Japanese uses two syllabaries alongside kanji. Hiragana writes native words, grammar, and verb endings; katakana writes loanwords, onomatopoeia, and emphasis. They represent exactly the same sounds — learning one teaches you the readings for the other.
The forty-six basic characters, read left to right in rows of five. Every other kana in the language is built from these.
| a | i | u | e | o |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| あa | いi | うu | えe | おo |
| かka | きki | くku | けke | こko |
| さsa | しshi | すsu | せse | そso |
| たta | ちchi | つtsu | てte | とto |
| なna | にni | ぬnu | ねne | のno |
| はha | ひhi | ふfu | へhe | ほho |
| まma | みmi | むmu | めme | もmo |
| やya | ゆyu | よyo | ||
| らra | りri | るru | れre | ろro |
| わwa | をo | |||
| んn |
Two small marks change how a character is voiced. Dakuten, a pair of strokes in the upper right, turns k into g, s into z, t into d, and h into b. Handakuten, a small circle, turns h into p.
| a | i | u | e | o |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| がga | ぎgi | ぐgu | げge | ごgo |
| ざza | じji | ずzu | ぜze | ぞzo |
| だda | ぢji | づzu | でde | どdo |
| ばba | びbi | ぶbu | べbe | ぼbo |
| ぱpa | ぴpi | ぷpu | ぺpe | ぽpo |
A full-size character followed by a small ゃ, ゅ, or ょ fuses into a single syllable. Note that the small character is written at reduced size — きや is two syllables, きゃ is one.
| ya | yu | yo |
|---|---|---|
| きゃkya | きゅkyu | きょkyo |
| しゃsha | しゅshu | しょsho |
| ちゃcha | ちゅchu | ちょcho |
| にゃnya | にゅnyu | にょnyo |
| ひゃhya | ひゅhyu | ひょhyo |
| みゃmya | みゅmyu | みょmyo |
| りゃrya | りゅryu | りょryo |
| ぎゃgya | ぎゅgyu | ぎょgyo |
| じゃja | じゅju | じょjo |
| びゃbya | びゅbyu | びょbyo |
| ぴゃpya | ぴゅpyu | ぴょpyo |
The forty-six basic characters, read left to right in rows of five. Every other kana in the language is built from these.
| a | i | u | e | o |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| アa | イi | ウu | エe | オo |
| カka | キki | クku | ケke | コko |
| サsa | シshi | スsu | セse | ソso |
| タta | チchi | ツtsu | テte | トto |
| ナna | ニni | ヌnu | ネne | ノno |
| ハha | ヒhi | フfu | ヘhe | ホho |
| マma | ミmi | ムmu | メme | モmo |
| ヤya | ユyu | ヨyo | ||
| ラra | リri | ルru | レre | ロro |
| ワwa | ヲo | |||
| ンn |
Two small marks change how a character is voiced. Dakuten, a pair of strokes in the upper right, turns k into g, s into z, t into d, and h into b. Handakuten, a small circle, turns h into p.
| a | i | u | e | o |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ガga | ギgi | グgu | ゲge | ゴgo |
| ザza | ジji | ズzu | ゼze | ゾzo |
| ダda | ヂji | ヅzu | デde | ドdo |
| バba | ビbi | ブbu | ベbe | ボbo |
| パpa | ピpi | プpu | ペpe | ポpo |
A full-size character followed by a small ゃ, ゅ, or ょ fuses into a single syllable. Note that the small character is written at reduced size — キヤ is two syllables, キャ is one.
| ya | yu | yo |
|---|---|---|
| キャkya | キュkyu | キョkyo |
| シャsha | シュshu | ショsho |
| チャcha | チュchu | チョcho |
| ニャnya | ニュnyu | ニョnyo |
| ヒャhya | ヒュhyu | ヒョhyo |
| ミャmya | ミュmyu | ミョmyo |
| リャrya | リュryu | リョryo |
| ギャgya | ギュgyu | ギョgyo |
| ジャja | ジュju | ジョjo |
| ビャbya | ビュbyu | ビョbyo |
| ピャpya | ピュpyu | ピョpyo |