Katakana chart with stroke order and audio

Where you will see katakana

• Loanwords: コーヒー (coffee), ケーキ (cake), テレビ (television).
• Foreign names and place names: アメリカ (America).
• Emphasis, sound effects and brand names, the way English uses italics or capitals.

Stroke order and tips for every character

Numbers mark where each stroke starts, in the order you write them. The tips and example words are the ones the course uses when it introduces each character.

• アa2 strokes

  Tip: like 'a' in 'father'

• イi2 strokes

  Tip: like 'ee' in 'see'

• ウu3 strokes

  Tip: like 'oo' in 'food'

• エe3 strokes

  Tip: like 'e' in 'egg'

• オo3 strokes

  Tip: like 'o' in 'more'

• カka2 strokes

  Tip: like 'ka' in 'car'

  Example: カメラ (camera)

  It's か without the little tick — hiragana and katakana twins.

• キki3 strokes

  Tip: like 'kee' in 'key'

  Example: ケーキ (cake)

  き minus the bottom curve. Same sound, sharper suit.

• クku2 strokes

  Tip: like 'koo' in 'cuckoo'

  Example: タクシー (taxi)

  A bird's beak pointing left.

• ケke3 strokes

  Tip: like 'ke' in 'kept'

  Example: ケーキ (cake)

  A lopsided K, conveniently for 'ke'.

• コko2 strokes

  Tip: like 'ko' in 'koala'

  Example: コーヒー (coffee)

  Two corners of a box — you've been reading it in コーヒー since Module 3.

• サsa3 strokes

  Tip: like 'sa' in 'saw'

  Example: サッカー (soccer)

  さ squared off — one extra stroke.

• シshi3 strokes

  Tip: like 'she'

  Example: ジュース (juice)

  Three strokes, and the long one sweeps UP from the bottom-left. Remember that — its twin ツ does the opposite.

• スsu2 strokes

  Tip: like 'su' in 'super'

  Example: ジュース (juice)

  A slide seen from the side — 'suuu' down you go.

• セse2 strokes

  Tip: like 'se' in 'set'

  Example: セーター (sweater)

  Nearly identical to hiragana せ.

• ソso2 strokes

  Tip: like 'so' in 'sort'

  Example: ソース (sauce)

  One drop, one downward sweep. Its own twin (ン) arrives with the last row.

• タta3 strokes

  Tip: like 'ta' in 'tan'

  Example: タクシー (taxi)

  ク with one extra stroke tucked inside.

• チchi3 strokes

  Tip: like 'chee' in 'cheese'

  Example: チーズ (cheese)

  Like a 7 with a crossbar — or 千, the kanji for thousand.

• ツtsu3 strokes

  Tip: like 'ts' in 'cats' + u

  Example: シャツ (shirt)

  シ's twin, at last. シ's strokes lie DOWN and flick up; ツ's hang from the TOP and sweep down. Shi smiles sideways, tsu frowns from above.

• テte3 strokes

  Tip: like 'te' in 'ten'

  Example: テスト (test)

  て straightened out — same skeleton, same sound.

• トto2 strokes

  Tip: like 'to' in 'tote'

  Example: コート (coat)

  A trunk with one branch. Two strokes, done.

• ナna2 strokes

  Tip: like 'na' in 'nap'

  Example: ナイフ (knife)

  A plus sign with a long tail.

• ニni2 strokes

  Tip: like 'nee' in 'knee'

  Example: ニュース (news)

  Literally the kanji 二 — two strokes, and 'ni' means two.

• ヌnu2 strokes

  Tip: like 'noo' in 'noodle'

  Example: ヌードル (noodle)

  ス with a cross-stroke through the leg.

• ネne4 strokes

  Tip: like 'ne' in 'net'

  Example: ネクタイ (necktie)

  A cross with a ribbon flowing off it.

• ノno1 strokes

  Tip: like 'no' in 'note'

  Example: ノート (notebook)

  One stroke. That's it. 'No' — the easiest kana you'll ever learn.

• ハha2 strokes

  Tip: like 'ha' in 'haha'

  Example: バス (bus)

  Two strokes leaning apart — like the kanji 八 (eight).

• ヒhi2 strokes

  Tip: like 'hee' in 'heel'

  Example: コーヒー (coffee)

  Two strokes, one propping the other up.

• フfu1 strokes

  Tip: soft 'f'/'h' — blow gently

  Example: ナイフ (knife)

  The top-left corner of a box.

• ヘhe1 strokes

  Tip: like 'he' in 'hem'

  Example: ヘリコプター (helicopter)

  Identical to hiragana へ. One kana, two scripts, zero extra work.

• ホho4 strokes

  Tip: like 'ho' in 'hope'

  Example: ホテル (hotel)

  A tree with a spark off each side.

• マma2 strokes

  Tip: like 'ma' in 'mama'

  Example: マッチ (match)

  A flag folded sharply down.

• ミmi3 strokes

  Tip: like 'mee' in 'meet'

  Example: ミルク (milk)

  Three short strokes — 'mi', think three.

• ムmu2 strokes

  Tip: like 'moo' in 'moon'

  Example: ゲーム (game)

  A closed tent flap — mouth shut, 'mmm'.

• メme2 strokes

  Tip: like 'me' in 'met'

  Example: メニュー (menu)

  An X with one leg stretched long. ナ minus nothing — careful, they rhyme visually.

• モmo3 strokes

  Tip: like 'mo' in 'more'

  Example: メモ (memo)

  も without the hook — twins again.

• ヤya2 strokes

  Tip: like 'ya' in 'yard'

  Example: タイヤ (tire)

  や minus one stroke — twins.

• ユyu2 strokes

  Tip: like 'you'

  Example: ユーモア (humor)

  A boxy U tipped on its side.

• ヨyo3 strokes

  Tip: like 'yo' in 'yogurt'

  Example: ヨーグルト (yogurt)

  A backwards E — three prongs for 'yo'.

• ラra2 strokes

  Tip: tap the roof of your mouth — between 'r' and 'l'

  Example: カメラ (camera)

  フ with a hat on.

• リri2 strokes

  Tip: tapped 'r' + ee

  Example: リットル (liter)

  Nearly identical to hiragana り — two vertical strokes.

• ルru2 strokes

  Tip: tapped 'r' + oo

  Example: ホテル (hotel)

  A river forking at the bottom.

• レre1 strokes

  Tip: tapped 'r' + e

  Example: トイレ (toilet)

  A single check-mark stroke.

• ロro3 strokes

  Tip: tapped 'r' + o

  Example: ロビー (lobby)

  A plain box — 'ro'. (コ is an OPEN box — watch the left edge.)

• ワwa2 strokes

  Tip: like 'wa' in 'water'

  Example: ワイン (wine)

  ウ without its top stroke — mind the twins: ワ is wider.

• ヲwo3 strokes

  Tip: sounds just like お — particle-only

  Example: ヲ (particle only)

  You will almost never see this one — loanwords don't use it, and the particle stays hiragana を. Recognize it, tip your hat, move on.

• ンn2 strokes

  Tip: hum through your nose

  Example: ラーメン (ramen)

  ソ's twin, mirrored: ソ's flick sweeps DOWN from the top; ン's sweeps UP from the bottom. Last twin pair — you've beaten them all.

• ガga4 strokes

• ギgi5 strokes

• グgu4 strokes

• ゲge5 strokes

• ゴgo4 strokes

• ザza5 strokes

• ジji5 strokes

• ズzu4 strokes

• ゼze4 strokes

• ゾzo4 strokes

• ダda5 strokes

• ヂji5 strokes

• ヅzu5 strokes

• デde5 strokes

• ドdo4 strokes

• バba4 strokes

• ビbi4 strokes

• ブbu3 strokes

• ベbe3 strokes

• ボbo6 strokes

• パpa3 strokes

• ピpi3 strokes

• プpu2 strokes

• ペpe2 strokes

• ポpo5 strokes

How the course explains it