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Taking your first step into Japanese?
Welcome to our hiragana guide!
Whether you're just starting or looking to brush up on your skills, this is the perfect place for you. Our aim is to help you become comfortable recognizing the entire hiragana alphabet in a fun and stress-free way. Best of all, it’s completely free and full of enjoyable activities!
If you’re eager for a deeper dive into your studies, download the full study kit to write and practice. (Coming soon)
Happy learning!
Have you studied Hiragana before? If so, take an assessment for “Study Recommendations."
Before jump into learning Hiragana letters, let's find out about
Japanese Writing System
The Japanese writing system uses three types of alphabets: Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji.
We combine them when we write vocabulary words/sentences.
The image is the way how we combine them:
Let's get a bit more information about the three types of alphabets. So what are the differences between
Hiragana, Katakana, Kanji?
In Hiragana, every letter has one sound. You can write the entire Japanese language in Hiragana. Therefore, Hiragana is the first step in learning Japanese writing.
About Katakana, each letter also has one sound, but is mainly used for foreign words. It is very uncommon to write sentences using only Katakana.
Kanji was imported from China. Students in Japan learn 2136 Kanji in the school system (12 years). Therefore, learning Kanji will be a long process.
So, it’s clear now that mastering Hiragana is the most practical first step.
Hiragana Chart
Below are the Hiragana alphabets you'll be exploring.
If you're feeling a little overwhelmed, that's completely normal. No need to worry!
Once you master the first half, learners often find that the rest comes more easily.
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