langula
Hiragana chart: hear and practice all 46 characters
46 basic characters in ten rows: the vowels a – i – u – e – o, then k, s, t, n, h, m, y, r, w and the final n. Tap any character to hear it, or start the trainer.
アGo to the katakana chartHiragana trainer
Progress is saved in this browser – sign in to keep it on all your devices.
Missed characters came back at the end of the round. Keep practicing these:
Saved. Green bars in the row picker show what you know.
Hiragana chartAll 46 basic characters with romajiHiragana or katakana?
When to use which script
あHiraganathis page
- Japanese words like ねこ (cat)
- grammar endings and particles
- reading aids above kanji (furigana)
ねこnekoたべるtaberu
アKatakana
- loanwords like コーヒー (coffee)
- foreign names
- emphasis, sounds, ads
テレビterebiホテルhoteru
Easy to mix up
- ねLooks like
れ / わSounds likeneThree siblings: ね ne ends in a loop, れ re in a hook, わ wa in a curve.
- ぬLooks like
めSounds likenuぬ nu has a loop at the bottom, め me doesn’t.
- さLooks like
ちSounds likesaMirror images: さ sa opens left, ち chi opens right.
- あLooks like
おSounds likeaあ a has a second cross stroke, お o a dot at the top right.
- はLooks like
haSounds likewaAs a particle – like in こんにちは – は reads “wa”.
- をLooks like
woSounds likeoSounds like お o and is only used as a particle.
In three steps
The five vowels
Every row follows the pattern a – i – u – e – o.
あ い う え お
One row a day
In the trainer, pick only the rows you’re learning.
か さ た な は
Read words
After three rows you can read your first words.
ねこ すし
Read your first words
Read first, then listen.
- ねこnekocat
- いぬinudog
- みずmizuwater
- すしsushisushi
- さかなsakanafish
- やまyamamountain
- そらsorasky
- ありがとうarigatōthank youう after o makes the vowel long: “arigatoo”.
- こんにちはkonnichiwahelloThe final は reads “wa”.
A4 chart to print
Frequently asked questions
- How many hiragana are there?
- 46 basic characters. The marks ゛ and ゜ create more sounds like が ga or ぱ pa.
- How long does it take to learn hiragana?
- Usually one to two weeks at 15 minutes a day.
- Should I learn hiragana or katakana first?
- Hiragana – it covers most words in beginner texts.
- Is my progress saved?
- Yes, in this browser. With a free account, on all your devices.
Next up: katakana
Same sounds, sharper shapes – used for loanwords like コーヒー.
Japanese course with 80 lessons
Now for words and sentences – every lesson with audio, A1 to B2.