When Sentai announced their upcoming release of disks for the first season in English, the topic of learning Japanese and learning karuta came up again. Where to start?
ใใใใตใใปใใIt is not entirely clear where Chihaya picked up the idea to string those seven characters together that way. Arata mentions Mu and Su in that order when he explains his game plan to her but he doesn't give the whole line in that sequence when he explains that seven poems can be identified by the sound of their first character right from the start of every karuta match.
Arrange those seven by the numbers assigned them within the full set of a hundred poems and it looks like this:
18, 22, 57, 70, 77, 81, 87
ใใใตใใใใใใใใปใใ
There is a different method behind the way those seven poems are arranged on the paper Chihaya uses during the memorisation period ahead of that team match:
ใใใใใใใตใใปใใใใ
Sa, Su, Se, Fu, Ho, Mu, Me
The reasoning behind the arrangement on that paper is very useful if you’re learning hiragana as well as karuta at this point in the series. This ordering is based on the way hiragana characters are commonly arranged. A, Ka, Sa, Ta , Na, Ha, Ma, Ya, Ra, Wa. This is a very useful string of syllables to memorise.
ใใใใใใใใใชใใฏใใพใใใใใใ and ใ. Vowels first: a, i. u. e, o; then the pairs starting with k (ka, ki, ku, ke, ko); followed by s (sa, shi, su, se, so) etc…
This is the arrangement used to learn hiragana these days. It is also a very widely used ordering when arranging items. Similar to the way items are arranged in alphabetical order. For example. On bookstore shelves in English speaking countries you’ll find the manga series Chihayafuru between B and D. In Japan the manga series ใกใฏใใตใ will be between ใ and ใค . Most likely to be found in the manga section of a store, further divided into shelves for the publishing company, Kodansha, and/or the magazine, Be Love. Nothing starts with ใ. Not in Japanese.
… so that’s why ... sa, su, se then fu, ho and finally mu, me ... on Chihaya’s paper. It is not what she says, though. For Chihaya, musumefusahose might be easier to remember because in this line the string of syllables becomes a short sentence.
The seven "one syllable" poems in her ordering:
ใใใใใฎ ใคใใใพใ ใฒใฌ ใพใใฎใฏใซใใใใใกใฎใผใ ใใใฎใใใใ
ใใฟใฎใใฎ ใใใซใใใชใฟ ใใใใใใใใใฎใใใใ ใฒใจใใใใใ
ใใใใใใฆ ใฟใใใใใจใ ใใใฌใพใซใใใใใใใซใ ใใใฎใคใใใช
ใตใใใใซ ใใใฎใใใใฎ ใใใใใฐใใในใใพใใใ ใใใใจใใใใ
ใใณใใใซ ใใฉใใใกใใงใฆ ใชใใใใฐใใใฅใใใใชใ ใใใฎใใใใ
ใปใจใจใใ ใชใใคใใใใ ใชใใใใฐใใใ ใใใใใฎ ใคใใใฎใใใ
ใใใฏใใฟ ใใใซใใใใ ใใใใใฎใใใใฆใใใใซ ใใใใจใใใใ
http://polygondrill.com/firstkaruta/list/list-musume
Sentai will include a card for the Chihayaburu poem printed with an English translation in their box set but for most of the cards visible in the series, being able to read hiragana characters is indispensable. Learning hiragana may be a good place to start and karuta cards are nicely suited for practicing.
It is not often mentioned in these threads and this comment may not be the best way to approach this topic but I think understanding of hiragana and karuta makes the series so much better. Perhaps Chiahayfuru offers a a nice incentive to get started. I'm pretty sure that's one of the goals the creators of this story had in mind, learning to appreciate the Japanese language ... though their original audience had a bit of a head start when they joined Chihaya and her classmates in an elementary school in Tokyo.
Almost forgot to mention, that ใต in this episode will forever be a highlight of the series. |