Basic hiragana and katakana chart for starters
Your Gateway to Japanese Grammar: A Beginner's Guide: Basic hiragana and katakana chart for starters
Here is a basic hiragana and katakana chart for starters, showing the 46 fundamental characters of each alphabet with their romaji (Romanized pronunciation):
Hiragana Chart:
| Line | Characters (Hiragana) | Romaji |
|---|---|---|
| Vowels | あ い う え お | a i u e o |
| K | か き く け こ | ka ki ku ke ko |
| S | さ し す せ そ | sa shi su se so |
| T | た ち つ て と | ta chi tsu te to |
| N | な に ぬ ね の | na ni nu ne no |
| H | は ひ ふ へ ほ | ha hi fu he ho |
| M | ま み む め も | ma mi mu me mo |
| Y | や ゆ よ | ya yu yo |
| R | ら り る れ ろ | ra ri ru re ro |
| W | わ を | wa (wo) |
| N | ん | n |
Katakana Chart uses the same sounds but with different characters. Katakana is mostly used for foreign loan words, names, and onomatopoeia.
These kana charts are fundamental for reading and writing Japanese, and mastering them is the first step in learning the language. 1, 2, 3
If preferred, the visual chart can be provided or printed as learning material for easier memorization.