# Complete Hiragana and Katakana Chart (stroke Order + Audio)
> Master Japanese with our complete hiragana and katakana chart. Includes stroke order diagrams, pronunciation guide, and practice tips to memorize kana fast.
**URL:** https://migaku.com/blog/japanese/hiragana-and-katakana-chart-complete-guide
**Last Updated:** 2026-04-29
**Tags:** fundamentals, vocabulary, grammar, phrases
---
## Your Complete Hiragana and Katakana Chart Guide (With Stroke Order!)

So you've decided to learn Japanese. Pretty cool! Before you dive into anime without subtitles or start reading manga, you need to master the basics: hiragana (ひらがな) and katakana (カタカナ). These two writing systems are your gateway to reading anything in Japanese, and honestly, they're way easier to learn than you might think.

Here's the thing: most people get overwhelmed looking at all those squiggly characters. But once you understand how they work and have a solid chart with stroke order, you can memorize both systems in about a week. I'm going to walk you through everything you need, from basic pronunciation to those tricky combined sounds that trip up beginners.

## Understanding Japanese Writing Systems

Japanese uses three writing systems together: hiragana, katakana, and [kanji](https://migaku.com/blog/japanese/learn-kanji) (漢字). Yeah, three different scripts in one language. Sounds intense, but each one has a specific purpose.

**Hiragana** is the foundational phonetic script you'll use for native Japanese words, grammatical particles, and verb endings. It's curvy and flowing, and you'll see it everywhere. Every Japanese sentence needs hiragana.

**Katakana** is the angular cousin of hiragana. It represents the exact same sounds but looks completely different. Japanese people use it primarily for foreign loanwords, onomatopoeia, and emphasis (kind of like italics in English). Words like "coffee" become kohi (コーヒー) in katakana.

**Kanji** are the complex Chinese characters that represent whole words or concepts. There are thousands of them, and you'll need to know around 2,000 to read comfortably. But you can't even start learning kanji until you know your kana.

### Differences Between Hiragana and Katakana and Which to Learn First?

Both hiragana and katakana represent the same 46 basic sounds. The character あ (hiragana) and ア (katakana) both make the "a" sound. They're just written differently.

Most teachers recommend learning hiragana first because it's more common and you'll use it constantly. Once you've got hiragana down, katakana becomes way easier because you already know the sounds. You're just learning new shapes for familiar pronunciations.

That said, some people learn them simultaneously. I'd suggest focusing on hiragana for the first few days, then adding katakana once hiragana feels comfortable. You'll naturally encounter both when you start reading actual Japanese content.

## The Basic Hiragana Chart (Gojūon)

The gojūon (五十音) chart organizes Japanese kana into rows and columns. Despite the name meaning "fifty sounds," there are actually 46 basic characters in modern Japanese.

Here's the complete basic hiragana chart with romaji pronunciation:

**A-row:** あ (a), い (i), う (u), え (e), お (o)

**K-row:** か (ka), き (ki), く (ku), け (ke), こ (ko)

**S-row:** さ (sa), し (shi), す (su), せ (se), そ (so)

**T-row:** た (ta), ち (chi), つ (tsu), て (te), と (to)

**N-row:** な (na), に (ni), ぬ (nu), ね (ne), の (no)

**H-row:** は (ha), ひ (hi), ふ (fu), へ (he), ほ (ho)

**M-row:** ま (ma), み (mi), む (mu), め (me), も (mo)

**Y-row:** や (ya), ゆ (yu), よ (yo)

**R-row:** ら (ra), り (ri), る (ru), れ (re), ろ (ro)

**W-row:** わ (wa), を (wo/o), ん (n)

Notice how the Y-row and W-row have fewer characters. That's normal. The character を is technically pronounced "wo" but sounds almost identical to お (o) in modern Japanese. You'll use を exclusively as a grammatical particle marking direct objects.

## Pronunciation Guide: Getting the Sounds Right

Japanese pronunciation is actually pretty straightforward compared to English. Each character represents one sound, and those sounds stay consistent. No weird spelling rules where "ough" can be pronounced seven different ways.

**Vowels** form the foundation:
- あ (a) sounds like "ah" in "father"
- い (i) sounds like "ee" in "see"
- う (u) sounds like "oo" in "food" (but shorter and with less lip rounding)
- え (e) sounds like "eh" in "bed"
- お (o) sounds like "oh" in "boat"

A few pronunciation tips that'll save you headaches:

The し (shi) and ち (chi) sounds don't follow the pattern perfectly. You might expect "si" and "ti," but Japanese doesn't quite work that way.

The つ (tsu) sound trips up English speakers constantly. It's like the "ts" in "cats," but it starts the syllable. Practice saying "cats" and then just the "ts" part.

The ふ (fu) isn't quite "foo." Your lips barely touch, making it sound somewhere between "fu" and "hu."

The Japanese R-sound (ら, り, る, れ, ろ) falls between an English "R" and "L." Your tongue taps the roof of your mouth lightly, similar to the American pronunciation of the double-t in "butter."

## Dakuten and Handakuten: Voiced Sounds

Once you've got the basic chart down, you add dakuten (濁点) marks to create voiced consonants. These are the little quotation-mark-looking symbols (゛) that change the sound.

**G-row (from K):** が (ga), ぎ (gi), ぐ (gu), げ (ge), ご (go)

**Z-row (from S):** ざ (za), じ (ji), ず (zu), ぜ (ze), ぞ (zo)

**D-row (from T):** だ (da), ぢ (ji), づ (zu), で (de), ど (do)

**B-row (from H):** ば (ba), び (bi), ぶ (bu), べ (be), ぼ (bo)

The handakuten (半濁点) is a little circle (゜) that only applies to the H-row, turning it into P-sounds:

**P-row (from H):** ぱ (pa), ぴ (pi), ぷ (pu), ぺ (pe), ぽ (po)

Note that ぢ (ji) and じ (ji) sound identical in modern Japanese, as do づ (zu) and ず (zu). You'll rarely see ぢ and づ except in specific words.

## Yoon: Combined Sounds

Yoon (拗音) are combinations where you take a character from the I-column (き, し, ち, etc.) and add a small や (ya), ゆ (yu), or よ (yo). This creates sounds like "kya," "shu," and "cho."

Some common combinations:

**K-combinations:** きゃ (kya), きゅ (kyu), きょ (kyo)

**S-combinations:** しゃ (sha), しゅ (shu), しょ (sho)

**C-combinations:** ちゃ (cha), ちゅ (chu), ちょ (cho)

**N-combinations:** にゃ (nya), にゅ (nyu), にょ (nyo)

**H-combinations:** ひゃ (hya), ひゅ (hyu), ひょ (hyo)

**M-combinations:** みゃ (mya), みゅ (myu), みょ (myo)

**R-combinations:** りゃ (rya), りゅ (ryu), りょ (ryo)

**G-combinations:** ぎゃ (gya), ぎゅ (gyu), ぎょ (gyo)

And so on. The pattern applies to all the I-column characters, including their dakuten and handakuten versions. Words like "Tokyo" (東京) are actually written Toukyou (とうきょう) in hiragana.

## Stroke Order Rules and Why They Matter

Stroke order isn't just some arbitrary rule teachers made up to torture students. Writing characters in the correct order helps them look balanced and makes your handwriting flow naturally. Plus, when you're looking up kanji later by drawing them, stroke order matters for recognition software.

Basic stroke order principles:

1. **Top to bottom:** Write the top parts before the bottom parts
2. **Left to right:** Write left strokes before right strokes
3. **Horizontal before vertical:** When strokes cross, usually the horizontal comes first
4. **Center before sides:** For symmetrical characters, write the center stroke first
5. **Enclosures last:** If a stroke encloses others, the closing stroke comes last

Let's look at some specific examples:

The character あ (a) has three strokes. You start with the curved stroke on the left, then the horizontal-ish stroke across the top, then the curved stroke on the right.

The character き (ki) has four strokes. Start with the horizontal line at top, then the short vertical, then the diagonal stroke going down-left, and finally the curving stroke on the right.

The character す (su) has two strokes. The first curves from top-left down and around, and the second is the little loop at the bottom.

You can find detailed stroke order diagrams online or in a good hiragana chart pdf. Watching someone write the characters really helps. There are tons of videos showing proper stroke order for every kana character.

## The Complete Katakana Chart

Katakana follows the exact same sound structure as hiragana. Same 46 basic characters, same dakuten additions, same yoon combinations. Just different shapes.

**Basic katakana:**

**A-row:** ア (a), イ (i), ウ (u), エ (e), オ (o)

**K-row:** カ (ka), キ (ki), ク (ku), ケ (ke), コ (ko)

**S-row:** サ (sa), シ (shi), ス (su), セ (se), ソ (so)

**T-row:** タ (ta), チ (chi), ツ (tsu), テ (te), ト (to)

**N-row:** ナ (na), ニ (ni), ヌ (nu), ネ (ne), ノ (no)

**H-row:** ハ (ha), ヒ (hi), フ (fu), ヘ (he), ホ (ho)

**M-row:** マ (ma), ミ (mi), ム (mu), メ (me), モ (mo)

**Y-row:** ヤ (ya), ユ (yu), ヨ (yo)

**R-row:** ラ (ra), リ (ri), ル (ru), レ (re), ロ (ro)

**W-row:** ワ (wa), ヲ (wo/o), ン (n)

Katakana stroke order follows the same principles as hiragana. The characters are generally more angular and use straighter lines.

## Common Pitfalls: Similar Characters That'll Trip You Up

Some kana characters look annoyingly similar. Here are the ones that confuse beginners constantly:

**Hiragana confusions:**
- あ (a) vs お (o): お has that extra loop inside
- ぬ (nu) vs め (me): ぬ has a stroke that goes through, め doesn't
- は (ha) vs ほ (ho): ほ has more curves on the right side
- る (ru) vs ろ (ro): る has that extra stroke at the top
- わ (wa) vs ね (ne) vs れ (re): These three can look similar in messy handwriting

**Katakana confusions:**
- シ (shi) vs ツ (tsu): シ is more vertical, ツ is more horizontal
- ソ (so) vs ン (n): ソ angles down-right, ン angles down-left
- ク (ku) vs ワ (wa): ク has a shorter second stroke
- ヌ (nu) vs ス (su): ヌ has a diagonal through it

The best way to avoid mixing these up is to practice writing them. Reading helps too, but actually writing the characters with proper stroke order burns them into your memory.

## How to Memorize Japanese Kana Fast

You can absolutely memorize all hiragana and katakana in one week if you study consistently. Here's what actually works:

**Practice writing by hand.** Typing doesn't cut it. The physical act of writing each character multiple times helps your brain remember the shapes. Get some practice sheets or just use grid paper.

**Use mnemonics for tricky characters.** The character ぬ (nu) looks like a noodle. The character め (me) looks like an eye (me means "eye" in Japanese, actually). Making up silly stories helps characters stick.

**Study in small chunks.** Don't try to memorize all 46 characters in one sitting. Learn five characters, practice them until they're solid, then add five more. The A-row and K-row first, then keep building.

**Read real Japanese immediately.** Even if you only know ten characters, start trying to read simple words. Seeing kana in context makes them meaningful instead of abstract shapes.

**Write words, not just individual characters.** Once you know a few kana, write actual Japanese words. Writing さくら (sakura) teaches you three characters in a meaningful way.

### Curious How Mnemonics Actually Work?

Mnemonics work by connecting new information to something you already know. Your brain is way better at remembering stories and images than abstract symbols.

When you see the character ふ (fu) and think "it looks like Mount Fuji," you're creating a mental link. The visual similarity plus the sound connection (fu/Fuji) gives your brain two hooks to grab onto.

The weird thing is, you'll eventually stop needing the mnemonics. After you've read ふ a hundred times, your brain just recognizes it automatically. The mnemonic is training wheels that you naturally stop using once the character becomes familiar.

## Hiragana and Katakana Chart Practice Resources

You need good practice materials. Here are the types of resources that actually help:

**Printable charts with stroke order:** Having a physical chart on your desk helps. You can find hiragana and katakana chart pdf files free online. Print one out and refer to it constantly.

**Practice sheets:** Grid paper works, but dedicated practice sheets with stroke order guides are better when you're starting. You can download these free from various Japanese learning sites.

**Apps with stroke recognition:** Apps that check your stroke order as you write give immediate feedback. This is super useful for catching bad habits early.

**Flashcards:** Old school, but effective. Write the kana on one side and the romaji on the other. Or use digital flashcards if that's your thing.

**Reading practice:** Simple children's books written entirely in hiragana are perfect once you know most of the characters. Manga aimed at young kids often has furigana (small hiragana above kanji) showing pronunciation.

## Moving Beyond the Chart: Using Kana in Real Japanese

Once you've memorized your kana, you need to actually use them. Reading is where everything clicks.

Start with simple material. NHK News Web Easy publishes news articles in simple Japanese. Children's books work great. Even video game menus and Pokemon names are good practice.

Pay attention to how particles work. The character は (ha) is pronounced "wa" when used as the topic particle. The character へ (he) is pronounced "e" when used as a direction particle. These are the only pronunciation exceptions you need to worry about.

Notice how katakana appears in Japanese text. Foreign names, country names, and loanwords all use katakana. Once you see コーヒー (kohi/coffee) written in katakana a few times, the system makes total sense.

## The Relationship Between Kana and Kanji

You might wonder why Japanese needs three writing systems. Here's how they work together:

Kanji represent meaning and core vocabulary. The word for "study" is 勉強 (benkyou). Those two kanji characters carry the meaning.

Hiragana handles [grammar](https://migaku.com/blog/japanese/japanese-sentence-structure) and word endings. [Verb conjugations use hiragana](https://migaku.com/blog/japanese/japanese-verb-conjugation): 勉強する (benkyou suru) means "to study," where する is written in hiragana.

Katakana marks foreign words and special cases. If you're writing about studying "English," you'd write: 英語を勉強する (eigo wo benkyou suru), where 英語 (eigo) is kanji, を (wo) is hiragana, 勉強 (benkyou) is kanji, and する (suru) is hiragana.

The mix looks complicated at first, but it actually makes reading easier once you're used to it. You can scan a sentence and immediately spot the content words (kanji), grammatical structure (hiragana), and foreign terms (katakana).

## Tips for Long-Term Retention

Learning the charts is step one. Keeping them in your memory requires consistent exposure.

**Read something in Japanese every day.** Even five minutes counts. Your brain needs regular reminders or it'll start forgetting characters.

**Write by hand regularly.** Typing is convenient, but handwriting reinforces the shapes better. Keep a simple journal in Japanese or copy sentences from things you're reading.

**Don't rely on romaji.** Some textbooks use romaji as a crutch. Wean yourself off it quickly. Reading romaji doesn't train your brain to recognize kana.

**Mix hiragana and katakana practice.** Don't neglect katakana after learning hiragana. You need both to read real Japanese.

**Use spaced repetition.** Review characters right before you're about to forget them. This is way more efficient than cramming.

## Building Vocabulary While Learning Kana

You can [start learning basic Japanese vocabulary](https://migaku.com/blog/japanese/how-to-learn-japanese-vocabulary) while you're still memorizing kana. This makes the whole process more interesting.

Simple words to start with:
- ありがとう (arigatou) means "thank you"
- こんにちは (konnichiwa) means "hello"
- さようなら (sayounara) means "goodbye"
- すみません (sumimasen) means "excuse me/sorry"
- おはよう (ohayou) means "good morning"

These common phrases use different kana combinations and give you reading practice with meaningful content. Way more motivating than just drilling random characters.

## Your Next Steps After Mastering the Charts

Once you've got both hiragana and katakana down solid, you're ready to actually start learning Japanese properly. You can [begin studying basic grammar](https://migaku.com/blog/japanese/best-japanese-textbooks), building vocabulary, and tackling kanji.

Most people start with around 100 basic kanji. These are simple characters you'll see constantly. Learning kanji is a longer process, but having your kana foundation makes everything easier.

You can also start consuming native content. Watching Japanese shows with Japanese subtitles becomes possible once you can read kana quickly. You won't understand everything, but you can start picking out words and getting used to natural Japanese.

Anyway, if you want to level up your Japanese learning with real content, Migaku's browser extension lets you look up words instantly while watching shows or reading articles. Makes immersion way more practical since you're learning from actual Japanese instead of just textbook examples. There's a 10-day free trial if you want to check it out.

<prose-button href="/learn-japanese" text="Learn Japanese with Migaku"></prose-button>