🔤 Japanese Writing Systems: Hiragana & Katakana
Hiragana and katakana basics: 46+46 characters, voiced marks, and when to use each script. Free Japanese starter guide with examples.
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Three Scripts Overview
Japanese uses three writing systems simultaneously — this is unique among major world languages. Every script has a distinct role: • Hiragana (ひらがな) — rounded, flowing characters used for native Japanese words, grammatical particles, verb endings, and any word not written in kanji. This is the first script every learner must master. • Katakana (カタカナ) — angular, sharp characters used primarily for foreign loanwords, onomatopoeia, scientific terms, and emphasis (like italics in English). • Kanji (漢字) — Chinese characters that carry meaning. Each kanji represents a concept (e.g., 山 = mountain, 水 = water). There are about 2,000 in common use. A typical Japanese sentence mixes all three: 私はコーヒーを飲みます (I drink coffee) uses kanji (私, 飲), hiragana (は, を, みます), and katakana (コーヒー). Beginners should learn hiragana first (1-2 weeks), then katakana (1 week), then start kanji gradually.
Hiragana Chart
The 46 basic hiragana characters cover all the sounds in Japanese. Japanese syllables are very simple — almost always a consonant followed by a vowel (ka, mi, su) or a vowel alone (a, i, u). The only exception is ん (n), which is a standalone nasal.
| Romaji | Hiragana | Sounds Like |
|---|---|---|
| a | あ | "ah" as in "father" |
| i | い | "ee" as in "see" |
| u | う | "oo" as in "food" (lips unrounded) |
| e | え | "eh" as in "bet" |
| o | お | "oh" as in "go" |
| ka | か | "ka" as in "car" |
| ki | き | "key" |
| ku | く | "coo" |
| ke | け | "keh" |
| ko | こ | "co" as in "coat" |
| sa | さ | "sa" as in "saw" |
| shi | し | "she" (not "si") |
| su | す | "sue" |
| se | せ | "seh" |
| so | そ | "so" as in "sew" |
| ta | た | "ta" as in "taco" |
| chi | ち | "chee" (not "ti") |
| tsu | つ | "tsoo" (like "cats" without the "ca") |
| te | て | "teh" |
| to | と | "toe" |
| na | な | "na" as in "nah" |
| ni | に | "nee" |
| nu | ぬ | "noo" |
| ne | ね | "neh" |
| no | の | "no" |
| ha | は | "ha" as in "hat" |
| hi | ひ | "hee" |
| fu | ふ | "foo" (between "f" and "h" — lips barely touch) |
| he | へ | "heh" |
| ho | ほ | "ho" as in "hope" |
| ma | ま | "ma" as in "mama" |
| mi | み | "me" as in "meet" |
| mu | む | "moo" |
| me | め | "meh" |
| mo | も | "mo" as in "more" |
| ya | や | "ya" as in "yard" |
| yu | ゆ | "you" |
| yo | よ | "yo" |
| ra | ら | "ra" (a light tap — between English r and l) |
| ri | り | "ree" (light tap) |
| ru | る | "roo" (light tap) |
| re | れ | "reh" (light tap) |
| ro | ろ | "ro" (light tap) |
| wa | わ | "wa" as in "want" |
| wo | を | "o" (used only as a particle) |
| n | ん | "n" (standalone nasal — like "n" in "song") |
Dakuten & Handakuten
Adding two small marks to certain hiragana changes their sound: • Dakuten (゛) — two small strokes that voice a consonant (make it "buzz"). Added to k→g, s→z, t→d, h→b rows. • Handakuten (゜) — a small circle that changes h→p. Only used on the h-row. These marks add 25 more characters to your repertoire, bringing the total to 71 usable hiragana.
| Romaji | Hiragana | Base Character |
|---|---|---|
| ga | が | か (ka) + ゛ |
| gi | ぎ | き (ki) + ゛ |
| gu | ぐ | く (ku) + ゛ |
| ge | げ | け (ke) + ゛ |
| go | ご | こ (ko) + ゛ |
| za | ざ | さ (sa) + ゛ |
| ji | じ | し (shi) + ゛ |
| zu | ず | す (su) + ゛ |
| ze | ぜ | せ (se) + ゛ |
| zo | ぞ | そ (so) + ゛ |
| da | だ | た (ta) + ゛ |
| ji | ぢ | ち (chi) + ゛ |
| zu | づ | つ (tsu) + ゛ |
| de | で | て (te) + ゛ |
| do | ど | と (to) + ゛ |
| ba | ば | は (ha) + ゛ |
| bi | び | ひ (hi) + ゛ |
| bu | ぶ | ふ (fu) + ゛ |
| be | べ | へ (he) + ゛ |
| bo | ぼ | ほ (ho) + ゛ |
| pa | ぱ | は (ha) + ゜ |
| pi | ぴ | ひ (hi) + ゜ |
| pu | ぷ | ふ (fu) + ゜ |
| pe | ぺ | へ (he) + ゜ |
| po | ぽ | ほ (ho) + ゜ |
Katakana Chart
Katakana represents exactly the same sounds as hiragana but with different, more angular shapes. It is used primarily for: • Foreign loanwords: コーヒー (kōhī — coffee), テレビ (terebi — TV) • Foreign names: アメリカ (Amerika — America), マイク (Maiku — Mike) • Onomatopoeia: ワンワン (wan-wan — woof), ニャー (nyā — meow) • Scientific terms and emphasis The long vowel mark ー (a horizontal dash) extends the previous vowel sound and is used only in katakana.
| Romaji | Katakana | Hiragana Equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| a | ア | あ |
| i | イ | い |
| u | ウ | う |
| e | エ | え |
| o | オ | お |
| ka | カ | か |
| ki | キ | き |
| ku | ク | く |
| ke | ケ | け |
| ko | コ | こ |
| sa | サ | さ |
| shi | シ | し |
| su | ス | す |
| se | セ | せ |
| so | ソ | そ |
| ta | タ | た |
| chi | チ | ち |
| tsu | ツ | つ |
| te | テ | て |
| to | ト | と |
| na | ナ | な |
| ni | ニ | に |
| nu | ヌ | ぬ |
| ne | ネ | ね |
| no | ノ | の |
| ha | ハ | は |
| hi | ヒ | ひ |
| fu | フ | ふ |
| he | ヘ | へ |
| ho | ホ | ほ |
| ma | マ | ま |
| mi | ミ | み |
| mu | ム | む |
| me | メ | め |
| mo | モ | も |
| ya | ヤ | や |
| yu | ユ | ゆ |
| yo | ヨ | よ |
| ra | ラ | ら |
| ri | リ | り |
| ru | ル | る |
| re | レ | れ |
| ro | ロ | ろ |
| wa | ワ | わ |
| wo | ヲ | を |
| n | ン | ん |
When to Use Which Script
Knowing which script to use is essential for natural-looking Japanese. Here is a summary of when each script appears.
| Script | Used For | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Hiragana ひらがな | Native Japanese words | さくら (sakura — cherry blossom) |
| Hiragana | Grammar particles | は (wa — topic), を (o — object), に (ni — location) |
| Hiragana | Verb and adjective endings | たべる (taberu — to eat), おおきい (ōkii — big) |
| Hiragana | Words usually not written in kanji | する (suru — to do), ある (aru — to exist) |
| Katakana カタカナ | Foreign loanwords | コーヒー (kōhī — coffee), パン (pan — bread) |
| Katakana | Foreign names | アメリカ (Amerika), マリア (Maria) |
| Katakana | Onomatopoeia | ワンワン (wan-wan — woof woof) |
| Katakana | Emphasis (like italics) | Used in ads, manga, signs |
| Kanji 漢字 | Nouns, verb stems, adjective stems | 食べる = たべる (taberu — to eat, with kanji 食) |
| Kanji | Meaning-carrying words | 山 (yama — mountain), 水 (mizu — water) |
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