ONE CLEAR STEP AT A TIME
Katakana chart and beginner practice
Read the 46 basic katakana and recognise borrowed words, names and familiar sounds.
The basic katakana chart
| a column | i column | u column | e column | o column |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | |||
| ンn |
A row you can remember
- Start with a, i, u, e, o. Read each character and say its sound.
- Cover the pronunciation guide and recall the sound. Check immediately.
- Add one consonant row, then mix it with characters you already know.
- Try a short quiz. Return to the chart for every character you missed.
The roman letters are a pronunciation guide, not a replacement for reading kana. The Japanese r is usually a light tongue tap. を is normally pronounced o as a particle. ん changes with the sounds around it.
Try a few words
- コーヒー · kōhī · coffee
- カメラ · kamera · camera
- ホテル · hoteru · hotel
The long vowel mark ー lengthens the preceding vowel, as in コーヒー. Katakana spellings follow Japanese sound patterns, so they do not always match the source language.
What comes after this chart?
Learn voiced sounds such as が or ガ, the small っ or ッ, and combinations such as きゃ or キャ. This basic chart does not cover all of those patterns yet. Keep checking long vowels and small characters as you learn words.
Practise with the kana lab →