Learn hiragana: chart with audio and a free quiz
46 characters and two small marks give you every sound of Japanese. Tap a character to hear it, then test yourself.
The 46 basic characters
Tap a character to hear it.
Learn it in 7 days
Days 1–2: vowels, K, S and T
Start with あいうえお: every other row is a consonant plus these five vowels.
Days 3–4: N, H, M, Y, R, W and ん
Finish the 46. Say each character out loud as you write it.
Day 5: voiced sounds
Learn two marks instead of 25 new characters: ゛ voices the consonant, ゜ turns H into P.
Days 6–7: combinations and review
Small ゃゅょ make きゃ, しゅ, ちょ. Run the quiz until you answer without thinking.
Voiced sounds: ゛ and ゜
Two dots turn か (ka) into が (ga); a small circle turns は (ha) into ぱ (pa).
Combinations with small ゃ ゅ ょ
A small ゃ, ゅ or ょ after an i-sound merges two characters into one syllable: き + ゃ = きゃ (kya).
FAQ
How long does it take to learn hiragana?
About a week at 20–30 minutes a day. Reading quickly takes a few more weeks of practice with real words.
Should I learn hiragana or katakana first?
Hiragana. It writes grammar endings and native words, so you will see it in every sentence. Katakana comes next and goes faster, because the sounds are the same.
Do I need romaji?
Only for the first days. Drop it as soon as you can read the characters, or it turns into a crutch.
Is this free?
Yes. The chart, the audio and the quiz work without an account. An account in the app is free too and saves your progress.
Write every character, get every stroke checked
In the app: stroke practice, spaced review and your first words. Free, and your progress is saved.