Hiragana & Katakana Chart: All 46+46 Kana with Pronunciation & Memory Tips [JLPT N5]
Content by NTJ Kuma · Nihongo to Japan editorial team · Updated July 27, 2026
Your first step in Japanese — full hiragana and katakana charts with pronunciation, stroke order and memory tricks.
Hiragana & Katakana: The First Step in Learning Japanese
A lot of people think learning the kana just means cramming 46 symbols into their heads — and end up dozing off by the あ row and giving up by は. The real trick is to write first, then attach the sound: the stroke order helps your brain lock in each shape, and linking a kana to something familiar (き looks a bit like a key) makes it stick far better. This guide walks you through all 46 hiragana and katakana, their stroke order, and memory tricks in one go — don't underestimate this first step, because once the kana are solid, the rest of your Japanese journey moves so much faster.
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 |
⚠️ Common mistakes to avoid
① は・へ・を change sound as particles. Normally read ha／he／wo, but as particles they're read wa／e／o — これは(wa), 学校へ(e), 本を(o). This reading exception trips up almost every beginner.
② Hold long vowels for a full beat. English doesn't distinguish length, but おばさん (aunt) vs おばあさん (grandmother), ゆき (snow) vs ゆうき (courage) differ by one beat — and one meaning.
③ Katakana fades faster than hiragana. You see it less, so drill it with loanwords (コーヒー, テレビ) or it slips away.
💡 Learning tip
Don't try to “memorize all of kana” before starting — that's the fastest way to quit. One row a day (5 sounds), write them out, and immediately spell words you know (learn か-row, spell コーヒー). One set a week; two or three weeks and it's solid. Hiragana first, katakana second — and since the two sound identical, you already know katakana's sounds; it's just new shapes. A few rounds by hand beats a hundred readings.
❓ FAQ
Q: Should I learn hiragana and katakana at the same time?
Better to lock in hiragana first (you'll use it most), then katakana. The readings are identical, so the second set is just new shapes — much faster.
Q: I keep confusing シ・ツ and ン・ソ.
Look at the stroke direction: the marks on シ・ン go “sideways, bottom-up”; on ツ・ソ they go “vertical, top-down.” Follow the stroke order and they separate naturally.
🖊️ 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.”