Hiragana and katakana are the two syllabaries of Japanese. They sound the same but are used for different things, and knowing which is which is the first step of our guide to learning to write Japanese by hand.
What they have in common
- Each has 46 basic characters representing syllables (a, i, u, e, o, ka, ki, ku…) plus the final ん/ン.
- They use the same sounds: あ and ア are the same syllable “a”.
- Both are extended with marks (゛ and ゜) that change the sound (か → が) and with small characters (ゃ, ゅ, ょ) that form combined syllables (きゃ).
When each one is used
Hiragana, for the “skeleton” of a sentence:
- Native Japanese words not written with kanji.
- Grammar particles such as は, を or が.
- Verb and adjective endings.
- Furigana: the reading written above a kanji.
Katakana, for what stands out or comes from abroad:
- Adapted foreign words (コーヒー, “coffee”).
- Foreign names and places outside Japan.
- Onomatopoeia and emphasis, like italics in English.
How to tell them apart at a glance
Hiragana is curvier and rounder; katakana is more angular, with short straight strokes. You feel that difference when you write too, which is why it pays to practice each one separately and with its own stroke order.
Which one first?
Hiragana: it appears in every sentence, even the simplest, and lets you read any beginner text. Katakana comes next and is quicker to learn because you already know the sounds. To organize your study, use the plan for learning hiragana by writing.
Typical beginner mistakes
- Studying both at once: look-alike pairs get mixed up. Learn them one after the other.
- Memorizing by sight only: start tracing each character with the right stroke order.
- Not reviewing the characters you confuse. We have a list in similar-looking hiragana and katakana.
In Kaku! you practice hiragana and katakana by tracing them with your finger, for free, with a check on the order and direction of each stroke.