Hiragana is the round set of Japanese letters, and katakana is the pointy one. They spell the same sounds, but katakana is the one you will see in borrowed words like コーヒー, which means coffee.
What Is the Difference Between Hiragana and Katakana?
か and カ sound exactly the same, but each set has its own job. Japanese writing mixes both of them with kanji, the characters that carry a word's meaning.
| Hiragana | Katakana | |
|---|---|---|
| Shape | Round, with curved strokes, like あ | Pointy, with short straight strokes, like ア |
| What it writes | Verb and adjective endings, small grammar words, and everyday words with no common kanji | Words from other languages, foreign names, sound effects, and words written for emphasis |
| A long vowel | An extra vowel letter, so おばさん (aunt) becomes おばあさん (grandmother) | A bar, so ビル (building) becomes ビール (beer) |
| Where it came from | A whole Chinese character written fast, like あ from 安 | One part of a Chinese character, like カ from the left side of 加 |
| Basic letters | 46 | 46 |
Which Hiragana and Katakana Look Alike?
Nine katakana are near copies of their hiragana. Each pair grew from the same Chinese character, and in these nine, the two shapes still match.
| Hiragana | Katakana | Sound | Both Came From |
|---|---|---|---|
| か | カ | ka | 加 |
| せ | セ | se | 世 |
| へ | ヘ | he | 部 |
| り | リ | ri | 利 |
| も | モ | mo | 毛 |
| や | ヤ | ya | 也 |
| う | ウ | u | 宇 |
| ら | ラ | ra | 良 |
| め | メ | me | 女 |
Which Katakana Look Like Each Other?
Katakana uses so few strokes that several letters differ by one line or one angle. These are the groups to check twice when you read.
- シshiツtsuソsoンnThe long stroke tells them apart. It sweeps up in シ and ン, and comes down in ツ and ソ, the same way it moves in し, つ, そ and ん.
- コkoロroコ is open on the left side. ロ closes into a full square.
- ウuフfuワwaフ is one hook with nothing on top. ワ adds a short line on the left, and ウ adds a tick on top too.
- クkuタtaタ is ク with one more short line inside it.
- ニniミmiニ has two flat lines. ミ has three slanted ones.
Should You Learn Hiragana or Katakana First?
Start with hiragana. Verb endings and little words like particles are written in it, so you need it to read almost any line of Japanese. Katakana comes easier after that, because you already know its sounds and nine of its letters are the twins above.
Some teachers start with katakana instead, because a beginner can practice on borrowed words they already know. The courses on this site run hiragana first, then katakana, then Kanji Basics.
How Can You Learn Both?
Each script has its own picture chart, where every letter is drawn as something whose name starts with its sound. Start with the hiragana chart, then use the katakana chart, which keeps the pictures for the twin pairs. The Hiragana course and Katakana course add audio for every letter. After that, Poppy, your AI tutor in the Bubblegum language app, writes Japanese lessons at your level.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can the Same Word Be Written in Both?
Yes, and the choice changes the feel. A manga may write a robot's or a foreigner's hello as コンニチワ in katakana, where the usual spelling is こんにちは in hiragana.
Do You Need Kanji Too?
Yes, for everyday reading. Learn kana first, because small hiragana called furigana often sit above a kanji to show how to read it.
Is Bubblegum Free?
Yes. The lesson library is free for everyone, because we believe everyone should be able to learn. It holds lessons that other learners asked Poppy for. A new custom lesson costs us real money to make, so your first one is free, and Bubblegum Pro gives you unlimited custom lessons.
Sources
- Wikipedia, Hiragana (verb and adjective endings, particles, furigana; each letter a cursive form of a whole Chinese character, like あ from 安)
- Wikipedia, Katakana (loanwords, foreign names, sound effects, emphasis; made from parts of characters, like カ from the left side of 加; teachers differ on which kana to teach first)
- sci.lang.japan FAQ, How did katakana and hiragana originate? (the parent character of every hiragana and katakana)
