Websites to practice reading

[GaijinGirl]

From what I understand, Japanese children learn hiragana first. I was wondering if anyone could recommend some web sites aimed at very small children that use very simple sentences and primarily (or only) hiragana characters.
I can't read well enough to search for them.

 

[Erik]

Originally posted by GaijinGirl
From what I understand, Japanese children learn hiragana first. I was wondering if anyone could recommend some web sites aimed at very small children that use very simple sentences and primarily (or only) hiragana characters.
I can't read well enough to search for them.

www.kanachart.com

 

[GaijinGirl]

Heh. Yes, I have seen kanachart.com. I meant short texts in hiragana, "See Spot Run" sorts of stories intended for Japanese children that are learning how to read.

 

[Erik]

Originally posted by GaijinGirl
Heh. Yes, I have seen kanachart.com. I meant short texts in hiragana, "See Spot Run" sorts of stories intended for Japanese children that are learning how to read.

Ahh... yeah... that'd be useful... lemme know if you find something!

 

[Oliver Twist]

Hello !

Recently in another post I've written this link :

どらねこさんとぼく3

It's a story for children I suppose because it's written only in hiragana.

I think you can find that kind of text with Google.co.jp for example, when you type something like "hiragana dake" or "only in hiragana"...
But of course it's better to write it directly in japanese, because most of those sites are written by japanese people for japanese children...
If you can't I can write here some useful words like "hiragana only", "children", etc...
But I agree that finding a such site is sometimes difficult... but sometimes you find one. For example I've just found this one :

Mediaship School Web 小学1年生むけのホームページ

it provides other sites. Some of them are written in hiragana only, like this one :

ようこそキッズメイト城へ

You have to choose "ひらがなのページはこちら" which means, "click here to access the hiragana page" (literaly : "hiragana page, this way !")
I've visited this site a little, and there are a lot of mini-text... perfect to learn hiragana and vocabulary I think...

Ganbatte ne !

 

[Elizabeth]

If you're also looking for hiragana print materials and can order or get them from someone there I'd recommend starting from actual first & second grade Japanese textbooks (the way I learned anyway). They are very well designed -- with a lot of large print writing exercises, grammar notes, well-known stories and of course heaps of cultural context. I was also fortunate enough to have been given tapes to go along with them (more or less) which has been an extraordinary boon. Will try to get some order information on that later if they're still being produced.

Mitsumura and Kobun Shoin Publishing just happen to be personal favorites and here are their sites for elementary-level textbooks and teachers guides. I'm sure you can pick out something of interest already! Ganbatte from me as well!

http://www.mitsumura-tosho.co.jp/Kyoka/kokugo/kyo_kokugoS_top.asp

http://www.kobun.co.jp/

 

[GaijinGirl]

Thanks for the info!


[edit several hours later] I went to a Japanese supermarket near my home and found out that there is a Japanese bookstore in a nearby... state! (Maryland, to be precise)

:: puts on her driving gloves ::

 

[Elizabeth]

Have you seen these?

Kids goo
http://kids.goo.ne.jp/
This site is designed for Japanese children but a second related site below offers a facility to apply furigana glossing to any web site that contains Japanese script.
http://sp.cis.iwate-u.ac.jp/sp/lesson/j/doc/furigana.html

http://www.rikai.com/perl/Home.pl

 

[GaijinGirl]

Wonderful! I love the "goo" page
arigatou