Japanese grammar guide › Katakana

Katakana Chart カタカナ

Katakana mirrors hiragana one-to-one with identical sounds, used mainly for loanwords, onomatopoeia and emphasis. The charts below cover every katakana; tap any character to hear native audio.

Basic kana (gojūon)

Voiced — dakuon & handakuon

Voiced kana are not new letters: basic kana + ゛or ゜ (か→が, は→ぱ). Two rules cover all 25.

Combos — yōon

Combos are i-row kana + small ゃゅょ (き+ゃ→きゃ) — 33 combinations, again a rule rather than new letters.

FAQ

How many katakana characters are there?

46 basic characters; with 25 voiced kana and 33 combos, about 104 common syllables in total.

What is the difference between hiragana and katakana?

They share exactly the same sounds. Hiragana writes native words and grammar; katakana writes loanwords, onomatopoeia and emphasis.

How long does it take to learn kana?

Most learners can read them within 3–7 days: memorise the basic rows first (a-ka-sa-ta-na rhythm), derive voiced/combo kana by rule, then drill with listening quizzes.

Practice kana in the app (audio quiz) →