Katakana Chart: All 46 Characters with Pronunciation and Everyday Words

Katakana (カタカナ) is the second Japanese script, best learned after hiragana. It also has 46 basic characters, and each always makes the same sound. Katakana is mostly used for foreign words (like コーヒー = coffee), foreign names and company names, so many words are instantly recognisable if you know English or Hindi. This guide gives you the katakana chart with pronunciation, everyday words and a 7-day plan.

Prefer Hindi? यह पोस्ट हिंदी में पढ़ें.

What is katakana used for?

Japanese is written with three scripts: hiragana for Japanese words and grammar, kanji for meaning, and katakana for the following:

• Foreign words: コンピューター (konpyūtā, computer), テレビ (terebi, TV), ホテル (hoteru, hotel).
• Countries and names: インド (Indo, India), アメリカ (Amerika, America).
• Food and drink: コーヒー (kōhī, coffee), ピザ (piza, pizza).
• Sound effects: ワンワン (wan-wan, a dog’s bark).

If you have not learned hiragana yet, start with the hiragana chart.

Katakana chart (46 characters)

Row	1	2	3	4	5
vowels	ア a	イ i	ウ u	エ e	オ o
k	カ ka	キ ki	ク ku	ケ ke	コ ko
s	サ sa	シ shi	ス su	セ se	ソ so
t	タ ta	チ chi	ツ tsu	テ te	ト to
n	ナ na	ニ ni	ヌ nu	ネ ne	ノ no
h	ハ ha	ヒ hi	フ fu	ヘ he	ホ ho
m	マ ma	ミ mi	ム mu	メ me	モ mo
y	ヤ ya	—	ユ yu	—	ヨ yo
r	ラ ra	リ ri	ル ru	レ re	ロ ro
w	ワ wa	—	—	—	ヲ o
n	ン n	—	—	—	—

Hiragana vs katakana

The sounds are identical; only the shape differs. Hiragana is round and soft; katakana is straight and sharp. A few pairs: あ → ア (a), い → イ (i), か → カ (ka), ん → ン (n).

Three rules to know first

1. The long-vowel mark ー

Katakana stretches a vowel with a long line: コーヒー (kōhī, coffee), ビール (bīru, beer).

2. Small ッ: pressure on the next sound

A small ッ doubles the next consonant: カップ (kappu, cup), ベッド (beddo, bed).

3. Dakuten (゛) and handakuten (゜)

Change	Sound	Example
カ + ゛ = ガ	ga	ガス (gasu, gas)
サ + ゛ = ザ	za	ピザ (piza, pizza)
タ + ゛ = ダ	da	ダンス (dansu, dance)
ハ + ゛ = バ	ba	バス (basu, bus)
ハ + ゜ = パ	pa	パン (pan, bread)

Small ャ, ュ, ョ also join two sounds into one: キャ (kya), シュ (shu), チョ (cho).

12 everyday katakana words

Word	Romaji	Meaning
コーヒー	kōhī	coffee
テレビ	terebi	TV
ホテル	hoteru	hotel
ビール	bīru	beer
ケーキ	kēki	cake
パン	pan	bread
タクシー	takushī	taxi
バス	basu	bus
スマホ	sumaho	smartphone
ノート	nōto	notebook
レストラン	resutoran	restaurant
インターネット	intānetto	internet

Write your name in katakana

Names are written by sound, so one name can be written several ways. For example: Raj → ラージ (rāji), Amit → アミット (amitto), Priya → プリヤ (puriya). For more fun with katakana, try reading anime titles in katakana.

Learn katakana in 7 days

Day	What to learn
1	ア and カ rows (10 characters)
2	サ and タ rows
3	ナ and ハ rows
4	マ, ヤ, ラ, ワ and ン
5	Characters with dakuten (゛) and handakuten (゜)
6	Small ャ ュ ョ, small ッ and the long mark ー
7	Read the 12 words above and write your name in katakana

Tips for remembering katakana

• 15–20 minutes a day, and write each character by hand instead of only reading it.
• Learn through words: when you see a foreign word, try to read it in katakana.
• Look-alike pairs confuse beginners at first, such as シ (shi) and ツ (tsu), or ソ (so) and ン (n). In シ the short strokes lie flatter; in ツ they are more upright. Practise these pairs separately.
• Make flashcards and keep reviewing old characters every day.

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to learn katakana?

With 30–45 minutes a day, most people recognise the characters within one to two weeks. Reading speed comes later with practice.

Is katakana needed for JLPT N5?

Yes. At N5 you should be able to read hiragana, katakana and some simple kanji. See the JLPT N5 guide.

Is katakana easy for Hindi speakers?

Largely yes, because many katakana words come from English and sound familiar in Hindi too.

Related reading

• Hiragana Chart: All 46 Characters
• How to Learn Japanese from Scratch
• Japanese Greetings
• Japanese Numbers 1 to 100