Japanese uses two phonetic scripts, hiragana and katakana. Modern beginner charts normally teach 46 basic hiragana and 46 matching katakana. That gives you 92 written forms, but not 92 unrelated sounds: あ and ア both represent the same basic sound, a. The shape and typical use change; the underlying sound does not.
This lesson gives you the complete basic chart, explains the roles of voiced sounds and contracted sounds, and helps you begin reading real words. Romanization appears only as a temporary check. Your goal is to look at か and read it directly, rather than translating か into ka and then into a sound.
What hiragana and katakana do
Hiragana appears in particles, verb and adjective endings, many native Japanese words, and readings written above kanji. In the sentence 私は日本語を勉強します, the forms は, を, and します are hiragana. Learning hiragana is therefore not a decorative first step; it lets you see how a Japanese sentence is organized.
Katakana often appears in loanwords, foreign names, product names, sound-symbolic expressions, and words set apart for emphasis. カメラ means “camera,” ホテル means “hotel,” and アメリカ means “the United States” or “America,” depending on context. Katakana words still follow Japanese sound patterns. They should not be read with English stress simply because their source is English.
The traditional name gojūon, often translated as “fifty-sound chart,” describes the chart’s organization. The modern basic set taught to beginners has 46 symbols per script. Historical kana such as ゐ and ゑ are not part of the ordinary modern beginner chart.
The 46 basic sounds in both scripts
Read each cell from hiragana to katakana. The romanization is a guide for the first few reviews, not a permanent third script.
| Row | a | i | u | e | o |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vowels | あ / ア (a) | い / イ (i) | う / ウ (u) | え / エ (e) | お / オ (o) |
| K | か / カ (ka) | き / キ (ki) | く / ク (ku) | け / ケ (ke) | こ / コ (ko) |
| S | さ / サ (sa) | し / シ (shi) | す / ス (su) | せ / セ (se) | そ / ソ (so) |
| T | た / タ (ta) | ち / チ (chi) | つ / ツ (tsu) | て / テ (te) | と / ト (to) |
| N | な / ナ (na) | に / ニ (ni) | ぬ / ヌ (nu) | ね / ネ (ne) | の / ノ (no) |
| H | は / ハ (ha) | ひ / ヒ (hi) | ふ / フ (fu) | へ / ヘ (he) | ほ / ホ (ho) |
| M | ま / マ (ma) | み / ミ (mi) | む / ム (mu) | め / メ (me) | も / モ (mo) |
| Y | や / ヤ (ya) | — | ゆ / ユ (yu) | — | よ / ヨ (yo) |
| R | ら / ラ (ra) | り / リ (ri) | る / ル (ru) | れ / レ (re) | ろ / ロ (ro) |
| W | わ / ワ (wa) | — | — | — | を / ヲ (o/wo) |
| Final nasal | ん / ン (n) | — | — | — | — |
The chart has a few points that need more than an English label:
- し, ち, つ, and ふ are conventionally written shi, chi, tsu, and fu here. Those spellings are reminders, not exact instructions based on English words.
- ら, り, る, れ, ろ are produced with a brief tongue contact. They are not simply the English r or l.
- を is usually pronounced like お in modern standard Japanese. Beginners mainly meet it as the object particle, as in パンを食べます, “I eat bread.”
- ん is its own timing unit. Its exact sound changes somewhat before different consonants, but you should still count it when reading rhythmically.
- The particles は and へ are written with the normal kana but are pronounced wa and e in that grammatical use. Their ordinary readings remain ha and he in words.
Do not wait for perfect pronunciation before reading. First learn to identify each symbol reliably; then refine the sound with trustworthy audio and feedback.
Dakuten: marks that create voiced sounds
Two small strokes, called dakuten (゛), change the sound of several rows. The new kana are related to the basic forms, so you do not need to treat them as completely new drawings.
| Basic row | With dakuten | Example |
|---|---|---|
| か き く け こ | が ぎ ぐ げ ご | かぎ (kagi), key |
| さ し す せ そ | ざ じ ず ぜ ぞ | みず (mizu), water |
| た ち つ て と | だ ぢ づ で ど | でぐち (deguchi), exit |
| は ひ ふ へ ほ | ば び ぶ べ ぼ | かばん (kaban), bag |
Katakana changes in the same way: カ becomes ガ, サ becomes ザ, タ becomes ダ, and ハ becomes バ. In ordinary modern vocabulary, ぢ and づ are less common than じ and ず, but they do occur, for example in はなぢ, “nosebleed.” Learn their role now; learn word-specific spelling through vocabulary.
Handakuten: the P sounds
A small circle, called handakuten (゜), changes the H row into the P row.
| Hiragana | Katakana | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| ぱ ぴ ぷ ぺ ぽ | パ ピ プ ペ ポ | pa, pi, pu, pe, po |
You will see this pattern in words such as パン, “bread,” and えんぴつ, “pencil.” Notice that the mark changes the consonant while the vowel remains in the same chart column.
Yōon: one beat written with two kana
Japanese combines an I-column kana with a small ゃ, ゅ, or ょ to write a contracted sound called yōon. The first kana keeps part of its consonant sound, while the small kana contributes ya, yu, or yo.
| Group | Hiragana | Katakana |
|---|---|---|
| K | きゃ きゅ きょ | キャ キュ キョ |
| S | しゃ しゅ しょ | シャ シュ ショ |
| T | ちゃ ちゅ ちょ | チャ チュ チョ |
| N | にゃ にゅ にょ | ニャ ニュ ニョ |
| H | ひゃ ひゅ ひょ | ヒャ ヒュ ヒョ |
| M | みゃ みゅ みょ | ミャ ミュ ミョ |
| R | りゃ りゅ りょ | リャ リュ リョ |
| G | ぎゃ ぎゅ ぎょ | ギャ ギュ ギョ |
| J | じゃ じゅ じょ | ジャ ジュ ジョ |
| B | びゃ びゅ びょ | ビャ ビュ ビョ |
| P | ぴゃ ぴゅ ぴょ | ピャ ピュ ピョ |
Size matters. きや is ki-ya, two timing units, while きゃ is kya, one timing unit. Compare きゃく, “guest,” and きやく, “terms or regulations.” Do not write a full-size や when the word requires small ゃ.
What comes next: long vowels and small っ
This article only introduces two additional timing features. A long vowel holds the vowel for an extra timing unit. Katakana commonly shows it with ー, as in コーヒー. Hiragana long vowels use several spelling patterns. A small っ or ッ creates a brief closure before the next consonant, as in きって, “stamp.” Vowel length and the small っ can distinguish words, so the next article should teach them through listening and contrast practice rather than a short spelling rule alone.
For now, when you see ー or a small っ, mark it and keep your place. Do not guess from English spelling.
Reading practice 1: basic kana
Cover the meanings, read each word aloud, and then check. Avoid writing romanization above every character.
| Japanese | Meaning | Reading check |
|---|---|---|
| あさ | morning | あ・さ |
| いえ | house | い・え |
| うみ | sea | う・み |
| えき | station | え・き |
| かさ | umbrella | か・さ |
| すし | sushi | す・し |
| ねこ | cat | ね・こ |
| いぬ | dog | い・ぬ |
| やま | mountain | や・ま |
| くるま | car | く・る・ま |
| ほん | book | ほ・ん |
| カメラ | camera | カ・メ・ラ |
| ホテル | hotel | ホ・テ・ル |
| テニス | tennis | テ・ニ・ス |
| トマト | tomato | ト・マ・ト |
Read down the list once, then read it again in reverse order. Reverse reading stops you from memorizing the sequence instead of recognizing the characters.
Reading practice 2: marks and small kana
| Japanese | Meaning | Feature to notice |
|---|---|---|
| かぎ | key | ぎ has dakuten |
| みず | water | ず has dakuten |
| でぐち | exit | で and ぐ have dakuten |
| かばん | bag | ば has dakuten; ん counts |
| パン | bread | パ has handakuten; ン counts |
| えんぴつ | pencil | ぴ has handakuten |
| きゃく | guest | small ゃ |
| しゃしん | photograph | small ゃ; ん counts |
| じゃま | obstruction; in the way | じゃ uses dakuten and small ゃ |
| キャベツ | cabbage | small ャ; ベ has dakuten |
| シャツ | shirt | small ャ; full-size ツ |
Read by visible units, not by English syllables. Tap once for きゃ, once for く, and once for ん when it appears. This builds the timing you will need for long vowels and small っ later.
A seven-day routine that reduces romaji dependence
- Days 1–2: Learn the vowel, K, S, and T rows. Read ten short words in random order.
- Days 3–4: Add the N, H, M, Y, R, and W rows plus ん. Review older rows before new ones.
- Day 5: Add dakuten and handakuten. Compare か/が, さ/ざ, は/ば/ぱ aloud.
- Day 6: Add yōon. Circle the small ゃ, ゅ, or ょ before reading each word.
- Day 7: Mix hiragana and katakana. Read words, type them with a Japanese keyboard, and write only the forms you confuse.
During the first encounter, romanization may confirm a reading. During the second review, cover it. During the third review, remove it. A chart is useful for checking, but repeated recall from random words is what turns a symbol into reading ability.
Quick check
- Why does this article call the chart “92 kana” if there are only 46 basic sounds?
- Write the katakana that matches ぬ.
- Add dakuten to か and write the result in both scripts.
- Add handakuten to ひ and write the result in both scripts.
- Which is one timing unit: きや or きゃ?
- Read しゃしん and identify the small kana.
- Which item needs a later lesson on long vowels: カメラ or コーヒー?
- Why should romanization be removed after the first reviews?
Answers
- There are 46 basic sound positions written in two scripts: 46 hiragana plus 46 katakana, for 92 forms. 2. ヌ. 3. が / ガ. 4. ぴ / ピ. 5. きゃ; きや has two timing units. 6. Sha-shi-n; ゃ is the small kana. 7. コーヒー, because both ー marks indicate long vowels. 8. Direct kana recognition is faster and avoids importing English spelling habits into Japanese.
Continue with the Japanese textbook plan
Use the free lesson first. When you want to connect kana, grammar, vocabulary, conversation, and JLPT practice in order, check the textbook plans for English-speaking learners.
View Japanese textbook plans
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References
- JLPT: N1–N5 Summary of Linguistic Competence Required for Each Level. The official N5 summary states that learners should be able to read typical expressions and sentences written in hiragana, katakana, and basic kanji. This supports treating kana as a reading foundation, not as a promise of N5 success by itself.
- Yucca LTC: Japanese learning hub. Existing internal learning routes for English and Chinese speakers.
- Yucca LTC: Hiragana vs Katakana. Existing follow-up article on script functions and study order.