Lesson 40

ア、イ、ウ

Lesson 41

エ、オ

Lesson 42

カ、キ、ク

Lesson 43

ケ、コ

Lesson 44

サ、シ、ス

Lesson 45

セ、ソ

Lesson 46

タ、チ、ツ

Lesson 47

テ、ト

Lesson 48

ナ、二、ヌ

Lesson 49

ネ、ノ

Lesson 50

ハ、ヒ、フ

Lesson 51

ヘ、ホ

Lesson 52

マ、三、ム

Lesson 53

メ、モ

Lesson 54

ヤ、ユ、ヨ

Lesson 55

ラ、リ、ル

Lesson 56

レ、ロ

Lesson 57

ワ、ン、ヲ

Practice Test Unit 5

Lesson 58

ガ、ギ、グ

Lesson 59

ゲ、ゴ

Lesson 60

ザ、ジ、ズ

Lesson 61

ゼ、ゾ

Lesson 62

ダ、ヂ、ヅ

Lesson 63

デ、ド

Lesson 64

バ、ビ、ブ

Lesson 65

ベ、ボ

Lesson 66

パ、ピ、プ

Lesson 67

ペ、ポ

Practice Test Unit 6

Lesson 68

キャ、キュ、キョ

Lesson 69

シャ、シュ、ショ

Lesson 70

チャ、チュ、チョ

Lesson 71

ニャ、ニュ、ニョ

Lesson 72

ヒャ、ヒュ、ヒョ

Lesson 73

ミャ、ミュ、ミョ

Lesson 74

リャ、リュ、リョ

Lesson 75

ギャ、ギュ、ギョ

Lesson 76

ジャ、ジュ、ジョ

Lesson 77

ビャ、ビュ、ビョ

Lesson 78

ピャ、ピュ、ピョ

Practice Test Unit 7

Practice Katakana 1

Practice Katakana 2

Practice Katakana 3

Learn Katakana Alphabet

What is Katakana?

Welcome to the fascinating world of Katakana! If you’re just starting your journey into learning Japanese, Katakana is one of the first steps you'll take. Katakana is one of the three main writing systems in Japanese, alongside Hiragana and Kanji. It consists of 46 basic characters, each representing a distinct syllable. Unlike the more intricate Kanji characters, Katakana characters are simple, angular, and easy to recognize. For instance, here are a few Katakana characters: ア (a), イ (i), ウ (u), エ (e), and オ (o).

Similar to Hiragana, Katakana alphabet also includes advanced characters in the charts below.

The Role of Katakana in Japanese

So, what makes Katakana special? It plays a unique and important role in the Japanese writing system. Primarily, Katakana is used for writing foreign words and names, known as loanwords or “gairaigo.” For example, the English word “television” becomes テレビ (terebi) in Japanese, and “coffee” is written as コーヒー (kōhī). Katakana is also used for onomatopoeia, which are words that imitate sounds. Imagine writing the sound of a dog barking – in Katakana, it’s ワンワン (wanwan).

But that's not all! Katakana is also the go-to script for scientific and technical terms, especially those derived from foreign languages. Moreover, when you want to emphasize something in writing, Katakana is your tool, much like how we use italics in English.

How is Katakana Different from Hiragana?

Now, you might be wondering, how does Katakana differ from Hiragana? Both Katakana and Hiragana represent the same set of 46 syllables, but they look and are used quite differently.

First off, let’s talk about appearance. Katakana characters are more angular and straight, giving them a sharp, modern look. Take a look at these examples: カ (ka), サ (sa), and タ (ta). In contrast, Hiragana characters are more curved and flowing, making them appear softer and more cursive. Here are a few Hiragana characters for comparison: か (ka), さ (sa), and た (ta).

When it comes to usage, Katakana and Hiragana have distinct roles. Katakana, as we mentioned, is used for foreign loanwords, names, onomatopoeia, scientific terms, and emphasis. It’s like the stylish, cosmopolitan cousin of Hiragana. On the other hand, Hiragana is the backbone of Japanese sentence structure. It’s used for native Japanese words and grammatical functions, such as verb endings and particles. Because of its fundamental role in grammar and everyday writing, Hiragana is usually taught first to Japanese learners and children. MochiKana is the best learning tool for those who want to learn Katakana for beginners. It provides online Katakana lessons designed with colorful images and multiple learning games to help you remember the Japanese alphabet in just 1 week.