Background
Hiragana is one of the writing systems used for Japanese.
It is a set of 46 characters, each representing a vowel or a vowel/consonant combination.
Hiragana is used in three contexts:
a] for particles (in, at, on, etc.)
b] for inflectional endings (negatives or tenses) and
c] for words with Japanese origin
The important thing to note when writing and reading hiragana characters is the difference in the printed style hiragana and the written style hiragana (picture reference from this website).
If you compare the two charts, you can see the biggest differences between the letters "ki" and "sa".
I would recommend, as I'm unable to make a flash myself, finding a website that can teach you the brush strokes.
This is important for writing Japanese, as brush strokes are key to the way each character is written, and are vital in writing kanji later.
Pronounciation
When speaking Japanese, unless the word has a long vowel in it, it's better to pronounce each letter combination as short as possible. It's not necessary to lengthen each pronounciation like in english. For example, saying "ah-" is better than saying "ahhh".
You only need to lengthen a vowel when the word uses a long vowel.
The pronounciation of the a-i-u-e-o line never changes as each consonant is added to it. For example, pronouncing the "o" sound on it's own has the same sound when combined with "s" to make "so" or "k" to make "ko".
*when pronouncing the letters below, keep in mind that all words used as examples are the pronounciations of words with an american accent unless specified otherwise. keeping this in mind will greatly help your pronounciation.
a-i-u-e-o
a: pronounced "ah" as in "father"
i: pronounced "ee" as in "screech"
u: pronounced "oo" as in "proof"
e: pronounced "eh" as in "exercise"
o: pronounced "oh" as in "cold"
ka-ki-ku-ke-ko
ka: pronounced "ka" as in "karate"
ki: pronounced "kee" as in "key"
ku: pronounced "koo" as in "cuckoo"
ke: pronounced "keh" as in "cave"
ko: pronounced "koh" as in "cough"
sa-shi-su-se-so
sa: pronounced "sah" as in "sake"
shi: pronounced "shee" as in "sheep" (note: do not over prounounce the "sh" sound)
su: pronounced "soo" as in "soup"
se: pronounced "seh" as in "sexy"
so: pronounced "soh" as in the british pronounciation of "sock"
ta-chi-tsu-te-to
ta: pronounced "tah" as in "toddler"
chi: pronounced "chee" as in "cheap"
tsu: pronounced "tsoo" as in "cat's"
te: pronounced "teh" as in "table"
to: pronounced "toh" as in the british pronounciation of "top"
na-ni-nu-ne-no
na: pronounced "nah" as in "knock"
ni: pronounced "nee" as in "knee"
nu: pronounced "noo" as in "noodle"
ne: pronounced "neh" as in "neck"
no: pronounced "noh" as in the british pronounciation of "knob"
ha-hi-fu-he-ho
ha: pronounced "hah" as in "hop"
hi: pronounced "hee" as in "heap"
fu: pronounced "hoo" as in "hoop" (this sound can be made by bringing the lips to a similar position for blowing out candles or a match, with a small space between the top and bottom lips, and saying "oo". it is not an "f" sound like the american pronounciation.)
he: pronounced "heh" as in "head"
ho: pronounced "hoh" as in the british pronounciation of "hot"
ma-mi-mu-me-mo
ma: pronounced "mah" as in "mom"
mi: pronounced "mee" as in "meager"
mu: pronounced "moo" as in "move"
me: pronounced "meh" as in "pavement"
mo: pronounced "moh" as in the british pronounciation of "mock"
ya-yu-yo
ya: pronounced "yah" as in "yacht"
yu: pronounced "yoo" as in "puke"
yo: pronounced "yoh" as in the british pronounciation of "yacht"
ra-ri-ru-re-ro
(the Japanese "r" sound has managed to confuse and frustrate students and teachers alike, as it is not pronounced anywhere near the same as the American "r". it is produced by flicking the tip of the tongue against the gums directly behind the front teeth. do not bring your tongue forward like an "l" but rather place it in the same position used for "d", but with a softer sound. when pronounced, it should sound like a mix between a "d" and "l" sound.)
ra: pronounced "rah" as in the british pronounciation of "rather"
ri: pronounced "ree" as in "greek"
ru: pronounced "roo" as in "room"
re: pronounced "reh" as in "red"
ro: pronounced "roh" as in "wrong"
wa-wo
wa: pronounced "wah" as in "watch"
wo: pronounced "oh" as in "cold" (remember to pronounce this letter as "oh" and not "woh")
n
n: (before t, s, d, z, dz, n, and r) pronounced "nh" as in "can"
n: (before m, n, and b) pronounced "mh" as in "camp"
n: (before k, g, and at the end of a word) pronounced "ng" as in "thanks"
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