{"id":29565,"date":"2026-07-22T20:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-22T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/?p=29565"},"modified":"2026-07-22T12:57:57","modified_gmt":"2026-07-22T03:57:57","slug":"japanese-characters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/blog\/japanese-characters\/","title":{"rendered":"All about Japanese characters: hiragana, katakana and kanji"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Japanese writing system consists of two types of characters: the syllabic kana \u2014 <em>hiragana<\/em> (\u5e73\u4eee\u540d) and <em>katakana<\/em> (\u7247\u4eee\u540d) \u2014 and <em>kanji<\/em> (\u6f22\u5b57), the adopted Chinese characters. Each have different usages, purposes, and characteristics, and all are necessary in Japanese writing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Most Japanese sentences will have combinations of hiragana, katakana, and kanji. Hiragana and katakana are unique to the Japanese language and we highly recommend students <strong>master these two systems first<\/strong> before beginning their Japanese language studies in Japan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Because of the three distinct characters and the varying usage, the Japanese written language is described as <strong>one of the most difficult languages<\/strong> to master. Read on to find out all about Japanese characters: hiragana, katakana, and kanji.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You can write Japanese characters in two ways. Firstly, they can be in columns going from top to bottom, right to left (like in Chinese). Or horizontally from left to right, top to bottom (like in English).&nbsp;&nbsp;That\u2019s why you\u2019ll find some books open with the spine of the book to the right, while some open to the left.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/EN_Hiragana-1024x710.png\" alt=\"Hiragana writing system chart\" class=\"wp-image-50269\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong> Hiragana<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hiragana, which literally means \u201cordinary\u201d or \u201csimple\u201d kana, is used primarily for native Japanese words and grammatical elements. There are <strong>46 basic characters<\/strong> which all symbolize syllabaries, or 71 including diacritics. Each sound in the Japanese language corresponds to one character in the syllabary. Students will typically learn hiragana first, before learning katakana and kanji.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hiragana is also used for <em>furigana<\/em> (\u3075\u308a\u304c\u306a) or <em>yomigana<\/em> (\u8aad\u307f\u4eee\u540d), a reading aid for kanji that you will find either next to or above the kanji. It will help you read kanji you may not know yet, which is another reason why it&#8217;s important for students to <strong>master hiragana first<\/strong>. Children\u2019s books targeted at young children are often written in hiragana.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On a more technical note, hiragana is used to write:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em>Okurigana<\/em> (\u9001\u308a\u4eee\u540d), or suffixes following kanji roots, which may inflect verbs and adjectives<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Grammatical and function words such as particles<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Japanese native words without kanji or with extremely formal or complicated kanji forms.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These basic Japanese characters can also be modified by adding a <em>dakuten<\/em> (\u6fc1\u70b9) marker (\u00a0\uff9e) or a <em>handakuten<\/em> (\u534a\u6fc1\u70b9) marker ( \uff9f).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If all of this is confusing, don&#8217;t worry \u2014 you will come to understand how hiragana is used the more you study Japanese. To start off with though, it might be helpful to use an app like our very own <strong>Hiragana Quest app<\/strong>. It teaches with mnemonics, which make it easier and more fun to memorize each character. Learn more <a href=\"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/hiraganaquest\/\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><figure><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-50280\" src=\"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/EN_Katakana-1024x710.png\" alt=\"Katakana writing system chart\"><\/figure><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Katakana<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Katakana, meaning \u201cfragmentary kana,\u201d are used primarily for foreign words and names, loanwords, and onomatopoeia. Some of the most useful Japanese words are untranslatable onomatopoeia, such as \u30ae\u30ea\u30ae\u30ea (girigiri). This means &#8220;to be at the limit,&#8221; such as just passing, just making it on the train before the doors close, or being just in time for an appointment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You can learn more about Japanese onomatopoeia in our article <a href=\"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/blog\/japanese-onomatopoeia\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Like hiragana, there are five singular vowels, 40 consonant-vowels and one singular consonant in katakana. Often you will see both hiragana and katakana in a 5&#215;10 grid, called <em>gojyuon<\/em> ( \u4e94\u5341\u97f3), or \u201cfifty sounds.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Gairaigo<\/em> (\u5916\u6765\u8a9e), or loanwords, are all written in katakana, such as \u30d0\u30ca\u30ca, or banana. Foreign names are similarly also written in katakana. If you have a non-Japanese name \u2014 or have a Japanese name from Japanese heritage but are not a Japanese national \u2014 you will probably learn how to write your name in katakana first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"898\" height=\"491\" src=\"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/katakana-worksheet-flatlay.png\" alt=\"Katakana worksheet flat lay with different Japanese study materials, snacks, tea, and daruma figurines\" class=\"wp-image-217962\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/katakana-worksheet-flatlay.png 898w, https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/katakana-worksheet-flatlay-300x164.png 300w, https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/katakana-worksheet-flatlay-768x420.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 898px) 100vw, 898px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Kanji<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There are <strong>several<\/strong> <strong>thousand<\/strong> kanji characters in regular use. All have different meanings and most have more than one pronunciation, depending on context. For example, \u4eca\u65e5 could be read ky\u014d, meaning \u201ctoday,\u201d or it could also be read <em>konnichi<\/em>, meaning \u201crecent days.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The different readings are categorized as either:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>O<em>nyomi<\/em> (\u97f3\u8aad\u307f), which is \u201csound reading,\u201d derived from Chinese, or<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>Kunyomi<\/em> (\u8a13\u8aad\u307f), which is \u201cmeaning reading,\u201d and are native Japanese readings.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Most characters have at least one of each, but some have more, and some only have one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In Japanese elementary, middle, and high schools, students learn more than 2,000<em> jyoyo kanji<\/em> (\u5e38\u7528\u6f22\u5b57), or regularly-used kanji. Fun fact: that&#8217;s also the number of kanji required to pass the highest level of the <a href=\"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/blog\/preparing-for-the-jlpt\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">JLPT<\/a>. Although there are more than 50,000 kanji, most native Japanese don\u2019t know nearly as many.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There isn&#8217;t really any trick or shortcut to learning kanji. You must learn and memorize each character along with its readings. But what does make it easier is <strong>living and studying in Japan<\/strong>, where you are exposed to Japanese every day. You will get accustomed to how words are read and used faster than you would learning Japanese in your home country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Learn more about the benefits of learning Japanese through full immersion <a href=\"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/blog\/learn-japanese-through-immersion\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>R\u014dmaji<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In Japan you will also see the <strong>Roman alphabet<\/strong> used to spell out sounds. <em>R\u014dmaji<\/em> (\u30ed\u30fc\u30de\u5b57), or the romanized letters, may be used where Japanese text is targeted at non-Japanese speakers, such as on street signs, dictionaries, textbooks, and passports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">R\u014dmaji is also used when typing on the computer. Although Japanese keyboards have the capacity to type with kana, many people use the latin script to type out the sounds and characters in r\u014dmaji.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When you\u2019re first learning the characters, r\u014dmaji will help you read the Japanese words.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Get the basics right with Go! Go! Nihon<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">All of this can sound a bit overwhelming, especially for beginners. No worries, there are plenty of great resources out there to put you on the right track, from phone applications to books, and even games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>We&#8217;ve got some great articles if you&#8217;re learning Japanese at home:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/blog\/free-japanese-language-resources\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Go! Go! Nihon\u2019s free Japanese language resources<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/blog\/get-learning-the-best-apps-to-learn-japanese\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The best apps to learn Japanese<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Free hiragana &amp; katakana resources<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Further your hiragana and katakana study with our free online guides. You can access them in all the languages that we support <a href=\"https:\/\/drive.google.com\/drive\/folders\/1X5krzrRbinuUsomvme7rpJ5RdEqilvyL?usp=sharing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Get organized with our <a href=\"https:\/\/gogo.study\/StudyPlanner\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">study planner<\/a> and test your katakana skills with our <a href=\"https:\/\/gogo.study\/KatakanaQuiz\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">quiz<\/a>. If you like, you can also <a href=\"https:\/\/gogo.study\/daruma\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">make your own paper Daruma doll<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Another great way to master the basics is to take our <strong>online beginner Japanese course<\/strong>. We partnered with Akamonkai Japanese Language School to offer a comprehensive 12-week course designed to give you the best foundation to develop your language skills from. Learn more about the course <a href=\"https:\/\/japaneseonline.gogonihon.com\/courses\/akamonkai-japanese-12-week-beginner-course\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you&#8217;re totally new to Japanese and you&#8217;re planning on visiting Japan in the future, our online beginner crash course would be the perfect learning opportunity. In just two weeks you\u2019ll learn useful essential Japanese phrases needed to navigate daily life in Japan, as well as discover Japanese cultural activities and take virtual tours. Learn more <a href=\"https:\/\/japaneseonline.gogonihon.com\/courses\/online-japanese-crash-course\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>For more information or if you have any questions, feel free to <a href=\"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/#apply\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">contact us<\/a>!<\/strong> <strong>To learn more about learning Japanese or life in Japan, make sure to check out <a href=\"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/blog\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">our blog<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Japanese writing system consists of two types of characters: the syllabic kana \u2014 hiragana (\u5e73\u4eee\u540d) and katakana (\u7247\u4eee\u540d) \u2014 and kanji (\u6f22\u5b57), the adopted Chinese characters. Each have different usages, purposes, and characteristics, and all are necessary in Japanese writing. Most Japanese sentences will have combinations of hiragana, katakana, and kanji. Hiragana and katakana [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":117,"featured_media":29577,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[404],"tags":[666,670,680],"class_list":["post-29565","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-learn-japanese","tag-language","tag-school","tag-study-in-japan"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29565","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/117"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29565"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29565\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":217974,"href":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29565\/revisions\/217974"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29577"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29565"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29565"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29565"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}