Learn · カタカナ
Katakana chart
Katakana is the second Japanese script. It has the same 46 sounds as hiragana, written with straighter, sharper strokes. Japanese uses it for words borrowed from other languages, like コーヒー (kōhī, coffee), for foreign names, and for emphasis, a bit like italics.
Every katakana below has its romaji in modified Hepburn. The chart is laid out like the hiragana chart, so if you know one, you know where everything is in the other.
The 46 basic katakana
Read each row left to right, a i u e o. The gaps are sounds modern Japanese doesn't have, like yi and wu. Press the play button on a row to quiz yourself on it.
Dakuten and handakuten
Two small marks change a kana's sound. Dakuten, the two strokes in ガ, voice it: k becomes g, s becomes z, t becomes d, h becomes b. Handakuten, the small circle in パ, turns h into p. That gives 25 more katakana.
Combination katakana
A kana from the i column followed by a small ya, yu or yo makes one syllable: キ + ャ = キャ, read kya. These are called yōon. The small kana is written at about half size, which is how you tell キャ (kya) from キヤ (kiya).
Extended katakana for foreign sounds
Japanese borrows words like party and fork, and writes the sounds it doesn't have with small vowels: パーティー (pātī), フォーク (fōku). These 22 combinations only appear in katakana.
Katakana that look alike
These are the pairs learners mix up most. Each link quizzes the rows they're in, and the button below quizzes them all together.
シ ツ
Look at the dots and the long stroke. シ (shi) has its dots stacked on the left and the long stroke sweeps up from the bottom. ツ (tsu) has its dots side by side on top and the long stroke falls from the top right.
Quiz the rows with シ and ツソ ン
The same rule as シ and ツ. The long stroke of ソ (so) falls from the top; the long stroke of ン (n) sweeps up from the bottom left.
Quiz the rows with ソ and ンク ケ タ
ク (ku) is two strokes. ケ (ke) has a third stroke dropping from the middle of its top line instead of a hook, and タ (ta) is ク with a short stroke inside.
Quiz the rows with ク, ケ and タフ ワ ウ
フ (fu) is a single stroke. ワ (wa) adds a short line down the left side, and ウ (u) adds a dot on top as well.
Quiz the rows with フ, ワ and ウス ヌ
In ヌ (nu) the second stroke cuts right across the first. In ス (su) it only branches off toward the bottom right.
Quiz the rows with ス and ヌコ ユ
The bottom line of ユ (yu) runs past the side. コ (ko) has closed corners.
Quiz the rows with コ and ユ
How to learn the katakana chart
Learn it row by row, like hiragana, and pair each katakana with the hiragana you already know. カand か are both ka, and a few pairs look almost the same, like へ ヘ and り リ.
Then read whole words. Katakana words are long and full of ー and small ッ, so reading them fast takes practice of its own. Kana Dash times every answer, so you can watch your speed improve.
Questions
- How many katakana are there?
- 46 basic ones. Dakuten and handakuten add 25 more, there are 36 combinations with a small ャ, ュ or ョ, and 22 extended combinations for foreign sounds.
- Why learn katakana if I know hiragana?
- Menus, signs, brand names and anything foreign are written in katakana, and it turns up in the first chapters of every textbook. It has the same sounds as hiragana, so it's quicker to learn the second time.
- What does ー mean?
- It makes the vowel before it long: コーヒー is kōhī, coffee. In the quiz you can type a long vowel as ō, ou or oo.
- How long does it take to learn katakana?
- If you know hiragana, a week or two of daily practice is usually enough to read all 46. Then practice with words, since katakana words tend to be long.
Next: the hiragana chart, or how hiragana and katakana differ.