How To Read And Pronounce The Japanese Alphabet (Easy Guide)
The Japanese alphabet consists of two phonetic alphabets: Katakana and Hiragana (there's also Kanji which are Chinese characters). It's vital to learn these special characters if you want to learn Japanese.
Like Korean, the Japanese alphabet is silabic with the exception of the "n".
This means that you're actually reading syllables instead of combining individual letter sounds as we do in English.
The Japanese alphabet has 46 pure sounds (SEION) some of them soften in another 20 sounds (DAKUON and HANDAKUON). Some syllabes are combinated with others making 33 sounds (YOON). Read on to see how the Japanese alphabet works.
Hiragana Alphabet
In this table you'll see the Japanese alphabet for words that are originally from Japan.
Hiragana - SEION | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
あ a | い i | う u | え e | お o |
か ka | き ki | く ku | け ke | こ ko |
さ sa | し shi | す su | せ se | そ so |
た ta | ち chi | つ tsu | て te | と to |
な na | に ni | ぬ nu | ね ne | の no |
は ha | ひ hi | ふ fu | へ he | ほ ho |
ま ma | み mi | む mu | め me | も mo |
や ya | ゆ yu | よ yo | ||
ら ra | り ri | る ru | れ re | ろ ro |
わ wa | を wo | |||
ん n |
Hiragana - DAKUON and HANDAKUON | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
が ga | ぎ gi | ぐ gu | げ ge | ご go |
ざ za | じ ji | ず zu | ぜ ze | ぞ zo |
だ da | ぢ ji | づ zu | で de | ど do |
ば ba | び bi | ぶ bu | べ be | ぼ bo |
ぱ pa | ぴ pi | ぷ pu | ぺ pe | ぽ po |
Hiragana - YOON | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
きゃ kya | きゅ kyu | きょ kyo | しゃ sha | しゅ shu | しょ sho | |
ちゃ cha | ちゅ chu | ちょ cho | にゃ nya | にゅ nyu | にょ nyo | |
ひゃ hya | ひゅ hyu | ひょ hyo | みゃ mya | みゅ myu | みょ myo | |
りゃ rya | りゅ ryu | りょ ryo | ぎゃ gya | ぎゅ gyu | ぎょ gyo | |
じゃ ja | じゅ ju | じょ jo | びゃ bya | びゅ byu | びょ byo | |
ぴゃ pya | ぴゅ pyu | ぴょ pyo |
Katakana Alphabet
This alphabet is used for word that are foreign to Japan like names of cities in America.
Katakana - SEION | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
a | i | u | e | o |
ka | ki | ku | ke | ko |
sa | shi | su | se | so |
ta | chi | tsu | te | to |
na | ni | nu | ne | no |
ha | hi | fu | he | ho |
ma | mi | mu | me | mo |
ya | yu | yo | ||
ra | ri | ru | re | ro |
wa | wo | |||
n |
Katakana - DAKUON and HANDAKUON | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
ga | gi | gu | ge | go |
za | ji | ze | zo | |
da | ji | zu | de | do |
ba | bi | bu | be | bo |
pa | pi | pu | pe | po |
Katakana - YOON | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
kya | kyu | kyo | sha | shu | sho | |
cha | chu | cho | nya | nyu | nyo | |
hya | hyu | hyo | mya | myu | myo | |
rya | ryu | ryo | gya | gyu | gyo | |
ja | ju | jo | bya | byu | byo | |
pya | pyu | pyo |
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