How to use this katakana chart
The main grid is the gojūon (“fifty sounds”): five vowels across the top, nine consonant rows down the side. Every katakana character is just a consonant + a vowel, said the same way every time — so once you know the grid, you can read anything. Tap a character to hear it and watch how it’s written, stroke by stroke. When you can recognize the basic grid, add the dakuten rows (a small ゛ or ゜ that voices a sound: か→が, は→ば→ぱ) and the combinations (a small ゃゅょ that blends two sounds: き+ゃ = きゃ).
How many katakana characters are there?
There are 46 basic katakana — arranged in the gojūon grid of 5 vowels × 9 consonant rows above. Add the dakuten (゛/゜) and combination (yōon) rows and you can write every sound in Japanese.
What’s the difference between katakana and hiragana?
They’re two sets of characters for the exact same sounds. Hiragana is used for native Japanese words and grammar; katakana is used for foreign loanwords, names, and emphasis. Learn one and the other is just new shapes for sounds you already know. Here’s the hiragana chart.
How long does it take to learn katakana?
Most people can read all of it in one to two weeks with a few minutes of practice a day — especially using mnemonics (tap any character above) and spaced drilling. You don’t need to write it perfectly; get to about 80% recognition and reading cements the rest.
What’s the best way to learn katakana?
Don’t just stare at the chart — test yourself. Use the free kana quiz to drill recognition, and read real words as soon as you can. Our free daily email course starts you reading actual Japanese sentences from day one, with katakana taught as a two-minute side-quest.