Japanese letters: Hiragana, Katakana, Kanji and Matching
Choose a writing system to practise. Hiragana and Katakana each have 46 basic characters; Kanji are meaning-carrying characters; the Matching game trains character shapes and stroke order.
- Hiragana — the basic phonetic alphabet (46 characters)
- Katakana — the alphabet for foreign words and names (46 characters)
- Matching — dot-to-dot character game
Frequently asked questions
How do I start learning Japanese from zero?
Start with Hiragana, the 46 basic characters every Japanese word can be written in. Learn one row at a time (a-i-u-e-o, then ka-ki-ku-ke-ko and so on), practise writing each character in the correct stroke order, then move on to Katakana and your first Kanji.
What is the difference between Hiragana, Katakana and Kanji?
Hiragana and Katakana are phonetic alphabets with 46 basic characters each. Hiragana is used for native Japanese words and grammar, Katakana for foreign loanwords, names and emphasis. Kanji are characters borrowed from Chinese that carry meaning, such as 日 (sun, day).
How long does it take to learn Hiragana?
With a few minutes of daily writing practice most beginners can recognise all 46 basic Hiragana characters within one to two weeks. Practising stroke order and listening to the pronunciation speeds this up.