Log inSign up free
Langula for iPhone and iPad ★ 4.6Get it free

Katakana chart: hear and practice all 46 characters

46 basic characters with the same sounds as hiragana – just more angular. Katakana is mostly used for loanwords: コーヒー is kōhī, coffee.

Start trainerGo to chart
あGo to the hiragana chart

Katakana trainer

Practice mode
Choose rows

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.

      Katakana chartAll 46 basic characters with romaji
      46 characters

      Tap a character to hear it. Orange: easy to mix up.

      シshilike “she” – not “si”
      aiueo–kstnhmyrwn
      langula.app/en/katakana/Learn for free at langula.app
      Which script

      Hiragana or katakana?

      Spot katakana by its loanwords

      あHiragana

      • Japanese words and endings
      • particles like は, を, が

      すしsushiねこneko

      アKatakanathis page

      • loanwords from English and other languages
      • countries, cities, names
      • sounds and emphasis

      アメリカamerika · Americaハンバーガーhanbāgā · hamburger

      AdvertisementLearn without ads
      Watch out

      Easy to mix up

      • シ
        Looks likeツSounds likeshi

        シ shi: short strokes lie flatter, the long stroke goes up.

      • ツ
        Looks likeシSounds liketsu

        ツ tsu: short strokes stand upright, the long stroke goes down.

      • ソ
        Looks likeンSounds likeso

        ソ so: short stroke almost vertical.

      • ン
        Looks likeソSounds liken

        ン n: short stroke almost horizontal.

      • ウ
        Looks likeワSounds likeu

        ウ u has a small stroke on top, ワ wa doesn’t.

      • ク
        Looks likeケSounds likeku

        ケ ke has an extra cross stroke, ク ku doesn’t.

      How to learn

      In three steps

      1. Compare with hiragana

        Same sounds, different shapes – keep the hiragana chart handy.

        あ → ア

      2. The look-alikes

        Practice シ ツ ソ ン first.

        シ ツ ソ ン

      3. Read loanwords

        The dash ー makes a vowel long.

        コーヒー

      First words

      Read your first words

      Read first, then listen.

      • コーヒーkōhīcoffeeThe dash ー makes the vowel long.
      • テレビterebiTV
      • カメラkameracamera
      • ホテルhoteruhotel
      • タクシーtakushītaxi
      • アイスaisuice cream
      • ノートnōtonotebook
      • ラーメンrāmenramen
      • トイレtoirerestroom
      AdvertisementLearn without ads
      Printable

      A4 chart to print

      A4 · portrait · PDF
      Katakana chartAll 46 basic characters with romaji
      46 characters

      Tap a character to hear it. Orange: easy to mix up.

      シshilike “she” – not “si”
      aiueo–kstnhmyrwn
      langula.app/en/katakana/Learn for free at langula.app
      Questions

      Frequently asked questions

      How many katakana are there?
      46 basic characters – the same sounds as hiragana.
      What is katakana used for?
      Loanwords, foreign names and sound effects.
      What does the dash ー mean?
      It lengthens the vowel before it: コーヒー reads “koohii”.
      Is my progress saved?
      Yes, in this browser. With a free account, on all your devices.

      Back to hiragana

      The core script for Japanese words – same sounds, rounder shapes.

      Hiragana trainerHiragana chart
      Japanese

      Japanese course with 80 lessons

      Now for words and sentences – every lesson with audio, A1 to B2.

      Start the Japanese course