Everyday Greetings Karuta

Students play karuta in groups of four to learn the expressions おはよう、こんにちは、こんばんは、ありがとう、ごめんなさい、おやすみなさい、じゃ、また、さようなら、いってきます、ただいま、いただきます、ごちそうさま.

Preparation

Photocopy the sheets A, B and C onto thick paper and cut into cards. You should have 12 picture sheets and 12 expression sheets. Make card sets for groups of four.

Procedure

Students form groups and place picture cards face up on the table. The teacher or one of the students becomes a card reader. The card reader shuffles the expression cards and reads aloud the card one after the other. The players try to find the picture card which matches the expression, and when a player finds it, s/he puts his/her hand on the card and calls out “はい！”. If the card is the right one, s/he keeps it. If s/he makes a mistake, s/he loses a turn. (This mistake is called おてつき) when all cards are taken, the player who has the most cards is the winner.

Variation

The cards can be used for a variety of other games such as concentration & card matching.
If students have not mastered hiragana, teachers can make roomaji expression cards.