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Are you new to studying Katakana?
Have you studied Katakana before? If so, take an assessment for “Study Recommendations."
*If you haven't mastered Japanese Hiragana characters, we strongly recommend that you master them first. Jump to Hiragana Alphabet Guide.
Once you’ve mastered hiragana, it’s time to jump into your next exciting adventure in learning Japanese with our friendly Katakana Character Guide! Whether you’re just starting with katakana or just need a quick refresher, this guide is here to help. Our main goal is to make it super easy for you to recognize the basic katakana characters without any stress.
If you’re looking for even more in-depth practice, we offer a special kit available for a small fee that delves deeper into the topic. (coming soon)
Happy learning!
Before jump into learning Katakana letters, let's review
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.
With globalization and advancements in technology, the number of Katakana words in Japan has been growing rapidly. As a result, after mastering Hiragana, it becomes crucial to learn the Katakana alphabet as well. We will explore the fundamentals of the Katakana alphabet. It's important to note that using Katakana for entire sentences is relatively rare, as it tends to hinder effective communication.
Katakana 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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