Katakana カタカナ is a Japanese writing system used to write words of foreign origin, foreign proper names, onomatopoeia, and animal sounds. Katakana is one of three Japanese writing systems, along with hiragana and kanji.
Contents
Katakana were developed in Japan in the 9th century, originally to facilitate the reading of Buddhist texts imported from China. However, their use has evolved over time, and katakana are now used to write foreign words and sounds that have no equivalent in hiragana or kanji.
Katakana also consist of 46 characters, each representing a Japanese syllable. The characters are similar to hiragana, but they have more angular and upright strokes. Katakana are often written in large sizes and are used to draw attention to particular words or to give texts a modern, western look.
Although katakana are mainly used to write foreign words, they also have cultural and emotional connotations for Japanese people. Katakana characters are often used to express excitement, surprise, and modernity, and are often associated with Japanese popular culture.
Katakana consists of 46 syllabic characters with the same sounds as hiragana. Since foreign words are written in katakana, let's see how a word is formed.
Composition
(coffee)
The word « coffee » (kōhī): コ (ko) and ヒ (hi) are syllables; the ー mark lengthens the preceding vowel to form コーヒー.
The gojūon (五十音, literally “fifty sounds”) form the foundation of the Japanese kana (hiragana and katakana) writing system. They make up a chart in which rows are arranged by vowels (a, i, u, e, o) and columns by consonants (k, s, t, n, h, etc.). Despite the name, there are not exactly fifty sounds due to the evolution of Japanese (as some older sounds have disappeared or become rare). The concept of the gojūon chart is essential for learning the language, because it presents the syllabic alphabet in a logical and easy-to-remember format.
Dakuon (だくおん, “voiced sounds”) are kana to which two small marks (dakuten) are added, indicating that the consonant is pronounced more sonorously (for example か → が, さ → ざ, た → だ, etc.). Handakuon (はんだくおん, “half-voiced sounds”) apply only to the h series, which become p with a small circle (handakuten) instead of two strokes (は → ぱ, ひ → ぴ, ふ → ぷ, へ → ぺ, ほ → ぽ). Adding these markings changes how the consonant is pronounced, and these transformations are essential for correct reading and writing in Japanese.
The 拗音 (yōon, -contracted sounds-) are combinations of hiragana (or katakana) ending in -i (for example き, し, ち…) with a small ゃ, ゅ, or ょ, merging into a single sound such as きゃ (kya), しゃ (sha), ちゃ (cha), etc. This contraction enriches the Japanese phonetic system, allowing for more varied sounds. Visually, the small ゃ, ゅ, or ょ character is written in a smaller size, and in speech, these characters are pronounced as one syllable rather than two separate sounds.
Beyond the gojūon chart, katakana uses several signs that are essential when reading foreign words.
The chōonpu ー lengthens the preceding vowel. It is mainly used in katakana to transcribe long vowels in foreign words.
The small tsu ッ doubles the following consonant, creating a brief pause. It is written smaller than regular katakana.
Additional kana combinations transcribe sounds that do not exist in native Japanese, such as v (ヴ), fa (ファ), ti (ティ) or du (ドゥ).
The nakaten ・ separates words within a katakana phrase, often replacing spaces in foreign expressions or compound terms.
We have broken down the katakana syllabary into several lessons so that you can learn to read and write each character.
Practice each learned katakana with flashcards, memory games and word-reading exercises.
And also, stroke order, pronunciation, writing sheets (for members). As well as summary tables, wallpapers and many more.
Learn to read and write katakana now
Foreign first and last names are written in katakana. Use the chart below to find each syllable, then click the characters to build your name.
Click a character to add it to your name.
Voiced & semi-voiced
Useful signs
Foreign sounds (f, v, x…)
Japanese has no native f, v or x. These combinations are used for foreign names and loanwords.
f — Use ファ, フィ, フェ, フォ (fu + small vowel). Example: Felix → フェリックス
v — Use ヴァ, ヴィ, ヴェ, ヴォ or ヴ. Example: Victor → ヴィクター
x — Usually written as クス (ks). Example: Alex → アレックス, Max → マックス
Example
Foreign first and last names are written in katakana, for example, セドリック (sedorikku) for 'Cédric'.
セドリック
se · do · ri · kku
More examples
フェリックス (Felix)
アレックス (Alex)
ヴィクトリア (Victoria)
Tip: break your name into Japanese syllables (e.g. “Cédric” → se-do-ri-kku), then find each sound in the chart.
Japanese
Korean
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