Learn katakana: chart with audio and a free quiz
Katakana has the same sounds as hiragana, so it goes faster. Tap a character to hear it, then test yourself.
The 46 basic characters
Tap a character to hear it.
Learn it in 5 days
Day 1: twins of hiragana
Some katakana look like their hiragana pair: か and カ, へ and ヘ, り and リ. Start with those.
Days 2–3: the rest of the 46
Watch the look-alikes: シ (shi) and ツ (tsu), ソ (so) and ン (n) differ in stroke direction.
Day 4: voiced sounds, combinations and ー
The marks work as in hiragana. The long bar ー is used almost only in katakana.
Day 5: read real words
Menus and signs are full of katakana: カフェ (cafe), ピザ (pizza), コーヒー (coffee). Reading loanwords locks the script in.
Voiced sounds: ゛ and ゜
The same marks as in hiragana: カ (ka) becomes ガ (ga), ハ (ha) becomes パ (pa).
Combinations with small ャ ュ ョ
A small ャ, ュ or ョ after an i-sound makes one syllable: キ + ャ = キャ (kya).
Extra sounds for foreign words
Katakana can write sounds Japanese did not have: ファ (fa), ティ (ti), ヴァ (va). The long bar ー stretches a vowel: コーヒー (kōhī, coffee).
FAQ
What is katakana used for?
Loanwords such as テレビ (terebi, TV), foreign names and countries, sound effects, and emphasis, a bit like italics.
Is katakana harder than hiragana?
It has the same sounds, so it goes faster. The tricky part is the look-alikes: シ and ツ, ソ and ン.
How do I write my name in katakana?
Split it into Japanese syllables and pick a character for each: Anna is アンナ, Mark is マーク. Long vowels get the bar ー.
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 loanwords. Free, and your progress is saved.