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katakana • gojuon

Katakana Gojūon (46 Core Angular Characters)

Master all 46 basic Katakana characters used for loanwords, emphasis, and sound effects.

COUNT: 46 CHARACTERS

About This Character Set

Katakana Gojūon is the angular counterpart to Hiragana, derived from fragments of Chinese characters (kanji). It is primarily used for foreign loanwords (gairaigo), scientific names, and sound effects (manga onomatopoeia).

Character Roster

Click any character to view stroke order and pronunciation
vowel
ア
a
Sharp corner of an Axe.
vowel
イ
i
An iron easel standing upright.
vowel
ウ
u
Roof of an umbrella in the rain.
vowel
エ
e
An elevator door or steel I-beam.
vowel
オ
o
An opera singer with arm outstretched.
k
カ
ka
Sharp angle of a card.
k
キ
ki
An antique key or keyhole shape.
k
ク
ku
A cook's sharp chef knife.
k
ケ
ke
The letter 'K' with one leg missing.
k
コ
ko
A square corner of a cardboard box.
s
サ
sa
Three sardines lined up.
s
シ
shi
A smiling face looking upward (strokes upward).
s
ス
su
A superhero sliding down a ramp.
s
セ
se
The edge of a sleek section sofa.
s
ソ
so
One eye blinking downward (strokes downward).
t
タ
ta
A tasty tidal wave or taco.
t
チ
chi
A cheerleader jumping with pom-poms.
t
ツ
tsu
Two drops falling down into a tsunami.
t
テ
te
A television antenna or telegraph post.
t
ト
to
A totem pole with a branch sticking out.
n
ナ
na
A sharp ninja sword throwing star.
n
ニ
ni
Two needle lines (ni = two in Japanese).
n
ヌ
nu
Chopsticks grabbing noodles with an X.
n
ネ
ne
A necktie on a collar.
n
ノ
no
A long straight needle or sword slash.
ha
ハ
ha
Two legs of a haystack or running feet.
ha
ヒ
hi
Heel of a boot pointing right.
ha
フ
fu
A bird flying fast or a flag edge.
ha
ヘ
he
A pointed hill (identical to hiragana へ).
ha
ホ
ho
A sacred holy cross on a hill.
m
マ
ma
Corner of a martini glass.
m
ミ
mi
Three musical strings or notes (mi-mi-mi).
m
ム
mu
A moose snout or triangle wedge.
m
メ
me
An 'X' marking metal crossing beams.
m
モ
mo
A modern monitor stand with horizontal shelves.
y
ヤ
ya
Sharp yacht sails cutting the wind.
y
ユ
yu
Number 1 looking hook or unique hook.
y
ヨ
yo
A toy robot's hand with three fingers.
r
ラ
ra
A radar antenna dish.
r
リ
ri
Two river channels (sharp straight lines).
r
ル
ru
Two roots spreading down into soil.
r
レ
re
A red checkmark or hockey stick.
r
ロ
ro
A clean square robot face or road box.
w
ワ
wa
A wine glass cup rim.
w
ヲ
wo
A wok with two cooking handles.
singular
ン
n
One stroke looking up toward the sky (strokes upward).
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