Beginner reference
Learn the 46 basic forms first, then add sound marks, compact combinations, and the special timing rules that make written Japanese easier to read accurately.
Kana is the collective name for Hiragana and Katakana. The two scripts normally represent corresponding sounds, but Japanese uses them for different jobs. Hiragana appears in grammar, particles, word endings, furigana, and many everyday words. Katakana appears in loanwords, foreign names, onomatopoeia, emphasis, and some technical, scientific, or category labels.
Kana represent Japanese rhythm units commonly called morae. Many basic kana represent a vowel or a consonant-plus-vowel sound. Other patterns—such asん, small っ, long vowels, andきゃ—need their own explanation, which you will find below.
Rōmaji writes Japanese with the Latin alphabet. It can help you begin, but it is neither Hiragana nor Katakana and is not normally the main way Japanese is written. Use the smaller rōmaji labels here as temporary support while you learn the kana.
Use this page as the complete reference. For reveal-on-click recall and printable study sheets, open the focused Hiragana practice guide orKatakana practice guide.
01 · 46 forms
Begin with the vowel row, then work downward one row at a time. The blank cells in the Y, W, and final-N rows show that no modern basic kana belongs in those positions.
On a narrow screen, scroll within the chart to see every column.
| Row | a | i | u | e | o |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vowels | あa | いi | うu | えe | おo |
| K | かka | きki | くku | けke | こko |
| S | さsa | しshi | すsu | せse | そso |
| T | たta | ちchi | つtsu | てte | とto |
| N | なna | にni | ぬnu | ねne | のno |
| H | はha | ひhi | ふfu | へhe | ほho |
| M | まma | みmi | むmu | めme | もmo |
| Y | やya | No form | ゆyu | No form | よyo |
| R | らra | りri | るru | れre | ろro |
| W | わwa | No form | No form | No form | をwo |
| N | んn | No form | No form | No form | No form |
Remember: は is ha andへ is he on this chart. Their special particle readings are explained in the sound-rules section.
02 · 25 forms
Dakuten is the mark ゛. It changes readings such as か ka to が ga.Handakuten is ゜, which changes the H row into the P row.
On a narrow screen, scroll within the chart to see every column.
| Row | a | i | u | e | o |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | がga | ぎgi | ぐgu | げge | ごgo |
| Z | ざza | じji | ずzu | ぜze | ぞzo |
| D | だda | ぢji | づzu | でde | どdo |
| B | ばba | びbi | ぶbu | べbe | ぼbo |
| P | ぱpa | ぴpi | ぷpu | ぺpe | ぽpo |
ぢ is generally pronounced like じ, andづ like ず, in standard modern Japanese. Their spellings still differ in certain words.
03 · 33 combinations
Yōon combines an appropriate i-row kana with smallゃ, ゅ, or ょ. Read the result as a compact unit: きゃ is kya, notkiya.
On a narrow screen, scroll within the chart to see every column.
| Row | ya | yu | yo |
|---|---|---|---|
| KY | きゃkya | きゅkyu | きょkyo |
| GY | ぎゃgya | ぎゅgyu | ぎょgyo |
| SH | しゃsha | しゅshu | しょsho |
| J | じゃja | じゅju | じょjo |
| CH | ちゃcha | ちゅchu | ちょcho |
| NY | にゃnya | にゅnyu | にょnyo |
| HY | ひゃhya | ひゅhyu | ひょhyo |
| BY | びゃbya | びゅbyu | びょbyo |
| PY | ぴゃpya | ぴゅpyu | ぴょpyo |
| MY | みゃmya | みゅmyu | みょmyo |
| RY | りゃrya | りゅryu | りょryo |
04 · 46 forms
Katakana covers the same basic readings as Hiragana but has different shapes and writing functions. Study it after you understand the chart pattern; compare easy-to-confuse forms such as シ and ツ in context.
On a narrow screen, scroll within the chart to see every column.
| Row | a | i | u | e | o |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vowels | アa | イi | ウu | エe | オo |
| K | カka | キki | クku | ケke | コko |
| S | サsa | シshi | スsu | セse | ソso |
| T | タta | チchi | ツtsu | テte | トto |
| N | ナna | ニni | ヌnu | ネne | ノno |
| H | ハha | ヒhi | フfu | ヘhe | ホho |
| M | マma | ミmi | ムmu | メme | モmo |
| Y | ヤya | No form | ユyu | No form | ヨyo |
| R | ラra | リri | ルru | レre | ロro |
| W | ワwa | No form | No form | No form | ヲwo |
| N | ンn | No form | No form | No form | No form |
Charts traditionally label を / ヲ as wo to keep it distinct from お / オ. In modern standard Japanese, the particleを is normally pronounced o.
05 · 25 forms
The same two marks create the voiced and semi-voiced Katakana rows. Learn each form beside its unmarked partner—for example, カ ka andガ ga.
On a narrow screen, scroll within the chart to see every column.
| Row | a | i | u | e | o |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | ガga | ギgi | グgu | ゲge | ゴgo |
| Z | ザza | ジji | ズzu | ゼze | ゾzo |
| D | ダda | ヂji | ヅzu | デde | ドdo |
| B | バba | ビbi | ブbu | ベbe | ボbo |
| P | パpa | ピpi | プpu | ペpe | ポpo |
06 · 33 combinations
Katakana yōon follows the same three-column pattern as Hiragana. Keep the second character visibly small and read the pair as one compact combination.
On a narrow screen, scroll within the chart to see every column.
| Row | ya | yu | yo |
|---|---|---|---|
| KY | キャkya | キュkyu | キョkyo |
| GY | ギャgya | ギュgyu | ギョgyo |
| SH | シャsha | シュshu | ショsho |
| J | ジャja | ジュju | ジョjo |
| CH | チャcha | チュchu | チョcho |
| NY | ニャnya | ニュnyu | ニョnyo |
| HY | ヒャhya | ヒュhyu | ヒョhyo |
| BY | ビャbya | ビュbyu | ビョbyo |
| PY | ピャpya | ピュpyu | ピョpyo |
| MY | ミャmya | ミュmyu | ミョmyo |
| RY | リャrya | リュryu | リョryo |
07 · Timing and context
Some signs and spellings make sense only inside a word or sentence. Learn them through contrasts rather than treating them as ordinary standalone sounds.
Small y-kana ゃ・ゅ・ょ
A small y-kana combines with an appropriate i-row kana. The size matters: きゃ is kya, not kiya, and it has a different rhythm from two full-sized kana.
Small tsu っ・ッ
Small tsu has no ordinary standalone pronunciation. It marks a brief closure before the following consonant and counts as an important timing unit.
Long vowels ー
A long vowel changes a word’s rhythm and can change its meaning. Katakana commonly uses ー to lengthen the vowel before it; the mark is not read as a dash sound.
Particle readings
On a character chart, は is ha and へis he. In the examples below, the topic particle は is pronounced wa, the direction particle へ is pronouncede, and the object particle を is normally pronounced o.
わたしは がくせいです。
watashi wa gakusei desu
I am a student.
にほんへ いきます。
nihon e ikimasu
I am going to Japan.
みずを のみます。
mizu o nomimasu
I drink water.
ぢ and づ
In standard modern Japanese, ぢ is generally pronounced likeじ, and づ like ず. The spellings still differ in certain words, so the chart keeps separate entries. We displayji and zu; di and du are also common input sequences in Japanese typing software.
08 · 33 extended forms
Katakana can combine a normal character with a small vowel or smallャ・ュ・ョ to represent sounds used in loanwords, foreign names, and transliterations. Some forms are generally used; others are selected when a writer wants to stay closer to the source pronunciation or spelling.
These combinations approximate sounds within Japanese pronunciation. They do not reproduce every foreign-language sound perfectly, and an established spelling can vary by word.
13 forms
These 13 forms are broadly used when Japanese needs sounds outside the basic Katakana chart.
20 forms
These 20 forms may be chosen when a writer wants to stay closer to the source pronunciation or spelling.
09 · Quick answers
Use these answers to review the distinctions that matter most at the beginning.
Modern beginner charts normally teach 46 basic Hiragana and 46 corresponding Katakana. The two scripts have different shapes but cover the same basic set of readings.
They normally represent corresponding Japanese sounds, but they serve different writing functions. Hiragana is common in grammar and many native words; Katakana is common in loanwords, foreign names, sound words, emphasis, and some labels.
Charts traditionally romanize を as wo so it remains distinct from お. In modern standard Japanese, を is normally used as the object particle and pronounced o.
Dakuten is the two-stroke mark ゛ that changes readings such as ka to ga. Handakuten is the small circle ゜ that changes the H row to the P row, such as ha to pa.
They combine with appropriate i-row kana to make compact readings such as きゃ kya, しゅ shu, and ちょ cho. They are not read as separate full-sized kana.
Small っ or ッ marks a brief closure before the next consonant and adds an important timing unit. It has no ordinary standalone pronunciation.
The mark ー lengthens the vowel before it. It affects a word’s rhythm and is not pronounced as a standalone dash sound.
Katakana combines regular characters with small vowels or small y-kana to represent sounds used in loanwords, foreign names, and transliterations. These spellings approximate sounds within Japanese pronunciation, and established spelling can vary by word.
What to study next
Use the beginner roadmap to choose a manageable first row, review plan, and next lesson. You do not need to memorize everything at once.
