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Hiragana is the first writing system every Japanese learner masters. It has 46 base characters — each representing one syllable — arranged in the gojuuon (50-sound) chart. With 20–30 minutes of daily practice, most learners can read all 46 characters within two weeks.
This page covers: 46 base characters · 25 voiced forms · 36 combination characters · stroke order tips · confusion pairs · mnemonics · 2-week study plan
Read left to right, top to bottom. Each cell shows the character and its romaji reading.
| Row | あ (a) | い (i) | う (u) | え (e) | お (o) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ∅ (vowels) | あ a | い i | う u | え e | お o |
| か (k) | か ka | き ki | く ku | け ke | こ ko |
| さ (s) | さ sa | し shi | す su | せ se | そ so |
| た (t) | た ta | ち chi | つ tsu | て te | と to |
| な (n) | な na | に ni | ぬ nu | ね ne | の no |
| は (h) | は ha | ひ hi | ふ fu | へ he | ほ ho |
| ま (m) | ま ma | み mi | む mu | め me | も mo |
| や (y) | や ya | — | ゆ yu | — | よ yo |
| ら (r) | ら ra | り ri | る ru | れ re | ろ ro |
| わ (w) | わ wa | — | — | — | を wo |
| ん | ん n |
Note on irregular readings: し = shi (not si), ち = chi (not ti), つ = tsu (not tu), ふ = fu (not hu). These are pronunciation irregularities in the chart.
Adding ゛ (dakuten, two dots) to a character voices it. Adding ゜ (handakuten, small circle) to は-row creates the p-sound.
| Base | Voiced (゛) | Reading | Base | Voiced (゛) | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| か ka | が | ga | さ sa | ざ | za |
| き ki | ぎ | gi | し shi | じ | ji |
| く ku | ぐ | gu | す su | ず | zu |
| け ke | げ | ge | せ se | ぜ | ze |
| こ ko | ご | go | そ so | ぞ | zo |
| た ta | だ | da | は ha | ば | ba |
| ち chi | ぢ | ji* | ひ hi | び | bi |
| つ tsu | づ | zu* | ふ fu | ぶ | bu |
| て te | で | de | へ he | べ | be |
| と to | ど | do | ほ ho | ぼ | bo |
| Base (は-row) | Handakuten (゜) | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| は ha | ぱ | pa |
| ひ hi | ぴ | pi |
| ふ fu | ぷ | pu |
| へ he | ぺ | pe |
| ほ ho | ぽ | po |
* ぢ and づ are rare; in modern Japanese じ and ず cover most ji/zu readings.
A full-size い-row character + small や・ゆ・よ creates a two-kana syllable that is pronounced as one unit. The small kana is written smaller to signal this.
| 〜ゃ (-ya) | 〜ゅ (-yu) | 〜ょ (-yo) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| き ki | きゃ kya | きゅ kyu | きょ kyo |
| し shi | しゃ sha | しゅ shu | しょ sho |
| ち chi | ちゃ cha | ちゅ chu | ちょ cho |
| に ni | にゃ nya | にゅ nyu | にょ nyo |
| ひ hi | ひゃ hya | ひゅ hyu | ひょ hyo |
| み mi | みゃ mya | みゅ myu | みょ myo |
| り ri | りゃ rya | りゅ ryu | りょ ryo |
| ぎ gi | ぎゃ gya | ぎゅ gyu | ぎょ gyo |
| じ ji | じゃ ja | じゅ ju | じょ jo |
| び bi | びゃ bya | びゅ byu | びょ byo |
| ぴ pi | ぴゃ pya | ぴゅ pyu | ぴょ pyo |
The small っ indicates that the following consonant is doubled — creating a brief pause or "stop." It is not pronounced as "tsu."
| Written | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| きって | kit-te | stamp (postal) |
| いっぽん | ip-pon | one (long object) |
| ざっし | zas-shi | magazine |
| きっぷ | kip-pu | ticket |
ん is the only consonant that stands alone as a full syllable. It is pronounced differently based on what follows: like m before b/m/p, like n before other consonants, and like a nasalised vowel at the end of a word.
| Word | Sound | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| さんぽ | sam-po (m before p) | walk / stroll |
| せんせい | sen-sei | teacher |
| にほん | ni-hon (nasal) | Japan |
These pairs cause the most trouble for beginners. Study the distinguishing feature for each.
| Pair | Key difference |
|---|---|
| ぬ / め / ね | ぬ (nu) has a loop that crosses back left. め (me) has a loop that spirals right. ね (ne) has a long tail that extends right after the loop. |
| は / ほ | は (ha) has two separate right-side strokes. ほ (ho) has three — the right side is a mirror-like loop. |
| り / い | り (ri) has a hooked tail on the right stroke. い (i) has no tail — both strokes end cleanly. |
| さ / き | さ (sa) has two strokes and a short cross. き (ki) has four strokes with two full horizontal lines. |
| る / ろ | る (ru) has a small loop at the bottom. ろ (ro) has no loop — it ends with an open curve. |
| わ / れ | わ (wa) has a simple curved right side. れ (re) has a bottom hook that curves back up. |
| あ / お | あ (a) has a short horizontal stroke through the centre. お (o) has a longer horizontal stroke and a dot on the right. |
Japanese stroke order follows consistent rules. Memorising these rules lets you write any new character correctly without looking it up.
For hiragana specifically, most characters are written in 1–4 strokes. Characters like あ (3 strokes), き (4 strokes), and さ (3 strokes) are the most complex.
| Character | Mnemonic image |
|---|---|
| あ (a) | An anteater sniffing the ground — the long stroke curves down |
| き (ki) | A key with two prongs — four strokes form a key shape |
| し (shi) | A fishhook — curves down then sweeps right like "she" |
| つ (tsu) | A tsunami wave sweeping right |
| ぬ (nu) | Noodles looping back — the loop looks like a noodle |
| ふ (fu) | A person saying "foo" with mouth open — the three strokes spread out |
| む (mu) | A mooing cow face — the loop at bottom is the snout |
| ゆ (yu) | A fish swimming — the curved stroke resembles a fish tail |
| ら (ra) | A rabbit's ear curling down |
| を (wo) | The particle used only with direct objects — memorise by function, not shape |
| Days | Characters to learn | Daily task |
|---|---|---|
| 1–2 | あいうえお、かきくけこ | Write each character 10× and read simple あ/か words |
| 3–4 | さしすせそ、たちつてと | Add to flashcard deck; read 2-syllable words |
| 5–6 | なにぬねの、はひふへほ | Practice confusion pairs ぬ/め; write short sentences |
| 7–8 | まみむめも、やゆよ | Review all previous; read simple signs and menus |
| 9–10 | らりるれろ、わをん | Complete the base chart; timed reading drills |
| 11–12 | Voiced: が〜ぽ row | Write dakuten forms; compare voiced vs unvoiced |
| 13–14 | Combinations: きゃ〜ぴょ | Read words with combination kana; full review quiz |
Daily minimum: Write each new character 10 times, then read 5 words containing it. Active recall (covering the romaji and reading from kana only) builds speed faster than passive study.
Most learners can recognise all 46 base characters within 1–2 weeks with 20–30 minutes of daily practice. Fluent reading (no hesitation) takes another 2–4 weeks of reading real Japanese text. Writing practice accelerates recognition significantly.
There are 46 base characters. Adding 25 voiced forms (dakuten and handakuten) plus 36 combination characters (youon), the full hiragana system covers over 100 distinct syllables.
Learn in the traditional gojuuon order: あ行 → か行 → さ行 → た行 → な行 → は行 → ま行 → や行 → ら行 → わ行 → ん. This is the order used in Japanese dictionaries and known by all native speakers.
The most common trouble pairs are: ぬ/め/ね, は/ほ, り/い, and さ/き. Writing them side by side repeatedly and focusing on the one distinguishing stroke is the fastest fix.
Yes. Hiragana appears in every Japanese sentence (particles, verb endings, furigana). Learn it first, then katakana, then begin vocabulary.
Not for modern communication, but handwriting is the most effective memorisation method. Even 5 minutes of handwriting per day significantly speeds up recognition compared to passive study alone.