# Katakana Practice: Examples, Audio, Mnemonics, and More > Learn everything you need to know about Japanese katakana. Learn their basics, how they are pronounced, example words and more. **URL:** https://migaku.com/blog/japanese/the-japanese-language-katakana **Last Updated:** 2024-08-22 **Tags:** fundamentals, katakana --- Katakana aren't quite as common as hiragana, but if you want to [learn Japanese](/learn-japanese), you'll need to know both. Not being able to read katakana will regularly impede your ability to understand Japanese sentences in the wild. In fact, you probably wouldn't be able to get through a beginner's Japanese textbook without knowing katakana. If you're here, though, you get that. Let's learn katakana: --- ## Hiragana vs Katakana Before we get too far along, if you haven't learned hiragana yet, go do that first. Whereas katakana appear in many sentences, hiragana appear multiple times in _every_ sentence. #### ➡️ [Read our hiragana guide](/blog/japanese/the-japanese-language-hiragana)
Just like hiragana, katakana is made up of _5 singular vowels, 42 consonant-vowel combinations_, and _one singular consonant_ (ン; _n_). There are also 2 obsolete katakana characters, ヰ _i_ and ヱ _e_. At this point, you may be wondering: "If the pronunciation is identical, why even have two sets of characters in the first place?" Good question, young padawan. As we mentioned before, each has their own use cases. - Katakana is used to write foreign words, such as countries and place names, names of foreign people, and technical and scientific terms. - Japanese words (what would normally be written with kanji or hiragana) are sometimes written with katakana for emphasis, similar to italicizing a word in English - There are a few more uses, but these are the main ones you will encounter. That's a bit complex. > The good news is that they're easy to distinguish: hiragana consists of smooth curly symbols, katakana consists of sharp angular symbols. --- ## \[Table] Katakana at a glance Here's a table with audio recordings of each katakana: | | A | I | U | E | O | | :------------: | :-----------------------------------------------------------------: | :-----------------------------------------------------------------: | :-----------------------------------------------------------------: | :-----------------------------------------------------------------: | :-----------------------------------------------------------------: | | **VOWEL** | ア | イ | ウ | エ | オ | | **K** | カ | キ | ク | ケ | コ | | **S** | サ | シ | ス | セ | ソ | | **T** | タ | チ | ツ | テ | ト | | **N** | ナ | ニ | ヌ | ネ | ノ | | **H** | ハ | ヒ | フ | ヘ | ホ | | **M** | マ | ミ | ム | メ | モ | | **R** | ラ | リ | ル | レ | ロ | | **Y** | ヤ | | ユ | | ヨ | | **W** | ワ | | | | ヲ | | **STANDALONE** | ン | | | | | And here's a fancy table showing how katakana were formed from kanji, way back when: A graphic showing how Japanese katakana originated from parts of man'yōgana characters as a form of shorthand. --- ## アイウエオ → standalone katakana vowels Now that we’ve gone over the basics of katakana, we can introduce you to the first five characters: ア・イ・ウ・エ・オ. The first character is ア, which is represented as _a_, and its pronunciation is similar to the _a_ in father. Once again, we have a stylized version of an A. The second character is イ, which is represented as _i_, and its pronunciation is similar to the _ee_ in meet. When you are in Japan it's worth trying to eat (_i_) with chopsticks at least once. The third character is ウ, which is represented as _u_, and its pronunciation is similar to the _oo_ in shoot. This looks just like a "U". The fourth character is エ, which is represented as _e_, and its pronunciation is close to the _e_ in bet. The elevator (_e_) doors should open soon. The fifth character is オ, which is represented as _o_, and its pronunciation is similar to the _o_ in story. Here we have a singer with a wide open (_o_) mouth singing with all his might. Now that you’ve carefully read this chapter, it's time to practice. Open the following link, select the first row of katakana, and press the red study button. Practice until you feel comfortable with the first katakana row before moving on. ## カキクケコ → "K" series katakana The next five are カ・キ・ク・ケ・コ. The first character is カ, which is represented as _ka_, and the pronunciation is close to a combination of the _k_ in skate and the _a_ in father. Look! The butcher is cutting (_ka_) a big piece of meat. The second character is キ, which is represented as _ki_, and the pronunciation is close to a combination of the _k_ in skate and the _ee_ in meet. This character looks a bit like a key (_ki_). The third character is ク, which is represented as _ku_, and the pronunciation is close to a combination of the _k_ in skate and the _oo_ in shoot. It’s a baby in a cradle (_ku_). The fourth character is ケ, which is represented as _ke_, and the pronunciation is close to a combination of the _k_ in skate and the _e_ in bet. If you look closely, this looks like a "K" (_ke_) that has been tilted. The fifth character is コ, which is represented as _ko_, and the pronunciation is close to a combination of the _k_ in skate and the _o_ in story. コ has two 90 degree corners (_ko_). Now that you’ve carefully read this chapter, it's time to practice. Open the following link, select the first and second row of katakana, and press the red study button. Practice until you feel comfortable with these two katakana rows before moving on. ## サシスセソ → "S" series katakana The next five are サ・シ・ス・セ・ソ. The first character is サ, which is represented as _sa_, and the pronunciation is close to a combination of the _s_ in soup and the _a_ in father. It’s a saddle (_sa_) on a horse. The second character is シ, which is represented as _shi_, and the pronunciation is close to a combination of the _sh_ in sheep and the _ee_ in meet. She (_shi_) is looking upwards. Not sure what she sees there though. The third character is _ス_, which is represented as _su_, and the pronunciation is close to a combination of the _s_ in soup and the _oo_ in shoot. This looks like the perfect suit (_su_) hanger. The fourth character is セ, which is represented as _se_, and the pronunciation is close to a combination of the _s_ in soup and the _e_ in bet. Where we have a nice sénior (_se_) with his hat. The fifth character is _ソ_, which is represented as _so_, and the pronunciation is close to a combination of the _s_ in soup and the _o_ in story. I tried to sew (_so_) another stitch. Now that you’ve carefully read this chapter, it's time to practice. Open the following link, select the first, second and third row of katakana, and press the red study button. Practice until you feel comfortable with these three katakana rows before moving on. ## タチツテト → "T" series katakana The next five are タ・チ・ツ・テ・ト. The first character is タ, which is represented as _ta_, and the pronunciation is close to a combination of the _t_ in stop and the _a_ in father. It’s a tie (_ta_) flapping in the wind. The second character is チ, which is represented as _chi_, and the pronunciation is close to a combination of the _tch_ in itchy and the _ee_ in meet. What do we have here again? Our jumping cheerleader (chi) spreading her cheer (_chi_). The third character is ツ, which is represented as _tsu_, and the pronunciation is close to a combination of the _ts_ in cats and the _oo_ in shoot. Oh no! Be careful, it’s a tsunami (_tsu_). The fourth character is テ, which is represented as _te_, and the pronunciation is close to a combination of the _t_ in stop and the _e_ in bet. This just looks like a telephone (_te_) pole. The fifth character is ト, which is represented as _to_, and the pronunciation is close to a combination of the _t_ in stop and the _o_ in story. This is the small "t" in the word 'toe' (_to_). Now that you’ve carefully read this chapter, it's time to practice. Open the following link, select all katakana rows, from the first to the fourth, and press the red study button. Practice until you feel comfortable with these four katakana rows before moving on. ## ナニヌネノ → "N" series katakana The next five are ナ・ニ・ヌ・ネ・ノ. The first character is ナ, which is represented as _na_, and the pronunciation is close to a combination of the _n_ in not and the _a_ in father. This knife (_na_) seems pretty sharp. But it is a little bit bent. The second character is ニ, which is represented as _ni_, and the pronunciation is close to a combination of the _n_ in not and the _ee_ in meet. Here are two needles (_ni_) ready to sew. The third character is ヌ, which is represented as _nu_, and the pronunciation is close to a combination of the _n_ in not and the _oo_ in shoot. You are eating a delicious bowl of noodles (_nu_) with chopsticks. The fourth character is ネ, which is represented as _ne_, and the pronunciation is close to a combination of the _n_ in not and the _e_ in bet. It’s a necktie (_ne_)! The fifth character is ノ, which is represented as _no_, and the pronunciation is close to a combination of the _n_ in not and the _o_ in story. It’s Pinocchio with his long nose (_no_). Now that you’ve carefully read this chapter, it's time to practice. Open the following link, select all katakana rows, from the first to the fifth, and press the red study button. Practice until you feel comfortable with these five katakana rows before moving on. ## ハヒフヘホ → "H" series katakana The next five are ハ・ヒ・フ・ヘ・ホ. The first character is ハ, which is represented as _ha_, and its pronunciation is close to a combination of the _h_ in hat and the _a_ in father. That’s a pretty cool hat (_ha_) you got there. The second character is ヒ, which is represented as _hi_, and the pronunciation is close to a combination of the _h_ in hue and the _ee_ in meet. It’s the heel (_hi_) of your foot. The third character is フ, which is represented as _fu_, and its pronunciation is close to a combination of the _ph_ in phew and the oo\* in shoot. This is just a flag (_fu_) in the wind. The fourth character is ヘ, which is represented as _he_, and its pronunciation is close to a combination of the _h_ in hat and the _e_ in bet. This looks exactly like the hiragana version. Easy! The fifth character is ホ, which is represented as _ho_, and its pronunciation is close to a combination of the *h in hat and the *o\* in story. It’s the holy (ho) cross with holy (_ho_) light around it. Now that you’ve carefully read this chapter, it's time to practice. Open the following link, select all katakana rows, from the first to the sixth, and press the red study button. Practice until you feel comfortable with these six katakana rows before moving on. ## マミムメモ → "M" series katakana The next five are マ・ミ・ム・メ・モ. The first character is マ, which is represented as _ma_, and the pronunciation is close to a combination of the _m_ in much and the _a_ in father. All those angles and numbers … I hate math (_ma_). The second character is ミ, which is represented as _mi_, and the pronunciation is close to a combination of the _m_ in much and the _ee_ in meet. Oh no! Three missiles (mi) are about to hit. The third character is ム, which is represented as _mu_, and the pronunciation is close to a combination of the _m_ in much and the _oo_ in shoot. When you draw a moon (_mu_) like this, it has a big nose. The fourth character is メ, which is represented as _me_, and the pronunciation is close to a combination of the _m_ in much and the _e_ in bet. It’s so hot, even the power pole is melting (_me_). The fifth character is モ, which is represented as _mo_, and the pronunciation is close to a combination of the _m_ in much and the _o_ in story. This looks just like the hiragana version! Now that you’ve carefully read this chapter, it's time to practice. Open the following link, select all katakana rows, from the first to the seventh, and press the red study button. Practice until you feel comfortable with these seven katakana rows before moving on. ## ラリルレロ → "R" series katakana The next five are ラ・リ・ル・レ・ロ. The first character is ラ, which is represented as _ra_, and the pronunciation is close to a combination of the _rah rah_ as if you were cheering and the _la la_ like singing. It’s a cute rabbit (_ra_) with some floppy ears. The second character is リ, which is represented as _ri_, and the pronunciation is between the _ree_ in reed and the _lee_ in leek. This also looks pretty similar to the hiragana version. The third character is ル, which is represented as _ru_, and the pronunciation is close to a combination of the _ru_ in rule and the _loo_ in look. A big tree, with even bigger roots (_ru_). The fourth character is レ, which is represented as _re_, and the pronunciation is close to a combination of the _re_ in retch and the _le_ in led. A beautiful girl with red (_re_) hair. The fifth character is ロ, which is represented as _ro_, and the pronunciation is close to a combination of the _ro_ in road and the _lo_ in load. Here is Rob the helpful robot (_ro_). Now that you’ve carefully read this chapter, it's time to practice. Open the following link, select all katakana rows, from the first to the eighth, and press the red study button. Practice until you feel comfortable with these eight katakana rows before moving on. ## ヤユヨ → "Y" series katakana The next three are ヤ・ユ・ヨ. The first character is ヤ, which is represented as _ya_, and the pronunciation is close to a combination of the _y_ in yacht and the _a_ in father. This is just a yak (_ya_)! The second character is ユ, which is represented as _yu_, and the pronunciation is between the _y_ in yacht and the _oo_ in shoot. The top of the u-boat (_yu_) is looking out from the water. The third character is ヨ, which is represented as _yo_, and the pronunciation is close to a combination of the _y_ in yacht and the _o_ in story. She is doing yoga (_yo_). But that does not look healthy. Now that you’ve carefully read this chapter, it's time to practice. Open the following link, select all katakana rows, from the first to the ninth, and press the red study button. Practice until you feel comfortable with these nine katakana rows before moving on. ## ワヲン → "W" series katakana And lastly, the final three: ワ・ヲ・ン. Down below you will find these characters with images that you can use as mnemonic aids to help you remember them. Audio for each character and some example words are also provided. The first character is _ワ_, which is represented as _wa_, and its pronunciation is similar to the _wa_ in walk. It’s the top of a wine (_wa_) glass. It looks delicious! The second character is _ヲ_, which is represented as _wo_, and its pronunciation is similar to the _o_ in story. While the hiragana character only functions as a particle, its counterpart (ヲ) is used to form words. Fun fact: in the example word below, the character オ could be used in place of ヲ. It’s the nose (_o_) of (_o_) a ship in the ocean. The last katakana character is ン, which is represented as _n_, and its pronunciation is close to the _ng_ in long. However, its pronunciation changes a bit depending on the sound that follows. But for now, just remember it as the _ng_ in long. I mean he has a lot of gold, but that big nose on the king (ng) is a bit much. --- ## \[Test] Katakana reading practice We've now walked through every single katakana character. That means it's time to practice. 1. Open the [Real Kana](https://realkana.com/katakana) website 2. Below the katakana table, click "check all" 3. Click the big red "STUDY" button (confusingly located above the table) 4. Type out how to spell the katakana you see on the screen 5. ??? 6. Profit Practice until you feel comfortable with all katakana. --- ## How to learn katakana in a few days → Kanji are there own separate beast, and will take time. _Katakana_, though? You can get through them in a week—or even faster, if you buckle down. If you're not quite sure where to get started, Migaku's Japanese Fundamentals course will spoonfeed everything you need to know to you. A screenshot from the Migaku Japanese Fundamentals course, showing how we help users learn Japanese katakana You'll start out by reading about a small batch of katakana as you did above: there will be mnemonics, pictures, example words, and recordings from native speakers. To ensure you remember each character, rather than just running your eyes over them and moving on, we quiz you with flashcards: you'll see a katakana on the front and be tasked with remembering how to read it. Upon flipping it over, you'll see the pronunciation, a video of a native speaker saying it, the mnemonic, and a few example words. Migaku is totally free for ten days, and if you do 23 flashcards of our Japanese Fundamentals course per day—about one hour of time investment—you'll be able to comfortably read both katakana _and_ hiragana before those ten days are up. --- ## The most important thing you need to remember if you want to learn Japanese We won't lie—a lot of people have taken a lot of different approaches to learning Japanese, and people have succeeded and failed with pretty much every approach imaginable. What all _successful_ learners have in common is that, at some point, they inevitably spent a lot of time _in_ Japanese. This is to say: > If you consume media you enjoy in Japanese, and you understand some of the messages and sentences within that media, you will make progress. _Period._ Initially, it'll be difficult to remember katakana. As you spend more time reading Japanese—whether text or subtitles—it'll get easier. Eventually, they'll just make sense to you, as the alphabet does, without any conscious effort at all. Your Japanese journey starts here. Good luck, friend 💪