Cover of a book titled "Hiragana Noir" with the subtitle "Part Mystery. Part Language Lesson. All Noir." in black text on a white background.
Black and white cartoon illustration of a man with arms crossed, wearing a suit and tie, with a confident expression.
Cartoon of a man in a suit with a baby on his shoulder, both smiling and laughing.
A person wearing a large hat with a wide brim, smiling and standing behind a large rectangular object.
Hand-drawn illustration of a king playing card, featuring a king with spiky crown, angular facial features, a mustache and goatee, wearing a patterned jacket and cape.
Hand-drawn illustration of a king playing card, featuring a king with spiky crown, angular facial features, a mustache and goatee, wearing a patterned jacket and cape.
Drawing of the ace of diamonds playing card, with a suit symbol in the center and a small 'A' and diamond symbol in the top left and bottom right corners.
Drawing of the ace of diamonds playing card, with a suit symbol in the center and a small 'A' and diamond symbol in the top left and bottom right corners.
Drawing of a Queen of Hearts playing card, featuring a line-art style portrait of a woman wearing a crown and detailed clothing.
Drawing of a Queen of Hearts playing card, featuring a line-art style portrait of a woman wearing a crown and detailed clothing.
A hand-drawn depiction of the 10 of diamonds playing card, featuring a large diamond shape pattern in the center and a smaller diamond in the bottom right corner.
A hand-drawn depiction of the 10 of diamonds playing card, featuring a large diamond shape pattern in the center and a smaller diamond in the bottom right corner.
A black and white cartoon drawing of a man wearing a pinstripe suit, glasses, and a tie, with short wavy hair, depicted in a simple line art style.
A black and white sketch of a person with short hair, wearing a jacket, with one hand raised near his chin and the other hand resting on his stomach.
A black and white cartoon illustration of a man with crossed arms, wearing a patterned skirt, blazer, and tie, with a skeptical facial expression and curly hair.
A black and white illustration of a woman with glasses, shoulder-length hair, wearing a blazer over a shirt and tie, with patterned pants.
Black and white drawing of a woman with long hair, an umbrella behind her, and various geometric shapes surrounding her.
Black and white drawing of a woman with long hair, an umbrella behind her, and various geometric shapes surrounding her.
Black and white illustration of a man in a suit with a scarf, with a serious expression.
A black and white drawing of a person with glasses, wearing a collared shirt, a cardigan, and patterned pants.

Gallery

The illustrations behind the mystery

Soundtrack

More Information

Set the mood and listen while you read.

What is Hiragana Noir, and how is it different?

Downloads

Supplementary materials: revision quizzes, assessments

Purchase

Available in paperback and Amazon unlimited.

  • "A unique and thrilling combo of suspense and language learning!"

  • "I got lost in the story! Such an interesting way to learn."

  • "A wild ride from start to finish!"

Close-up of two blue book covers with abstract cityscape illustrations and a cartoon character with sunglasses on one cover.

46 characters. One detective. No flashcards.

〰️

46 characters. One detective. No flashcards. 〰️

Available on Amazon, Kindle Unlimited and IngramSpark

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What is Hiragana Noir?

Drawing of a man with a beard and mustache, wearing a suit and tie, smiling and holding a martini glass. The drawing is labeled 'JACK PETTY'.
Outline drawing of a coffee mug with a dotted interior.

Imagine sitting down with a locked room mystery for the afternoon and walking away with a brand new skill. Meet Hiragana Noir, a language learning novella that presents an entirely new entry point to acquiring Japanese.

  • Instead of traditional drilling, the Japanese symbols (Hiragana) are ‘picked up’ as you read the story. Appearing in meaningful moments, carefully placed mnemonics enrich the plot, characters, twists and clues so you can connect with them, not just learn them.

  • There’s no ‘educational’ vibe to Hiragana Noir, it’s just a story for you to enjoy, it just so happens to teach you something along the way. By the last page, all 46 characters will be there.

  • With over 250 illustrations and an immersive soundtrack by renowned composer Kevin MacLeod, every detail of the story is designed to pull you into the world of River City and away from traditional rote learning.

  • Most language textbooks are abandoned by independent learners after a few chapters. Not because learning is hard, but because textbooks don't care either way.

    Unlike textbooks, Hiragana Noir hides the vegetables in the food. The readers only job is to follow private detective Damian Day as he digs through an impossible locked-room mystery.

  • As a Japanese teacher, I feel like I am constantly around people who want to learn the language. When I looked at the available materials though, I felt like the onus was on the student to do all the heavy lifting instead of the person who created the resource.

    One thing I pride myself on as a teacher is knowing how to open a door to something new without overwhelming the person walking through it. Hiragana Noir was my attempt to make that first step as approachable as possible.

Line drawing of a man with a solemn expression, dressed in a suit and tie, with the name 'Eddie Mullen' written below.
A pet bed with a circular shape and a cushioned interior, designed for small animals.
Simple line drawing of a modern exterior scene with a wall, door, and a porch light.
A drawing of a woman with glasses, short hair, and freckles, resting her chin on her hand, with the name 'Sam Sparrow' written below.
A black and white line drawing of a pair of round sunglasses with dotted shaded areas on the sides.
Black-and-white line drawing of a city skyline with numerous tall buildings, some with antennas or unique rooftop designs, situated behind a city wall.
Black background with two gray clouds at the top and white text reading "How much Wood Would a Woodchuck Chuck"
A black and white cartoon drawing of a hospital room with two patients in beds, one man smoking a cigarette and talking to a woman, while the other woman looks on, and an IV pole with a bag and tubing beside them.
A person sleeping in a bed with glasses on, underneath a blanket with a Greek key pattern border.
Line drawing of five people playing poker or a similar card game at a table with poker chips and playing cards.
Line drawing of a cityscape with tall buildings, clouds in the sky, and some trees in the foreground.
Line drawing of a person with long hair and glasses looking at a door with various symbols and buttons on it, with a dotted background.
A black and white sketch of a traditional Japanese paper lantern with Japanese characters written on it.
Illustration of a traditional Japanese lantern with Japanese characters and decorative patterns.
A person with round glasses and short hair is sitting on a chair with a striped curtain behind them, holding a rectangular object, possibly a phone or a remote.
Line drawing of a woman with her hand on her chin, sitting and wearing glasses and a blazer.
Line drawing of a person wearing glasses, a shirt with a tie, and pants, sitting with one arm resting on the back of a chair and the other on their lap.