How just 3–5 minutes of practice can help students become confident, independent Japanese readers and writers.
One of the most important things I encourage my Japanese students to do is use their hiragana charts regularly.
In many Australian primary schools, Japanese lessons are held only once a week. With limited teaching time, it is important to give students opportunities to read and write Japanese during every lesson.
It does not need to take long. Even three to five minutes can make a difference.
My goal is not simply for students to memorize Japanese characters. I want them to develop the confidence to look at an unfamiliar word, use their hiragana chart, and try reading or writing it independently.
After more than 40 years of teaching Japanese in Australia, I have learned that small achievements can lead to remarkable changes in a student’s confidence.
A Hiragana Chart Helps Students Read, Write, and Learn Independently
In my classroom, I use colorful, double-sided Japanese character charts created by a fellow Japanese teacher. One side shows hiragana, while the other shows katakana.The hiragana side includes the 46 basic haracters, as well as additional sounds such as きゃ, きゅ, and きょ.
For beginners, I encourage students to use the hiragana side first. As their skills develop, they can begin using the katakana side too.
A hiragana chart is not just for recognizing characters. It is also a practical tool for writing Japanese words independently.
For example, imagine a student asks, “How do you say cat in Japanese?” I answer, “Neko.”
Instead of writing the word for them, I encourage the student to listen to the sounds ne and ko, find the corresponding characters on the chart, and write: ねこ
The same approach works when students discover unfamiliar vocabulary through dictionaries or translation tools. They can identify the sounds and use their charts to work out how to write the word in hiragana. The important achievement is that they have worked it out for themselves.
💪 “Use Your Chart!” — Encouraging Students to Try
One phrase my students hear regularly is:
“Use your chart!”
When students ask me how to read or write a Japanese word, I encourage them to look at their charts and try first. Of course, I help when needed, but I want them to discover that they already have a useful learning tool.
As students become more familiar with their charts, something wonderful happens. They begin asking fewer questions about individual characters because they know where to look for answers.
Some students even take an extra chart home and voluntarily explore new Japanese words.
This is exactly what I hope to encourage: students taking responsibility for their own learning.
Keep Hiragana Chart Within Easy Reach
I believe it is important for students to have a hiragana chart directly in front of them, on their desks.
In the past, I used to glue hiragana charts into students’ notebooks. Whenever they needed help, I would say, “Look at your hiragana chart!”
However, there was a practical problem. We did not use notebooks in every lesson. Sometimes students had to find and open their notebooks just to check one character, interrupting the activity and taking valuable time.
Now, I make sure a hiragana chart is readily available on each desk.
When the chart is right in front of them, students can use it immediately, without waiting for the teacher or searching for their notebooks.
My classroom also has hiragana and katakana posters, vocabulary displays, picture labels, and colorful hiragana flags.
I often use pictures and hiragana words on the whiteboard to help students recognize simple sentence patterns. These visual supports give students opportunities to read Japanese throughout the lesson.
I want Japanese writing to become a familiar part of the classroom environment, not something students encounter only during formal reading activities.
🌱 From Prep to Years 5–6: Small Steps in Hiragana Reading
I adapt hiragana reading activities to suit students’ ages and experience.
With Prep students, I usually begin with simple words made from the 46 basic hiragana characters. I encourage them to read just one or two words in every lesson.
By Years 3–4, students become more familiar with the layout of their charts.
When they are looking for a sound with tenten (゛), I might remind them, “Remember where the tenten sounds are on your chart!”
When they need a small ゃ, ゅ, or ょ, I might say, “Look near the bottom!”
They search carefully, moving their eyes around the chart and trying to find the sounds they need. Sometimes it takes a while, but they keep trying.
I love watching how determined they become when they realize they can find the answer themselves.
By Years 5–6, I encourage students to read short Japanese sentences.
Even when they do not understand every particle or grammatical structure, they can often work out the general meaning by recognizing familiar words and reading the hiragana.
And when they realize they have read a Japanese sentence themselves, their faces light up.
Seeing their proud smiles is one of the greatest joys of teaching Japanese.
🍉 Building Japanese Sentences with a Classroom Learning Wall
From reading their first Japanese word to building simple sentences using our classroom learning wall, I have seen how a hiragana chart can help students become confident, independent learners.
One of the most successful activities in my Japanese classroom has been using a Sentence Structure Learning Wall to help students understand how Japanese sentences are formed.
I use colorful picture cards and hiragana word cards on the whiteboard. By arranging and rearranging these cards, students can see how individual Japanese words come together to make a meaningful sentence.
For example, when learning colors, I might display a picture of a watermelon alongside the sentence:
すいかは あかです。The watermelon is red.
Students can see the picture, recognize familiar words, and begin to understand the sentence structure.
I also use hiragana cards for grammatical elements such as は and です, so students can see how these fit into the sentence.
The hiragana chart plays an important role here, too. Instead of simply reading the sentence aloud for students, I encourage them to look at the hiragana, find unfamiliar characters on their charts, and try reading the sentence themselves.
Once students understand the basic pattern, they can replace the picture and vocabulary cards to create new sentences.
What has been especially rewarding is seeing even my younger students, including Years 1–2, begin to recognize sentence patterns and construct simple Japanese sentences with growing confidence.
They are not just memorizing a sentence. They are discovering how Japanese works and learning to create sentences for themselves.
For me, this has been one of the most successful ways to connect hiragana reading with meaningful Japanese language learning.
Turn Hiragana Practice into a Classroom Game
Hiragana practice does not always need to be a formal lesson.
Sometimes, I turn the classroom displays into a simple reading game.
One activity I enjoy is “Let’s Go Walking Around the Classroom!”
Students explore the classroom, looking at Japanese posters, vocabulary displays, and hiragana flags.
I might ask:
“Can you read the hiragana on the red flag?”
“Who can find the character き?”
“How many Japanese words can you read?”
“Can you find a word, read it, and write it on the whiteboard?”
Students can use their hiragana charts whenever they need support.
These activities encourage children to recognize characters, read unfamiliar words, and share their discoveries.
Most importantly, they make hiragana something students actively use rather than simply memorize.
🔤 Romaji Is Important — But It Should Not Replace Hiragana
I believe romaji has an important role in Japanese language learning. It helps beginners understand pronunciation, sentence structures, and new vocabulary.
In my classroom, I usually introduce a Japanese sentence in hiragana first. I encourage students to look at the sentence, use their hiragana charts, and try reading it themselves.
This gives them another opportunity to use their charts and practice independent Japanese reading.
After giving students time to try, I show the same sentence in romaji. This is particularly important when teaching sentence structures or explaining new language. Students develop their hiragana reading skills at different rates, and I want everyone to understand the lesson.
I want every student to understand what we are learning, not just those who are already confident hiragana readers.
Romaji is also important for Japanese typing.
I teach Japanese typing to my Years 5–6 students, and they need to understand romaji to use romaji-based Japanese keyboard input.
For example, typing nomimasu with Japanese input can produce のみます. This allows students to use Japanese when completing digital activities and writing sentences on computers.
I do not believe hiragana and romaji are competing systems. They serve different purposes.
Hiragana develops independent Japanese reading skills, while romaji supports understanding, pronunciation, and Japanese typing. Both have a valuable place in my classroom.
🚀 How a Hiragana Chart Helps Students Discover More Japanese Vocabulary
One of the greatest benefits of using a hiragana chart is that students can begin exploring vocabulary beyond the words introduced by their teacher.
Imagine students working on a project about traveling in Japan.
They might discover words such as:
でんしゃ — train
しんかんせん — bullet train
ひこうき — airplane
Even if these words have not been taught in class, students can use their hiragana charts to try reading them.
Pictures, dictionaries, and context can then help them understand the meanings.
Being able to read a word does not automatically mean understanding it. However, recognizing Japanese characters gives students a starting point for exploring new vocabulary. Instead of waiting for the teacher to introduce every word, students can begin discovering Japanese for themselves.
⏰ Just 3–5 Minutes of Hiragana Practice Can Be Valuable
In a busy Japanese lesson, finding time for regular hiragana practice can be challenging.
However, even three to five minutes can be valuable. Students might read a word from a classroom poster, find a character on their chart, or write a familiar Japanese word on the whiteboard.
I often tell my students:
“If you can read just one Japanese word by yourself, that is already an achievement!”
And if, a few months later, they can read two words instead of one, I remind them how wonderful that progress is.
Learning a language is not about how quickly students can read or how many words they know. It is also about recognizing their own progress and developing the confidence to keep trying. As students practice regularly, they gradually recognize more characters without needing to consult their charts every time.
The chart remains available, but they become less dependent on it.
One word today, two words a few months later. Every small success matters.
From Hiragana Charts to Independent Japanese Reading
As students become more comfortable reading hiragana, I encourage them to explore simple Japanese books.
A hiragana chart can support students as they begin reading unfamiliar words in short stories, picture books, and graded readers.
In my Japanese readers, I use carefully selected vocabulary, meaningful repetition, illustrations, and photographs to help learners understand what they are reading.
For beginners, even reading a short word or sentence independently can be exciting. For example, in my Level 1 Japanese reader Shiritori (しりとり), students can follow a Japanese word-chain game using familiar words and pictures. They can use their hiragana charts to help read the words and discover how one word connects to the next.
This provides a natural opportunity to move from recognizing individual hiragana characters to reading Japanese in a meaningful context.
Teachers and independent learners can explore the Beginner Hiragana Readers Starter Pack, designed to support early Japanese reading development.
The goal is not to read everything perfectly. It is to give learners opportunities to experience the satisfaction of reading Japanese for themselves.
❤️ Building Confidence and Independence Through Hiragana
For me, teaching hiragana is about much more than memorizing Japanese characters. It is about helping learners develop confidence, curiosity, and independence.
I remember a Year 6 student who had recently transferred from another school. He had never studied Japanese before and was reluctant to participate in classroom activities.
One day, I spent some time working with him individually. With a little guidance and the support of a hiragana chart, he managed to write のみます (to drink) himself.
It was just one word, but it was a meaningful achievement.
Moments like this remind me why small successes matter so much.
Whether students are reading their first word in Prep, searching for unfamiliar sounds in Years 3–4, or reading sentences in Years 5–6, every achievement deserves recognition.
My encouragement to Japanese teachers and independent learners is simple:
Keep a hiragana chart within reach. Use it regularly. Give yourself opportunities to try.
Three minutes, five minutes, or even one word at a time.
And when a learner smiles and says, “I did it! I read it myself!” — that is what makes teaching Japanese so rewarding.
— Mariko Sensei
日本語 
English