Hiragana & Katakana Complete Guide 2026: All 46+46 Characters with Pronunciation & Memory Tips [JLPT N5]
By Nihongo to Japan · Updated July 3, 2026
Master both syllabaries in 2 weeks — full charts, pronunciation guide, and memory tricks
Hiragana & Katakana: The First Step in Learning Japanese
Before anything else, you must learn hiragana (ひらがな) and katakana (カタカナ). Each set has 46 base characters — it looks like a lot, but with the right method you can memorize them in 2–3 weeks. Good news: both sets share the exact same readings, so learning hiragana means you already know half of katakana (the sounds).
Hiragana 46-Sound Chart
| a-row | i-row | u-row | e-row | o-row |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| あ (a) | い (i) | う (u) | え (e) | お (o) |
| か (ka) | き (ki) | く (ku) | け (ke) | こ (ko) |
| さ (sa) | し (shi) | す (su) | せ (se) | そ (so) |
| た (ta) | ち (chi) | つ (tsu) | て (te) | と (to) |
| な (na) | に (ni) | ぬ (nu) | ね (ne) | の (no) |
| は (ha) | ひ (hi) | ふ (fu) | へ (he) | ほ (ho) |
| ま (ma) | み (mi) | む (mu) | め (me) | も (mo) |
| や (ya) | ─ | ゆ (yu) | ─ | よ (yo) |
| ら (ra) | り (ri) | る (ru) | れ (re) | ろ (ro) |
| わ (wa) | ─ | ─ | ─ | を (wo/o) |
| ん (n) | ─ | ─ | ─ | ─ |
Katakana 46-Sound Chart
| a-row | i-row | u-row | e-row | o-row |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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/o) |
| ン (n) | ─ | ─ | ─ | ─ |
Voiced (濁音) & Semi-voiced (半濁音)
| Base | Voiced | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| か-row (ka) | が-row (ga) | が・ぎ・ぐ・げ・ご |
| さ-row (sa) | ざ-row (za) | ざ・じ・ず・ぜ・ぞ |
| た-row (ta) | だ-row (da) | だ・ぢ・づ・で・ど |
| は-row (ha) | ば-row (ba) | ば・び・ぶ・べ・ぼ |
| は-row (ha) | ぱ-row (pa) | ぱ・ぴ・ぷ・ぺ・ぽ |
Contracted Sounds (拗音)
| Combination | Reading | Example |
|---|---|---|
| きゃ | kya | 東京（とうきょう） |
| しゃ | sha | 写真（しゃしん） |
| ちゃ | cha | お茶（おちゃ） |
| にゃ | nya | にゃあ (a cat's meow) |
| ひゃ | hya | 百（ひゃく） |
| りゃ | rya | 料理（りょうり） |
The Small っ (sokuon) and Long Vowel (ー)
Sokuon (っ): a small っ doubles the next consonant (a pause): 切手（きって）= ki-t-te, 学校（がっこう）= ga-k-ko-u, 雑誌（ざっし）= za-s-shi.
Long vowel (ー): extends a vowel by one beat. Hiragana long vowels add the matching vowel kana (大きい = おおきい); katakana uses 「ー」 (コーヒー = coffee).
⚠️ Both sokuon and long vowels each take a full ‘beat' — Japanese is mora-timed (each kana is one beat).
Hiragana vs Katakana: When to Use Which
| Use | Script | Example |
|---|---|---|
| native words, verb conjugations | hiragana | たべる・きれい・は (particle) |
| loanwords, foreign names | katakana | コーヒー・テレビ・アメリカ |
| onomatopoeia (for emphasis) | katakana | ドキドキ・ふわふわ |
| scientific plant/animal names | katakana | サクラ (桜)・ネコ (猫) |
| telegrams, emphasis | katakana | used in emergencies, etc. |
The Most Easily Confused Kana
| Kana 1 | Kana 2 | How to tell apart |
|---|---|---|
| ぬ (nu) | め (me) | ぬ has an extra loop |
| は (ha) | ほ (ho) | ほ has an extra horizontal stroke |
| り (ri) | い (i) | り's two strokes connect |
| ン (n) | ソ (so) | ン's stroke angle differs from ソ |
| シ (shi) | ツ (tsu) | シ's strokes are horizontal, ツ's vertical |
| ワ (wa) | ク (ku) | ワ looks like glasses, ク like a fang |
🖊️ Practice Quiz
Q1. In which script is 「コーヒー」 written?
(A) hiragana (B) katakana (C) kanji (D) romaji
Q2. In 「きって (切手)」, what does the small 「っ」 indicate?
(A) a long vowel (B) a geminate (doubled consonant / sokuon) (C) a contracted sound (D) a voiced sound
Q3. What is the reading of 「シ」?
(A) tsu (B) shi (C) so (D) chi
Q4. Loanwords are usually written in which script?
(A) hiragana (B) katakana (C) kanji (D) any is fine
Q5. When 「は」 is used as a particle, how is it read?
(A) ha (B) wa (C) ba (D) fa
Answer Key
1. (B) katakana ── コーヒー (coffee) is a loanword, written in katakana.
2. (B) a geminate ── the small っ doubles the following consonant. きって = ki-t-te.
3. (B) shi ── シ = shi (don't confuse with ツ tsu).
4. (B) katakana ── loanwords are written in katakana.
5. (B) wa ── the particle 「は」 is read “wa,” though the kana is normally “ha.”