Katakana Chart: All 46 Characters with Readings & Stroke Order
Katakana is the Japanese alphabet for loanwords, foreign names, and onomatopoeia. This complete chart shows all 46 basic characters with their romaji readings — tap any character to hear it, watch its stroke order, or practice writing it. You can also download a free printable PDF.
The complete katakana chart
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Download the free PDFWhat is katakana? When is it used?
Katakana (カタカナ) is one of the two phonetic alphabets used in written Japanese, alongside hiragana. It represents exactly the same set of sounds as hiragana, but its characters are more angular and are used in different situations.
Katakana is used for:
- Loanwords from other languages — コーヒー (kōhī, "coffee").
- Foreign names of people and places.
- Onomatopoeia and sound effects.
- Emphasis, much like italics in English.
How to read the chart
The chart is read top to bottom, left to right. The five columns are the vowel sounds in the order a, i, u, e, o. Each row adds a consonant to those vowels — so the K row gives you カ (ka), キ (ki), ク (ku), ケ (ke), コ (ko).
A few sounds are irregular and don't follow the pattern exactly:
- シ is shi, not "si".
- チ is chi, not "ti".
- ツ is tsu, not "tu".
- フ is fu, a soft sound between "hu" and "fu".
Katakana vs hiragana
Katakana and hiragana cover the same sounds, but you use them differently: hiragana for native Japanese words and grammar, katakana for loanwords, names, and emphasis. If you haven't learned the other set yet, start with the hiragana chart.
A few katakana pairs look very similar — watch out for these:
- シ (shi) vs ツ (tsu) — the strokes differ in angle and direction.
- ン (n) vs ソ (so) — note the stroke entry point.
Dakuten, handakuten & the long-vowel mark
Adding two small strokes (dakuten ゛) or a small circle (handakuten ゜) changes a consonant into its voiced or semi-voiced version — for example カ (ka) → ガ (ga). Tap any character to hear it.
Katakana also uses the long-vowel mark (chōonpu, ー), which extends the preceding vowel sound. For example ラーメン (rāmen) holds the "a" longer. This mark appears almost exclusively in katakana.
Combination sounds (yōon) & extended katakana
Yōon combine an "i"-row character with a small ャ, ュ, or ョ to make a single blended syllable, such as キャ (kya).
Extended katakana for foreign sounds
Because katakana writes foreign words, extra combinations were invented for sounds that don't exist in native Japanese — like ファ (fa), ヴィ (vi), and ティ (ti).
Katakana stroke order
Writing katakana in the correct stroke order makes your characters more legible and helps you remember them. Japanese is generally written from the top down and left to right, and most strokes flow in that direction.
On the chart above, tap the button on any character to watch its stroke order animate, or the button to practice writing it yourself. You can also print a handwriting practice sheet for any character from its dictionary page.
How to memorize katakana fast
- Use mnemonics. Link each shape to a picture — for example キ (ki) looks like a key.
- Practice with spaced repetition. Reviewing characters at increasing intervals moves them into long-term memory far faster than cramming.
- Read loanwords. Katakana is everywhere on menus and signs — sounding out familiar foreign words is great practice.
- Drill the look-alikes. Spend extra time on tricky pairs like シ/ツ and ン/ソ.
Learn katakana with Nihongo Master
Nihongo Master turns this chart into an interactive course — with audio, stroke-order practice, spaced-repetition drills, and quizzes that adapt to what you find hard. Start free and learn katakana the fun way.
Next steps
Katakana FAQ
How many katakana characters are there?
There are 46 basic katakana characters — the same set of sounds as hiragana. With dakuten, handakuten, yōon, and extended combinations for foreign sounds, the full set comes to just over 100.
What is katakana used for?
Katakana is used mainly for foreign loanwords (コーヒー, "coffee"), foreign names, onomatopoeia, scientific terms, and for emphasis — similar to italics in English.
What is the difference between katakana and hiragana?
Both represent the same sounds. Hiragana is used for native Japanese words and grammar; katakana is used for loanwords, names, and emphasis. Katakana characters are more angular, while hiragana are more rounded.
What is the long-vowel mark (ー) in katakana?
The chōonpu (ー) is a long-vowel mark used almost exclusively in katakana. It extends the preceding vowel sound — for example ラーメン (rāmen) holds the "a" sound longer.
Free Japanese learning resources
Everything you need to start — no account required.
- Free Hiragana Chart All 46 characters with readings, stroke order & a printable PDF.
- Free JLPT N5 Practice Test Test your level with instant scoring and answer explanations.
- Free JLPT N4 Practice Test Ready for more? Try the N4 test with instant scoring.
- Tool Japanese Dictionary Look up any word with readings, meanings, and example sentences.