Katakana Chart: All 46 Characters with Pronunciation

The chart below shows all 46 basic katakana characters organized by consonant row (gojuuon order). Each entry includes the katakana character, romaji reading, and pronunciation guide.

Vowels (A-Row)

Start with the five vowel sounds that form the foundation of katakana.

• ア (a): ah, like 'a' in father
• イ (i): ee, like 'ee' in see
• ウ (u): oo, like 'oo' in food (less rounded)
• エ (e): eh, like 'e' in bet
• オ (o): oh, like 'o' in go

K-Row (Ka-Ke-Ko)

These consonants are produced with the back of your throat.

• カ (ka): kah, like 'ca' in car
• キ (ki): kee, like key
• ク (ku): koo, like coo in cool
• ケ (ke): keh, like ke in kept
• コ (ko): koh, like co in coat

S-Row (Sa-Se-So)

These sounds use a softer consonant position.

• サ (sa): sah, like sa in saga
• シ (shi): shee, like she in sheep
• ス (su): soo, like sue
• セ (se): seh, like se in set
• ソ (so): soh, like so in sold

T-Row (Ta-Te-To)

These sounds use tongue-teeth contact.

• タ (ta): tah, like ta in taco
• チ (chi): chee, like chee in cheese
• ツ (tsu): tsoo, like ts in cats plus oo
• テ (te): teh, like te in ten
• ト (to): toh, like to in tote

N-Row (Na-Ne-No)

These nasal consonants are produced with air through your nose.

• ナ (na): nah, like na in naan
• ニ (ni): nee, like knee
• ヌ (nu): noo, like noo in noodle
• ネ (ne): neh, like ne in net
• ノ (no): noh, like no in note

H-Row (Ha-He-Ho)

These sounds require breath and throat engagement.

• ハ (ha): hah, like ha in hat
• ヒ (hi): hee, like he in heat
• フ (fu): foo, between foo and hoo with lips not touching
• ヘ (he): heh, like he in help
• ホ (ho): hoh, like ho in home

M-Row (Ma-Me-Mo)

These sounds require your lips together.

• マ (ma): mah, like ma in mama
• ミ (mi): mee, like me in meet
• ム (mu): moo, like moo
• メ (me): meh, like me in met
• モ (mo): moh, like mo in mow

Y-Row and W-Row (Ya-Yo, Wa-Wo)

These semi-vowels bridge consonant and vowel sounds.

• ヤ (ya): yah, like ya in yard
• ユ (yu): yoo, like you
• ヨ (yo): yoh, like yo in yoga
• ラ (ra): rah, between r and l with tongue tap
• リ (ri): ree, like ree with soft r/l blend
• ル (ru): roo, like roo with tongue tap
• レ (re): reh, like reh with tongue tap
• ロ (ro): roh, like ro in row with tongue tap
• ワ (wa): wah, like wa in water
• ヲ (wo): oh, pronounced like o but used only as particle
• ン (n): n, nasal n and the only standalone consonant

Katakana includes 25 modified characters created by adding dakuten (゛, two small strokes) or handakuten (゜, a small circle) to base characters. These changes are systematic, not new characters to memorize from scratch.

How Dakuten Works

Dakuten voices the consonant. This means adding vibration from your vocal cords. The k-row becomes g-row, s-row becomes z-row, t-row becomes d-row, and h-row becomes b-row.

• ガ (ga): gah, from カ (ka)
• ギ (gi): gee, from キ (ki)
• グ (gu): goo, from ク (ku)
• ゲ (ge): geh, from ケ (ke)
• ゴ (go): goh, from コ (ko)
• ザ (za): zah, from サ (sa)
• ジ (ji): jee, from シ (shi)
• ズ (zu): zoo, from ス (su)
• ゼ (ze): zeh, from セ (se)
• ゾ (zo): zoh, from ソ (so)
• ダ (da): dah, from タ (ta)
• ヂ (di/ji): jee, from チ (chi), rarely used
• ヅ (du/zu): zoo, from ツ (tsu), rarely used
• デ (de): deh, from テ (te)
• ド (do): doh, from ト (to)
• バ (ba): bah, from ハ (ha)
• ビ (bi): bee, from ヒ (hi)
• ブ (bu): boo, from フ (fu)
• ベ (be): beh, from ヘ (he)
• ボ (bo): boh, from ホ (ho)

How Handakuten Works

Handakuten changes only h-row sounds to p-row sounds. It adds an aspirated p sound instead of a voiced b sound.

• パ (pa): pah, from ハ (ha)
• ピ (pi): pee, from ヒ (hi)
• プ (pu): poo, from フ (fu)
• ペ (pe): peh, from ヘ (he)
• ポ (po): poh, from ホ (ho)

Understanding when to use katakana is essential for reading and writing Japanese correctly. Katakana appears constantly in real-world Japanese texts and signs.

Common Uses of Katakana

1. Foreign loanwords (gairaigo): Words borrowed from English and other languages. Examples include コーヒー (coffee), パソコン (personal computer), and テレビ (television). Many modern Japanese words come from English.

2. Foreign names: Non-Japanese personal names and place names use katakana. マイケル (Michael) and ロンドン (London) are common examples you will see regularly.

3. Onomatopoeia: Sound effects and imitative words use katakana. ドキドキ (heartbeat) and ニャー (meow) appear frequently in manga and casual writing.

4. Scientific and technical terms: Species names, chemical compounds, and medical terminology use katakana for precision and clarity in professional writing.

5. Emphasis: Similar to italics in English. A word normally in hiragana or kanji may become katakana to draw special attention or show emotion.

6. Company and brand names: Many Japanese brands use katakana exclusively. トヨタ (Toyota) and ソニー (Sony) are well-known examples.

Katakana and hiragana represent the exact same 46 sounds but serve different purposes in Japanese writing. Understanding when to use each is crucial for correct reading and writing.

Functional Differences

Hiragana is used for native Japanese words, grammatical particles, verb endings, and as furigana (reading aids above kanji). Katakana is used for foreign loanwords, emphasis, technical terms, and onomatopoeia.

Think of this analogy: hiragana is like regular text in English, while katakana is like italics. Both are phonetic scripts that cover identical sounds, but they signal different things to the reader.

Visual Differences

Katakana characters have sharper, more angular strokes. Hiragana characters are rounder and more flowing and connected together. Even though they represent the same sounds, the visual difference is unmistakable.

Here are key comparison pairs:

• あ (hiragana) → ア (katakana): Both are ah, but one is round and one is angular
• き (hiragana) → キ (katakana): Both are ki, but hiragana flows while katakana is sharp
• す (hiragana) → ス (katakana): Both are su, but hiragana has curves and katakana has straight lines
• は (hiragana) → ハ (katakana): Both are ha, but hiragana is connected and katakana is separate strokes

Most learners memorize all 46 basic katakana characters in one to two weeks with consistent daily practice. These proven strategies speed up learning significantly.

1. Learn in rows: Study one consonant row (5 characters) per day. Begin with vowels (a-i-u-e-o), then move to ka-row, sa-row, and so on. This pattern matches how Japanese traditionally teaches the script.

2. Use mnemonics: Associate each character with a memorable image or story. For example, ア (a) resembles an axe, and ヌ (nu) looks like chopsticks picking up noodles. Visual associations stick in memory longer than abstract symbols.

3. Practice with spaced repetition: Spaced repetition systems quiz you on characters right before you would forget them. This makes review highly efficient and reduces wasted study time.

4. Read katakana in real contexts: Japanese menus, product packaging, and manga contain abundant katakana. Try sounding out every katakana word you encounter. Real-world exposure builds fluency faster than isolated drills.

5. Write by hand: Tracing characters reinforces motor memory and helps you internalize stroke order. Use grid paper and practice correct stroke sequences. Handwriting builds stronger retention than typing.