Introduction: Deliver Your Thoughts and Ideas Through Words!

Welcome to Japanese Language: Writing!
In this chapter, you will learn how to write opinion essays (ikenbun) that clearly share your thoughts with others, as well as how to compose tanka and haiku to express your feelings using traditional Japanese rhythms.

You might be thinking, "Writing my own opinion sounds tough..." or "It's tricky fitting words into a 5-7-5 rhythm!" While it may feel challenging at first, don't worry! Once you get the hang of organizing your thoughts step by step and picking just the right words, anyone can create wonderful essays and poems.
Let's enjoy the fun of putting your thoughts into words and sharing them with your readers!
(*Writing observation or research reports and creative storytelling will be covered in another chapter.)

Lesson 1: Writing a Persuasive Opinion Essay

An opinion essay is a piece of writing where you share your thoughts, such as "Here is what I think" or "Here is what I suggest," backed up with facts and reasons on a specific topic.

1. Telling Apart "Facts," "Impressions," and "Opinions"

The most important step in writing an opinion essay is clearly distinguishing between facts, impressions, and opinions. If these get mixed up, your reader won't be able to understand your point clearly.

• Facts (Jijitsu): Objective statements that anyone can see are true. (e.g., "Yesterday after school, it rained on the playground." / "The number of books borrowed from the school library increased compared to last year.")
• Impressions (Kansou): How you feel in your heart when experiencing something. (e.g., "It was disappointing that it rained." / "I'm glad so many books are being read.")
• Opinions (Iken): Judgments and conclusions you make based on facts or experiences, such as "I believe this" or "We should do that." (e.g., "Board games should be placed in the classroom so we can enjoy ourselves even on rainy days." / "I think making new book classification labels would make books easier to find.")

[Key Point]
The golden rule of an opinion essay is to always pair "What I think (opinion)" with "Why I think so (facts and reasons)."

2. Structuring an Opinion Essay (Beginning, Middle, and End)

Organizing your essay into paragraphs following the three-part structure of Beginning, Middle, and End (Hajime, Naka, Owari) makes your writing neat and easy to follow.

Beginning (Presenting Your Opinion)
• Introduce your topic and what made you want to write about it.
• State your main opinion or proposal clearly and concisely.

Middle (Reasons, Concrete Examples, and Facts)
• Explain the reasons behind your opinion.
• Back up your reasons with specific personal experiences or factual data you researched (such as survey results, charts and graphs, or quotes from books and newspapers).
• Organizing this section into separate paragraphs using transitions like "First..." and "Second..." will make it even clearer.

End (Conclusion)
• Summarize your opinion or proposal once more.
• Finish with a positive closing sentence about what you would like to do moving forward.

3. Using Reference Materials and Quotes

As you advance in grade levels, you will learn how to use quotations (inyou) from books and materials, as well as how to include charts and graphs in your opinion essays.

• When quoting words directly from a book or newspaper, enclose them in quotation marks (「 」) and do not alter the text.
• Always cite your sources clearly, identifying the author and the title of the book or article.
• When using charts or graphs, guide your reader with written explanations, such as: "As shown in the graph in Figure 1, ..."

[Common Mistakes]
× "It is definitely right because everyone says so." (The reasoning is too vague!)
○ "According to our survey, 80% of students in our grade agree. Therefore..." (This is persuasive because it is based on objective facts!)
Keep an eye on your sentence endings as well! Make sure to keep them consistent throughout your essay, using either polite style (desu/masu) or plain style (da/de aru).

Lesson 2: Composing Tanka and Haiku

The Japanese language has a rich, beautiful tradition of enjoying the sounds and rhythms of words. Let's try packing your feelings and the beauty of the seasons into a short number of syllables!

1. How to Count Morae (Sounds)

When composing tanka and haiku, we count the sounds (morae) of words on our fingers.
Here are a few special rules to keep in mind when counting sounds:

• Regular hiragana: "sa • ku • ra" = 3 sounds
• Small "tsu" (促音 / double consonants): "ki • t • te" = 3 sounds (The small "っ" counts as 1 sound!)
• The nasal "n" (撥音): "to • n • bo" = 3 sounds (The "ん" counts as 1 sound!)
• Long vowel mark "ー" (長音): "no • ー • to" = 3 sounds (The "ー" counts as 1 sound!)
• Small "ya, yu, yo" (拗音 / contracted sounds): "kyo • u • shi • tsu" = 4 sounds (A combination like "きょ" counts as 1 sound for both characters!)

2. How to Compose Haiku

A haiku is one of the shortest forms of poetry in the world, composed of 5-7-5 morae, totaling \(5 + 7 + 5 = 17\) sounds.

• Include a Season Word (Kigo): Pick one word that represents a season (such as "cherry blossoms" or "school entrance ceremony" for spring; "sunflowers" or "evening shower" for summer; "autumn leaves" or "cirrocumulus clouds" for autumn; "snow" or "white breath" for winter).
• Capture a Memorable Moment: Take a scene or sound from a moment that made you think "How pretty!" or "Wow, that surprised me!" and turn it directly into words.
• Use Cutting Words (Kireji): Using cutting words like "...kana," "...ya," or "...keri" adds a pause that leaves a lingering emotional resonance and a deeper sense of wonder.

[Fun Fact]
As a general rule, a haiku is considered most elegant when it contains only one season word. If you include two or three, the reader might not know which season's special moment you are trying to share!

3. How to Compose Tanka

A tanka is composed of 5-7-5-7-7 morae, totaling \(5 + 7 + 5 + 7 + 7 = 31\) sounds.
Because it has more syllables than a haiku, you can describe your feelings and the scenery in greater detail.

• You don't necessarily have to include a season word.
• Express everyday moments, conversations with family or friends, or quiet thoughts in your heart in an honest, natural way.
• Expressive Techniques:
　• Simile and Metaphor (Hiyu): Use phrases like "just like..." or "as if..." to make your descriptions come to life.
　• Repetition (Hanpuku): Repeat words to create a lively rhythm or emphasize a feeling.

[Common Mistakes]
Having one extra sound is called ji-amari (hypermeter), and having one sound too few is called ji-tarazu (hypometer). While 5-7-5 and 5-7-5-7-7 are the standard patterns, don't worry if a word you really want to use makes the line one sound over. What matters most is that your genuine feelings shine through!

Lesson 3: Revision (Suikou) and Sharing with Friends

Writing an essay or poem isn't finished the moment you write the last word! Rereading and polishing your work is called revision (suikou).

1. Revision Checklist

• Read Aloud: When reading out loud, does the rhythm stumble? Are any phrases awkward to say?
• Subject-Predicate Agreement: Do the "who/what" (subject) and the "action/state" (predicate) match up properly?
• Distinguishing Facts from Opinions: In an opinion essay, did you clearly separate facts from your own thoughts?
• Writing Conventions: Did you balance kanji and hiragana well? Are your okurigana correct? Did you follow the rules for writing on manuscript paper (genkou youshi)?

2. Peer Review: Finding the Good Points Together

Once you finish writing, read each other's work with your friends!
• "Your concrete example really convinced me of your opinion!"
• "The words you chose here made the scene pop right into my head—it's wonderful!"
By discovering and sharing each other's clever ideas and strengths, your own expressive writing skills will grow by leaps and bounds.

[Summary]
• Opinion essays combine your "opinion" with "reasons and facts" organized neatly into paragraphs.
• Haiku uses a "5-7-5 (17 sounds)" rhythm with one season word to capture a single moment.
• Tanka uses a "5-7-5-7-7 (31 sounds)" rhythm to sing of honest feelings and heartfelt impressions.
• When you finish, read your work aloud, revise it carefully, and share your best points with your friends!