Katakana Chart

Katakana is used for foreign loanwords, scientific terms, sound effects, and emphasis. Each katakana character has a hiragana counterpart with the same pronunciation.

Basic Katakana

Vowels

KA Row

SA Row

TA Row

NA Row

HA Row

MA Row

YA Row

RA Row

WA Row

Dakuten & Handakuten

Vowels

KA Row

SA Row

TA Row

NA Row

HA Row

MA Row

YA Row

RA Row

WA Row

GA Row

ZA Row

DA Row

BA Row

PA Row

When is Katakana Used?

Foreign words

コーヒー (koohii)

Loanwords from English and other languages.

Sound effects

ドキドキ (dokidoki)

Onomatopoeia in manga and everyday speech.

Emphasis

カワイイ (kawaii)

Like using italics or bold in English.

Related Resources

Hiragana Chart →Japanese Words →Kana Quiz →

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