LavaJapanese
Hiragana and katakana chart
Hiragana and katakana represent corresponding sounds with different characters. This chart puts both scripts side by side. Hide kana or romaji to test your recall, then select the characters you want to practise. Each cell is a reading item: a combination such as きゃ is one item made of two characters.
Select cells for reading or typing practice. The chart covers 46 basic kana, 25 voiced/p sounds and 33 common small-y combinations in each script.
46 basic kana
| a | i | u | e | o |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | — | |||
| — | — | — | ||
| — | — | — | — |
25 voiced and p-sounds
| a | i | u | e | o |
|---|---|---|---|---|
33 small-y combinations
| a | u | o |
|---|---|---|
Practise your selection
46 cells selected
Each attempt has up to 10 questions. Cell selection controls reading and typing; word mode uses the 12-word set. Results are saved with your other practice.
LavaJapanese · Hiragana & Katakana
46 basic kana
| a | i | u | e | o |
|---|---|---|---|---|
あ / アa | い / イi | う / ウu | え / エe | お / オo |
か / カka | き / キki | く / クku | け / ケke | こ / コko |
さ / サsa | し / シshi | す / スsu | せ / セse | そ / ソso |
た / タta | ち / チchi | つ / ツtsu | て / テte | と / トto |
な / ナna | に / ニni | ぬ / ヌnu | ね / ネne | の / ノno |
は / ハha | ひ / ヒhi | ふ / フfu | へ / ヘhe | ほ / ホho |
ま / マma | み / ミmi | む / ムmu | め / メme | も / モmo |
や / ヤya | — | ゆ / ユyu | — | よ / ヨyo |
ら / ラra | り / リri | る / ルru | れ / レre | ろ / ロro |
わ / ワwa | — | — | — | を / ヲo, the particle written wo |
ん / ンn | — | — | — | — |
25 voiced and p-sounds
| a | i | u | e | o |
|---|---|---|---|---|
が / ガga | ぎ / ギgi | ぐ / グgu | げ / ゲge | ご / ゴgo |
ざ / ザza | じ / ジji | ず / ズzu | ぜ / ゼze | ぞ / ゾzo |
だ / ダda | ぢ / ヂji, voiced ち (type di) | づ / ヅzu, voiced つ (type du) | で / デde | ど / ドdo |
ば / バba | び / ビbi | ぶ / ブbu | べ / ベbe | ぼ / ボbo |
ぱ / パpa | ぴ / ピpi | ぷ / プpu | ぺ / ペpe | ぽ / ポpo |
33 small-y combinations
| a | u | o |
|---|---|---|
きゃ / キャkya | きゅ / キュkyu | きょ / キョkyo |
しゃ / シャsha | しゅ / シュshu | しょ / ショsho |
ちゃ / チャcha | ちゅ / チュchu | ちょ / チョcho |
にゃ / ニャnya | にゅ / ニュnyu | にょ / ニョnyo |
ひゃ / ヒャhya | ひゅ / ヒュhyu | ひょ / ヒョhyo |
みゃ / ミャmya | みゅ / ミュmyu | みょ / ミョmyo |
りゃ / リャrya | りゅ / リュryu | りょ / リョryo |
ぎゃ / ギャgya | ぎゅ / ギュgyu | ぎょ / ギョgyo |
じゃ / ジャja | じゅ / ジュju | じょ / ジョjo |
びゃ / ビャbya | びゅ / ビュbyu | びょ / ビョbyo |
ぴゃ / ピャpya | ぴゅ / ピュpyu | ぴょ / ピョpyo |
lavajapanese.com · Small ゃ/ゅ/ょ differ from full や/ゆ/よ. Small っ/ッ hold the next consonant; ー extends a vowel.
Differences to notice
Small ゃ・ゅ・ょ combine with the previous character: きゃ differs from きや. Small っ・ッ hold the next consonant, as in きって; they are not read as full-sized つ. The katakana mark ー extends a vowel. Word-reading practice spells long vowels out so you can check their length.
This chart uses shi, chi, tsu and fu for し・ち・つ・ふ. じ and ぢ are usually both read ji; ず and づ are both read zu. Typing prompts identify the intended voiced character. The particle を is normally pronounced o but typed wo. The chart does not list every modern loanword combination or historical kana.
Further study: Japan Foundation · Hiragana & Katakana chart