Katakana chart
Katakana makes exactly the same sounds as hiragana, but with sharper, more angular shapes. It writes words borrowed from other languages (コーヒー, coffee), foreign names, onomatopoeia and emphasis, much like italics in English. Once you know hiragana, katakana usually takes a week or two.
Need the other script? Hiragana chart →
Basic characters
The 46 basic characters in the traditional gojūon (“fifty sounds”) order. Read across for the vowels a-i-u-e-o and down for the consonants.
| a | i | u | e | o |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ア a | イ i | ウ u | エ e | オ o |
| カ ka | キ ki | ク ku | ケ ke | コ ko |
| サ sa | シ shi | ス su | セ se | ソ so |
| タ ta | チ chi | ツ tsu | テ te | ト to |
| ナ na | ニ ni | ヌ nu | ネ ne | ノ no |
| ハ ha | ヒ hi | フ fu | ヘ he | ホ ho |
| マ ma | ミ mi | ム mu | メ me | モ mo |
| ヤ ya | ユ yu | ヨ yo | ||
| ラ ra | リ ri | ル ru | レ re | ロ ro |
| ワ wa | ヲ wo | |||
| ン n |
Dakuten and handakuten
Two small strokes (dakuten) voice the consonant: k becomes g, s becomes z, t becomes d and h becomes b. A small circle (handakuten) turns h into p.
| a | i | u | e | o |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ガ ga | ギ gi | グ gu | ゲ ge | ゴ go |
| ザ za | ジ ji | ズ zu | ゼ ze | ゾ zo |
| ダ da | ヂ ji | ヅ zu | デ de | ド do |
| バ ba | ビ bi | ブ bu | ベ be | ボ bo |
| パ pa | ピ pi | プ pu | ペ pe | ポ po |
Combination sounds (yōon)
An i-column character followed by a small ya, yu or yo blends into a single syllable: ki + small ya = kya.
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