Katakana: カタカナ

　In Japanese, we have three different characters, which are Hiragana, Katakana and Kanji. These are like alphabets in English in that they represent sounds (how a word is read) and very important if you want to learn and use Japanese because... who can be fluent or proficient in the language if you can't read and write the basic characters??

　In this article, I introduce Katakana, one of the most essential writing systems in Japanese and a must-know if you want to understand modern Japanese vocabulary, especially when it comes to foreign words, technical terms, or onomatopoeia.

　Katakana represents exactly the same sounds as Hiragana does, but it is mainly used for different purposes. Let's take a closer look at what they are and how Katakana works.

Ⅰ. What is Katakana?

　Katakana is a phonetic script just like Hiragana. It has five vowels and 41 consonant sounds, with the same pronunciation rules. So, yes — カ (ka), キ (ki), ク (ku), ケ (ke), コ (ko) are pronounced exactly like か、き、く、け、こ.

The main difference is that Katakana is mostly used for:

• Foreign names and loanwords (e.g. アメリカ/amerika/ = America, コンピューター/konpyuutaa/ = computer)

• Onomatopoeia and sound effects (e.g. ドキドキ/dokidoki/ = heart pounding, バタン/batan/ = door slamming)

• Scientific or technical terms (e.g. ウイルス/uirusu/ = virus)

• Plant or animal names (especially scientific ones)

• Emphasis (just like using italics in English)

▶️ In short: Katakana is the go-to script when you're dealing with things that sound “foreign,” “new,” or “loud.”

Ⅱ. Basic Katakana (Vowels to Consonant N)

　Just like Hiragana, Katakana has five vowels /ア-a, イ-i, ウ-u, エ-e, オ-o/ and combinations with consonants that follow the same vowel pattern.

👉 カ(ka)　キ(ki)　ク(ku)　ケ(ke)　コ(ko)

👉 サ(sa)　シ(shi)　ス(su)　セ(se)　ソ(so)

👉 タ(ta)　チ(chi)　ツ(tsu)　テ(te)　ト(to)

👉 ナ(na)　ニ(ni)　ヌ(nu)　ネ(ne)　ノ(no)

... and so on until ン (n), which is the only standalone consonant.

▶️ You can listen to Katakana pronunciation from the Genki website as well: https://genki3.japantimes.co.jp/en/student/katakana/

*Note: Like hiragana, シ/shi/, チ/chi/ and ツ/tsu/ are not simply in the combination of the consonant and the vowel.

*Note: Just like ふ in Hiragana, the Katakana フ is pronounced closer to /hu/ than the English /f/.

*The Japanese R sounds in Katakana (ラ, リ, ル, レ, ロ) are also pronounced the same way as in Hiragana — somewhere between English R, L and D.

Ⅲ. Katakana with /゛/ (Dakuten) and /゜/ (Handakuten)

　As with Hiragana, Katakana characters also change when they are marked with dakuten /゛/ (two small lines) or handakuten /゜/ (a small circle). These change the sound from unvoiced to voiced, or into a plosive.

👉 カ(ka) → ガ(ga)　　　　　　　　👉 サ(sa) → ザ(za)

👉 タ(ta) → ダ(da)　　　　　　　 　👉 ハ(ha) → バ(ba)/ パ(pa)

*Note: ジ and ヂ, ズ and ヅ are often pronounced the same in practice. Their usage depends on the word origin or spelling conventions.

Ⅳ. Katakana with Small /ャ, ュ and ョ/: Contracted Sounds

　When Katakana イ-ending consonants are followed by a small ャ (ya), ュ (yu), or ョ (yo), they form a contracted syllable, just like in Hiragana.

👉 キャ/kya/　シュ/shu/　チョ/cho/

V. Long vowel in Katakana "ー"

　Unlike hiragana, the long vowel symbol "ー" is used in katakana.

👉 こおら/koora/ → コーラ　　　　　👉はっぴい/happii/ → ハッピー

These combinations are very common in foreign names:

👉 ジュリア = Julia👉 ミュージック = music👉 ティーチャー = teacher

*Note: The combination of a consonant and a vowels as a contracted sound is sometimes used to describe some foreign words such as ウェ (we), ティ (ti), ディ (di) and トゥ (to) .

✏️ For the stroke order, you can refer to the chart below:

　Once you master Katakana along with Hiragana, you will be able to read almost all of the phonetic part of Japanese writing. Since Katakana is widely used in modern life — from menus and product names to manga and video games — it's an essential skill for both learners and travelers.

　Practice regularly, especially with real-life examples (like brand names, advertisements, or packaging), and you’ll start recognizing Katakana words in no time! Like hiragana, I recommend you use Tofugu website https://kana-quiz.tofugu.com/ for your review and reading practice.

Good luck on your Japanese learning! カタカナも、がんばってください！🎌📚✍️