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Discover the History Behind Japanese Character ‘え’
The post explores the fascinating history of the Japanese character “え,” which represents the “e” sound. Originally, this character was derived from the ancient Chinese character “衣,” meaning “clothes” or “garment.” It reflects the robe-like shape of its ancestor. As Japan developed its writing system, scribes chose “衣” for its phonetic similarity but found it cumbersome for frequent use. Thus, they simplified the character over time, creating the streamlined “え” used today. The evolution of “え” exemplifies how languages adapt for efficiency, transforming over centuries from a detailed symbol into an easy-to-write character.
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History of Japanese alphabet: Hiragana
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こんにちは。
I’m Shimachan
Welcome to “Picture this: Japanese words”!
Hello there! My name is Shimachan.
This picture book series was born from my wish to make learning Japanese fun for everyone. I’ve designed it so that even if you’ve never heard a word of Japanese before, you can learn by looking at the pictures, almost like singing a song or playing a game.
You’ll learn not only pronunciation, but also the unique pitch accent of Japanese, which is shown visually so you can understand it even without a native Japanese speaker by your side. Feel free to share the book with your family and friends and have fun saying the words out loud together!
Now, let’s start our Japanese adventure!
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