japanese, but it's not rare enough to ignore. If you liked this guide to hiragana, check out our guide for learning katakana. It's just as stellar.

Grammar

Along with kanji or after you have a foundation in kanji, it's time to learn some Japanese grammar. There are many resources to help you to do this. There are sites like Tae Kim's Guide To Japanese as well as textbooks ( we like the Genki series).

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I hope this guide helped you to learn hiragana effectively and quickly! Keep working hard and you'll continue to get better and better. With hiragana you have the tools to start your Japanese studies no matter what resource or textbook you end up choosing, so try a lot of things and see what works for you. Fell free to check out some of our reviews on Japanese resources!
P.S. We're working on adding videos to this guide, so check back occasionally if you're having trouble with pronunciation (because videos will help a lot with that!).

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To learn hiragana is to create a foundation for the rest of your Japanese. By learning hiragana, you will learn the basics of Japanese pronunciation. It will also open doors in terms of the Japanese resources you can use. There are no (good) Japanese textbooks or learning resources that don't require you to know hiragana.

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You'll produce a master piece based on the unit's topic. Be creative!

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Be a risk taker! You'll try new food, cook healthy Japanese dishes.

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You'll try a variety of activities to learn culture and language.

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0:00 / 3:08•Watch full video

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Sukiyaki (Ue o Muite Arukou) - Kyu Sakamoto (English Translation and Lyrics)

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『僕のヒーローアカデミア』×米津玄師「ピースサイン」スペシャルミュージックビデオ

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東宝MOVIEチャンネル

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Freer Gallery of Art & Arthur M. Sackler Gallery

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Freer, galleries 5-8

The Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849) is widely recognized for a single image- Great Wave Off the Coast of Kanagawa, an icon of global art-yet he produced thousands of works throughout his long life. Charles Lang Freer recognized the artist's vast abilities before many other collectors, and he assembled the world's largest collection of paintings, sketches, and drawings by Hokusai. In commemoration of the centennial of Freer's death in 1919, the Freer Gallery presents a yearlong exploration of the prolific career of Katsushika Hokusai.

Works large and small are on view, from six-panel folding screens and hanging scrolls to paintings and drawings. Also included are rare hanshita-e, drawings for woodblock prints that were adhered to the wood and frequently destroyed in the process of carving the block prior to printing. Among the many featured works are Hokusai's , his often-humorous renderings of everyday life in Japan. Together, these works reveal an artistic genius who thought he might finally achieve true mastery in painting-if he lived to the age of 110.

Reviews & Press
See what "WETA Around Town" says about Hokusai: Mad about Painting
Read Philip Kennicott's Washington Post review "Even a year's worth of Hokusai may not be enough to display his genius" (subscription required)

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Hokusai: Mad about Painting | Freer Gallery of Art & Arthur M. Sackler Gallery

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Freer, galleries 5-8 The Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849) is widely recognized for a single image-Great Wave Off the Coast of Kanagawa, an icon of global art-yet he produced thousands of works throughout his long life. Charles Lang Freer recognized the artist's vast abilities before many other collectors, and he assembled the world's largest collection ...

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A series of six short films, "Tokyo Stories", has been released showcasing the positive impact of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. Featuring people and communities in Japan and around the world, the stories are examples of the wide-ranging ways in which the Games can drive social progress and change lives.

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A series of six short films, "Tokyo Stories", has been released showcasing the positive impact of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. Featuring people and communities in Japan and around the world, the stories are examples of the wide-ranging ways in which the Games can drive social progress and change lives.