Writing Hiragana by hand

[winterpromise31]

So I've been using smart.fm to learn Hiragana and am 98% complete with the goal. I know that I also need to practice handwriting instead of just recognizing the characters on the screen. I downloaded handwriting practice sheets from this site: http://japanese-lesson.com/characters/h ... ml#writing

I noticed that some of the characters are different than from what I've seen online. Sa and Ki are the two I can think of at the moment. For example, is the circle on Sa supposed to be closed like I've seen on a number of sites? Or is handwriting different than how the character is printed/typed?

I just want to learn how to write things correctly because otherwise I'll spend way too much time correcting bad habits.

Thanks!

[Belton]

The shapes in printed fonts are often slightly different from handwritten examples. Handwriting varies as well. Just like with Roman lettering.

き、さ、そ　have the most notable variations I think.

Some sites use a brush handwriting font for their practice sheets, but I wouldn't say this is the best example to use. It's better to find a handwritten example done in pen or pencil. The link you post looks good though.

This is also a good example from a Japanese site
http://www.geocities.jp/ki07ji/muryo/1-1.html
It also has pointers about the balance and shape of good characters... in Japanese! But you can get the idea.

katakana here
http://www.geocities.jp/ki07ji/muryo/1-2.html

[byronrei]

winterpromise31-san, hajimemashite.

The kana flashcards I use show each character in four different appearances. I guess this means that there are many acceptable ways in which to write them by hand, just as in the Roman alphabet.

As for typewritten kana, it's also a matter of the fonts used (again, just as in the Roman alphabet).

As for the hiragana sa and ki, I prefer the connected version さ、き because to me they mean less movement. You don't have to lift the pen (or brush) one last time because the last stroke -- the curve -- is connected to the previous one.

This is also an interesting point to consider when writing ya や　or fu　ふ. I believe the most economical way to write these two are shortened two-stroke way for each rather than three for the ya and four four the fu.

My suggestion is to follow the style that, from your observation, is the most commonly used. I don't have formal experience in Nihongo studies, but that's what I do at this point. I'll probably pick up some better way to tackle this matter when I get more immersed in the language by reading, speaking and writing (both by hand and by keyboard) as I'm sure you will, too.

Good luck to all of us learners.

[By the way, I learned both kana by practicing how to write them by hand. It's a very helpful technique. I'm doing the same thing now that I'm plowing through the kanji. Why don't you try it?]

[Javizy]

Just follow the diagrams here http://japanese.about.com/library/blhira.htm

[winterpromise31]

Thanks for the quick replies! I will check out the websites that are linked and continue to work on my handwriting.

[Knocks]

As for the hiragana sa and ki, I prefer the connected version さ、き because to me they mean less movement.

This is wrong. If you care about handwriting properly, then you should observe the correct number and order of strokes. Japanese schools teach that さ　should be written with 3 strokes, and き with 4 strokes. Producing something similar with less movement doesn't make it correct.

[Javizy]

This is wrong. If you care about handwriting properly, then you should observe the correct number and order of strokes. Japanese schools teach that さ　should be written with 3 strokes, and き with 4 strokes. Producing something similar with less movement doesn't make it correct.

As far as I'm aware, that's true for kana, but it seems to be the opposite for kanji. It's important to know how to write characters correctly, but when it comes to actually putting them on paper, it's more common to abbreviate strokes where possible, like merging the first two and the last four of 鳥. I think the only rule is that the character is recognisable, although it seems to get broken a lot from what I've seen...

[Knocks]

Merged strokes, although not proper, still follow established rules. I recommend the Yamasa Institute's online kanji dictionary if you want to learn the correct shorthand for your kanji. It's not recommended for early learners though, as the whole point of writing that stuff out is to remember it better.

Anyway, the OP is talking about hiragana here, so definitely no merged lines in さ and き.

[Belton]

I find it slightly funny that someone can get het up about stroke variations in kana when you consider さ　is an evolution itself, an extremely cursive form of 左
Stroke abbreviation isn't wrong per se, but there are styles which have rules and accepted forms.

My advice is to follow a model form to begin with. Then as an adult decide amongst the accepted variations that suit you. The important thing is legibility for everyday handwriting. (Next is form, next is speed)
As to whether さ and き have a loop or a separate stroke will be the least of your problems concerning shapes. (In my opinion the 3 strokes in さ are because you raise the brush on the upstroke before the final stroke, otherwise the stroke would be too thick and unbalanced.) If you can, find a model that points out common mistakes to avoid. What looks ok to you might look dreadful (if not illegible) to Japanese.
On the face of it, it seems so easy to make a character of 3 simple strokes, but looking back on my first attempts now they seem so crude and not really like the model character. It takes practice and attention to detail to drawn nice looking characters, and it's best not to have to rectify poor habits later on. Even now I'd say my handwriting in Japanese is a bit childlike.

You need to master a square style before you start into cursive styles. And master a pencil before trying to use a brush at small sizes. If it's any consolation my calligraphy teacher also teaches adult Japanese how to write kana in the more extreme cursive style. (Sosho, beautiful but fairly illegible to me, but then Japanese tend not to be able to read my roman cursive either. The few Japanese I've come across that use a cursive roman script have quite childlike writing in it. It's all down to practice and familiarity.)

Writing probably is a good way to memorise the relatively simple forms of kana.
Repetitive writing may not be the best way to memorise kanji but it will help your writing style.

If you don't have access to a teacher who can point out mistakes in form, there are several good pieces of Japanese software on the DS that do a very good job of correcting handwriting if this is something that interests you. (Handwriting isn't a priority for everyone. So much to do, so little time... )

[Javizy]

Merged strokes, although not proper, still follow established rules. I recommend the Yamasa Institute's online kanji dictionary if you want to learn the correct shorthand for your kanji.

Thanks for the tip. I haven't come across that dictionary before. It looks like it would be harder to write a lot of them legibly in shorthand (without a lot of practice). I think I'll start with trying some of the more commonly used radicals.