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Japanese writing · Katakana
Katakana chart
All 46 basic katakana with romaji, stroke order and example words — plus voiced sounds, combinations and the extra sounds Japanese uses for loanwords.
The 46 basic katakana
Katakana has the same sounds as hiragana. It’s used mostly for loanwords, foreign names and emphasis, so you’ll see it on menus, signs and packaging.
Katakana stroke order
Every basic katakana, drawn from the same stroke data as the app and numbered in writing order. Compare ソ and ン, or シ and ツ: their last strokes run in opposite directions.
Kanji stroke order: The 10 rules, with animated examples
Stroke order data: KanjiVG by Ulrich Apel and contributors (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Dakuten and handakuten
The same two marks work in katakana: カ ka → ガ ga, and ハ ha → パ pa.
Combinations (yōon)
Small ャ, ュ and ョ blend with the character before them into one syllable: キ ki + ャ → キャ kya.
Sounds for loanwords
Katakana adds combinations that don’t exist in native Japanese words, so foreign words can be written more closely: ファ fa, ティ ti, ウィ wi, ヴァ va.
Small ッ and double consonants
A small ッ doubles the next consonant, just like in hiragana: ベッド beddo (bed), ロボット robotto (robot).
The long vowel mark ー
In katakana, a long vowel is usually written with a dash: コーヒー koohii (coffee), ケーキ keeki (cake), スーパー suupaa (supermarket).
Every basic katakana, with examples
The same examples and tips you’ll find in Sumi’s free katakana basics.
| Kana | Romaji | Example | Meaning | How to say it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ア | a | アイス aisu | ice cream | An open ‘ah’ sound. Keep it to one short beat. |
| イ | i | インク inku | ink | An ‘ee’ sound with the tongue high at the front of your mouth. Keep it short. |
| ウ | u | ウイルス uirusu | virus | Bring your lips close together without pushing them forward. Say u in one short beat. |
| エ | e | エアコン eakon | air conditioner | An ‘eh’ sound. Keep your mouth shape steady and the sound short. |
| オ | o | オイル oiru | oil | Round your lips slightly. Say a steady ‘oh’ without adding a ‘w’ sound at the end. |
| カ | ka | カメラ kamera | camera | Move straight from k into a. Say ka as one short beat. |
| キ | ki | キウイ kiui | kiwi fruit | Move straight from k into i. Say ki as one short beat. |
| ク | ku | クラス kurasu | class | Move straight from k into u. Say ku as one short beat. |
| ケ | ke | ケア kea | care | Move straight from k into e. Say ke as one short beat. |
| コ | ko | ココア kokoa | cocoa | Move straight from k into o. Say ko as one short beat. |
| サ | sa | サラミ sarami | salami | Let air flow through a soft s, then move straight into a. Keep sa to one beat. |
| シ | shi | シネマ shinema | cinema | Raise the front of your tongue near the roof of your mouth. Let air through, then say i: shi, one beat. |
| ス | su | スイス suisu | Switzerland | Let air flow through a soft s, then move straight into u. Keep su to one beat. |
| セ | se | セロリ serori | celery | Let air flow through a soft s, then move straight into e. Keep se to one beat. |
| ソ | so | ソロ soro | solo | Let air flow through a soft s, then move straight into o. Keep so to one beat. |
| タ | ta | タオル taoru | towel | Release the tip of your tongue from behind your upper teeth into a. Say ta in one beat. |
| チ | chi | チキン chikin | chicken | Begin with a short ch sound and move straight into i. Say chi in one beat. |
| ツ | tsu | ツナ tsuna | tuna | Join t and s without a vowel between them, then add u. Say tsu in one beat. |
| テ | te | テニス tenisu | tennis | Release the tip of your tongue from behind your upper teeth into e. Say te in one beat. |
| ト | to | トマト tomato | tomato | Release the tip of your tongue from behind your upper teeth into o. Say to in one beat. |
| ナ | na | ナイフ naifu | knife | Start with n, letting the sound pass through your nose, then move into a. Say na in one beat. |
| ニ | ni | テニス tenisu | tennis | Start with n, letting the sound pass through your nose, then move into i. Say ni in one beat. |
| ヌ | nu | ヌルヌル nurunuru | slimy | Start with n, letting the sound pass through your nose, then move into u. Say nu in one beat. |
| ネ | ne | ネクタイ nekutai | necktie | Start with n, letting the sound pass through your nose, then move into e. Say ne in one beat. |
| ノ | no | モノクロ monokuro | black and white | Start with n, letting the sound pass through your nose, then move into o. Say no in one beat. |
| ハ | ha | ハム hamu | ham | Let a little air out and move straight into a. Keep ha soft and short. |
| ヒ | hi | ヒント hinto | hint | Raise your tongue toward the roof of your mouth and let air pass over it. Move straight into i: hi. |
| フ | fu | ナイフ naifu | knife | Blow gently between your lips, keeping your teeth away from your lower lip. Say fu in one beat. |
| ヘ | he | ヘア hea | hair | Let a little air out and move straight into e. Keep he soft and short. |
| ホ | ho | ホテル hoteru | hotel | Let a little air out and move straight into o. Keep ho soft and short. |
| マ | ma | マスク masuku | face mask | Close your lips for m, then open them into a. Say ma in one beat. |
| ミ | mi | ミルク miruku | milk | Close your lips for m, then open them into i. Say mi in one beat. |
| ム | mu | ハム hamu | ham | Close your lips for m, then open them into u. Say mu in one beat. |
| メ | me | メモ memo | note | Close your lips for m, then open them into e. Say me in one beat. |
| モ | mo | メモ memo | note | Close your lips for m, then open them into o. Say mo in one beat. |
| ヤ | ya | タイヤ taiya | tire | Glide straight from y into a. Keep ya to one beat, with no extra vowel at the start. |
| ユ | yu | ユリ yuri | lily | Glide straight from y into u. Keep yu to one beat, with no extra vowel at the start. |
| ヨ | yo | ヨウナシ younashi | European pear | Glide straight from y into o. Keep yo to one beat, with no extra vowel at the start. |
| ラ | ra | ラテ rate | latte | Tap your tongue once just behind your upper teeth, then move into a. Keep ra short; do not roll the r. |
| リ | ri | リス risu | squirrel | Tap your tongue once just behind your upper teeth, then move into i. Keep ri short; do not roll the r. |
| ル | ru | タオル taoru | towel | Tap your tongue once just behind your upper teeth, then move into u. Keep ru short; do not roll the r. |
| レ | re | レモン remon | lemon | Tap your tongue once just behind your upper teeth, then move into e. Keep re short; do not roll the r. |
| ロ | ro | メロン meron | melon | Tap your tongue once just behind your upper teeth, then move into o. Keep ro short; do not roll the r. |
| ワ | wa | ワイン wain | wine | Bring your lips slightly together, then open straight into a. Say wa in one beat. |
| ヲ | o (wo) | ヲタク otaku | otaku; geek | Pronounced o in modern Japanese. Round your lips slightly and keep the sound steady. Romaji sometimes writes this as wo. |
| ン | n | ミカン mikan | mandarin orange | A nasal sound with its own beat. Let the sound resonate through your nose without adding a vowel. |
Questions
How many katakana are there?
There are 46 basic katakana, the same number as hiragana. Sound marks, small ャ, ュ and ョ, and extra loanword combinations like ファ and ティ build on those 46.
Should I learn hiragana or katakana first?
Most learners start with hiragana because it appears in almost every sentence, then learn katakana soon after. The 46 basic characters of each are free in Sumi, and both courses use the same flashcards and audio.
Does katakana stroke order matter?
Yes. Katakana have few strokes, so their order and direction are what give them their shape and tell look-alikes apart: the last stroke of ン sweeps up from the bottom, while the last stroke of ソ falls from the top. The chart above shows the order of all 46 basic katakana; for kanji, see kanji stroke order.
What is the dash in katakana words?
The long vowel mark ー makes the vowel before it last two beats, as in コーヒー (koohii, coffee). It’s mostly used in katakana.
Why do ソ and ン, or シ and ツ, look so similar?
Look at the direction of the strokes. ン and シ have short strokes that sweep upward from the bottom left, while ソ and ツ have strokes that fall from the top. Writing each one a few times helps.