<![CDATA[STELLA'S7STORIES® - Wabi-Sabi Words]]>Sun, 10 May 2026 01:45:04 -0400Weebly<![CDATA[Hiragana on the Go]]>Mon, 13 Dec 2021 02:23:10 GMThttps://www.stellasstories.ca/wabi-sabi-words/hiragana-on-the-goWabi-Sabi Words Hiragana Language Learning App

Do you recall the three Japanese writing systems? 

That's right! They are:
1) Hiragana
2) Katakana
3) Kanji

Only Hiragana is covered in this app.  Hiragana is used for words with a Japanese origin.  

Remember that Stella is not a native Japanese speaker.  
She's also learning Japanese 📚

How does the app work?

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Here's a link to our app.  We've had to split it into two parts. 
​

Hiragana App #1

Hiragana App #2


Ready. Set. Let's learn Hiragana.
]]><![CDATA[Wabi-Sabi Words App]]>Wed, 01 Dec 2021 03:41:56 GMThttps://www.stellasstories.ca/wabi-sabi-words/wabi-sabi-words-appWant to practice Japanese on the go?

Stella & I have co-created our Wabi-Sabi Words app to help beginner Japanese language learners expand their vocabulary.

Most of the words are travel-related.  You'll learn how to count to 30, say some common greetings, and learn about the Japanese Yen ¥.

Ready. Set. Let's learn!

]]><![CDATA[Weather]]>Sun, 26 Sep 2021 01:43:45 GMThttps://www.stellasstories.ca/wabi-sabi-words/weatherWhatever the Weather

Do you prefer being inside or outside?

I definitely prefer being outdoors.  Stella likes both. 

Do you have a favourite season? 

In this lesson you'll learn:

☀️ words to describe the weather

🌤 what the weather is like in Japan

Ready.  Set.  Let's learn about the weather!

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💻    Prefer to watch the video?
✍🏻 Want to keep practicing? ​ ​Download the practice worksheet
Wabi-Sabi Worksheet: Weather.pdf
File Size: 526 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
]]><![CDATA[Everyday words, sentences, & questions]]>Sat, 18 Sep 2021 15:43:47 GMThttps://www.stellasstories.ca/wabi-sabi-words/everyday-words-sentences-questionsBigger Vocabulary, Better Sentences, & More Questions

How many words do you think you know?
Just take a guess.  

When you have a larger vocabulary, then it's easier to ask lots of different types of questions.  It's important to ask questions because that is how we collect information.

Are you curious?

Do you like to ask lots of questions?

I can't believe we are almost coming to the end of our Wabi-Sabi Words language learning journey.  You should be proud of yourself for wanting to learn a new language and then putting in the time and effort to actually do it.  That's a huge accomplishment. Way to go!

Today we'll learn:

🏡 the names for everyday items in English and Japanese

 ✏️ how to form simple sentences

 🗣 how to ask questions

Are you ready to continue learning Japanese?

Ready. Set. Let's ask some questions. 



Picture
💻    Prefer to watch the videos?​
✍🏻 Want to keep practicing?  Download the practice worksheet
Wabi-Sabi Worksheet: Writing simple sentences.pdf
File Size: 412 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
]]><![CDATA[Travel Lingo]]>Sun, 12 Sep 2021 17:59:08 GMThttps://www.stellasstories.ca/wabi-sabi-words/travel-lingoTravel Lingo

Today we are going to improve our travel-ready vocabulary.  

Do you usually try to learn some words and easy-to-say phrases in other languages before visiting a new country?

Do you try out those new words once you get to where you are going?

Stella speaks English and French, and is still learning Japanese.

What languages do you speak?  

Do you like learning new languages?

What languages do you most want to learn?

In this lesson we are going to:

📒 Learn some need-to-know travel words for Japan

🗣 Start to speak & write basic sentences ✍🏻

❓Learn to ask some basic questions

✔︎ Answer questions using "yes" or "no" 
​

Ready. Set. Let's practice our travel lingo!

Picture
💻    Prefer to watch the video?
✍🏻 Want to keep practicing?  Download the practice worksheet
Wabi-Sabi Worksheet: Travel Lingo.pdf
File Size: 379 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
Wabi-Sabi Words: Postcard.pdf
File Size: 449 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
Wabi-Sabi Words: Ninja Postcard.pdf
File Size: 312 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
]]><![CDATA[Get ready to pack your bags]]>Sun, 05 Sep 2021 17:30:07 GMThttps://www.stellasstories.ca/wabi-sabi-words/get-ready-to-pack-your-bags
Packing

What are 3 things that you pack on every trip? 

 Does someone help you pack? 

What’s your favourite thing about packing?
 
What’s your least favourite thing about packing?

Stella does not like checking her bag at the airport.  She insists on travelling with whatever she brings. 

Do you know what this means? 

It means she needs to pack light and bring a small suitcase that fits in the plane’s overhead compartment. 

No matter how long she’s going for, she usually takes a small suitcase and a backpack.  

How do you pack for your trip?

In this lesson you’ll learn:
​
🗾 Some common items to pack if you travel to Japan

🎒 The names of these items in English, Romaji & Hiragana

✈️ Some airport regulations (weight) of bags

🏷 Easy ways to identify your suitcase

🛄 What to pack where (checked vs carry on baggage)

Ready. Set. Let’s get packing!

Picture
💻    Prefer to watch the video?
✍🏻 Want to keep practicing?  Download the practice worksheet
Wabi-Sabi Words: Packing 101.pdf
File Size: 1365 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
]]><![CDATA[Tanabata たなばた]]>Sun, 29 Aug 2021 20:09:42 GMThttps://www.stellasstories.ca/wabi-sabi-words/tanabataFestivals in Japan 

​Festival = Matsuri まtすり

Do you celebrate any festivals?

Do you know any myths or legends?

Tanabata たなばた is celebrated in Japan every July
July = shichi getsu しちげつ

The origins of Tanabata date back thousands of years.  

Today, people in Japan still celebrate Tanabata and the coming together of Orihime おりひめ and Hikoboshi ひこぼし every
July しちげつ. 

To honour their togetherness, people write messages of love, friendship and peace on brightly coloured pieces of paper called
Tanzaku たんざく
​

🎋


Picture
✍🏻 Want to keep practicing?  Download the practice worksheet
Wabi-Sabi Words: Tanabata たなばた.pdf
File Size: 69 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
]]><![CDATA[Sightseeing]]>Sun, 22 Aug 2021 14:06:16 GMThttps://www.stellasstories.ca/wabi-sabi-words/sightseeingSightseeing in Japan

Stella shared some of her travel photos from Japan in a previous post.  Now we'll learn a little bit more about some of the places she went to on her trip. 

Have you been to Japan?

Do you have a favourite city or sight?  
What do you like most about it?

In today's lesson we'll learn:

🎡 Some places you should visit while in Japan ⛩

🗻 Climbing advice if you decide to hike Mount Fuji
​
 📐 A bit of math since a lot of the sights we saw were very tall 🗼

​📃 Basic sentences in Japanese

Ready. Set. Let's Explore! 

Picture
💻    Prefer to watch the video?
✍🏻 Want to keep practicing?  Download the practice worksheet  
Wabi-Sabi Worksheet: Sightseeing.pdf
File Size: 143 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
]]><![CDATA[Continents & Countries]]>Sat, 14 Aug 2021 22:46:49 GMThttps://www.stellasstories.ca/wabi-sabi-words/continents-countriesContinents & Countries

What does your country's flag look like? Can you describe it? What colour is it? Are there symbols? 

Today we'll learn about geography & flags.  We'll learn:

🌎 The names of continents

🗺 The locations of some countries

🗾 The names of some countries

​🇯🇵 Country flags

We'll also learn some basic phrases in Japanese to communicate where you are from and your nationality.

Ready. Set. Let's learn about the world!
Picture
💻    Prefer to watch the video?
✍🏻 Want to keep practicing?  Download the practice worksheet
Wabi-Sabi Words Worksheet: Countries.pdf
File Size: 300 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
]]><![CDATA[Hiragana ひらがな]]>Tue, 10 Aug 2021 19:44:42 GMThttps://www.stellasstories.ca/wabi-sabi-words/hiraganaHiragana 101

Do you remember at the beginning of the blog that I mentioned there are 3 writing systems in Japanese?

Hiragana
Katakana
Kanji

So far I've been writing in Hiragana.  That's all I'll do for this blog.  

If you look at something written in Japanese, typically you'll see a mix of all three.  When you are first learning Japanese, I believe it is easiest to start with Hiragana.

If you want to learn Katakana or Kanji, then there are lots of online resources.  One of my favourites is Smile Nihongo.  The teacher is Yuko-sensei (ゆうこーせんせい).  She is an excellent language instructor and a native Japanese speaker.  Stella & I really enjoy her lessons. 

For now, let's start to gain a better understanding of Hiragana.  
We'll start with the basic characters   

Ready. Set. Let's learn Hiragana!

Hiragana Characters
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Modified Characters
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