Hiragana & Katakana 📊
Tap a cell to hear the standard pronunciation.
Master Hiragana and Katakana from scratch
Hiragana and Katakana are the two phonetic alphabets of Japanese. Hiragana is used for native Japanese words, grammar, and conjugations, while Katakana is used for foreign loanwords, names, and onomatopoeia. Together they form the 50-sound chart (五十音図 / ごじゅうおんず), the very first thing every Japanese learner should master.
On this page you can browse the full chart, listen to the standard pronunciation of each character, drill them with flashcards, and test yourself with a quiz. We recommend studying in order: vowels (あ・い・う・え・お), then K-row (か・き・く・け・こ), and so on. Once you can recognize all 46 basic kana, move on to dakuten (が・ざ・だ・ば), handakuten (ぱ), and yōon (きゃ・しゅ・ちょ).
Most learners can read both Hiragana and Katakana within 1–2 weeks of daily practice. After you finish this module, continue with the Basic Vocabulary section to start building a real-world vocabulary.
Both kana systems together cover the foundation of every Japanese sentence you will read. Once you can recognize each character within a second, you are ready to move on to the Basic Vocabulary module.