Katakana Practice: Complete Drills for All 46 Characters
Katakana is the second of Japan's two phonetic scripts. It represents the same sounds as hiragana but is used for foreign loanwords, foreign names, and emphasis. Since roughly 10% of everyday Japanese vocabulary consists of loanwords — many from English — knowing katakana immediately unlocks hundreds of words you already know.
This page covers all 46 base katakana with loanword examples, 25 voiced sounds, common confusable pairs, and 8 reading exercises with real sentences.
Should I learn hiragana or katakana first?
Always learn hiragana first. Hiragana appears everywhere — particles, verb endings, words without kanji. Katakana can wait until hiragana is solid. Once you know hiragana, katakana is significantly faster to learn because the sounds are identical.
Part 1: The 46 base katakana
Each katakana character represents one syllable — exactly the same sounds as the corresponding hiragana. The shapes are different; the sounds are not.
ア行
| Katakana | Romaji | Loanword example | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ア | a | アイス | aisu | ice cream |
| イ | i | イギリス | igirisu | United Kingdom |
| ウ | u | ウイルス | uirusu | virus |
| エ | e | エアコン | eakon | air conditioner |
| オ | o | オレンジ | orenji | orange |
カ行
| Katakana | Romaji | Loanword example | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| カ | ka | カメラ | kamera | camera |
| キ | ki | キッチン | kicchin | kitchen |
| ク | ku | クラス | kurasu | class |
| ケ | ke | ケーキ | keeki | cake |
| コ | ko | コーヒー | koohii | coffee |
サ行
| Katakana | Romaji | Loanword example | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| サ | sa | サッカー | sakkaa | soccer |
| シ | shi | シャワー | shawaa | shower |
| ス | su | スマホ | sumaho | smartphone |
| セ | se | セーター | seetaa | sweater |
| ソ | so | ソファ | sofa | sofa |
タ行
| Katakana | Romaji | Loanword example | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| タ | ta | タクシー | takushii | taxi |
| チ | chi | チョコ | choko | chocolate |
| ツ | tsu | ツアー | tsuaa | tour |
| テ | te | テレビ | terebi | television |
| ト | to | トイレ | toire | toilet |
ナ行
| Katakana | Romaji | Loanword example | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ナ | na | ナイフ | naifu | knife |
| ニ | ni | ニュース | nyuusu | news |
| ヌ | nu | ヌードル | nuudoru | noodle |
| ネ | ne | ネクタイ | nekutai | necktie |
| ノ | no | ノート | nooto | notebook |
ハ行
| Katakana | Romaji | Loanword example | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ハ | ha | ハンバーガー | hanbaagaa | hamburger |
| ヒ | hi | ヒーター | hiitaa | heater |
| フ | fu | フォーク | fooku | fork |
| ヘ | he | ヘルメット | herumetto | helmet |
| ホ | ho | ホテル | hoteru | hotel |
マ行
| Katakana | Romaji | Loanword example | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| マ | ma | マンション | manshon | apartment |
| ミ | mi | ミルク | miruku | milk |
| ム | mu | ムード | muudo | mood |
| メ | me | メール | meeru | |
| モ | mo | モデル | moderu | model |
ヤ行
| Katakana | Romaji | Loanword example | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ヤ | ya | ヤード | yaado | yard |
| ユ | yu | ユニフォーム | yunifoomu | uniform |
| ヨ | yo | ヨーグルト | yooguruto | yoghurt |
ラ行
| Katakana | Romaji | Loanword example | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ラ | ra | ラジオ | rajio | radio |
| リ | ri | リモコン | rimokon | remote control |
| ル | ru | ルーム | ruumu | room |
| レ | re | レストラン | resutoran | restaurant |
| ロ | ro | ロボット | robotto | robot |
ワ行・ン
| Katakana | Romaji | Loanword example | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ワ | wa | ワイン | wain | wine |
| ヲ | wo/o | (particle) | wo | rarely used |
| ン | n | パン | pan | bread (from Portuguese) |
Part 2: Voiced sounds (dakuten)
Same rules as hiragana: ゛(dakuten) voices か、さ、た、は rows. ゜(handakuten) creates P sounds from the は row.
| ガ (ga) | ギ (gi) | グ (gu) | ゲ (ge) | ゴ (go) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ガ ga | ギ gi | グ gu | ゲ ge | ゴ go |
| ザ za | ジ ji | ズ zu | ゼ ze | ゾ zo |
| ダ da | ヂ ji | ヅ zu | デ de | ド do |
| バ ba | ビ bi | ブ bu | ベ be | ボ bo |
| パ pa | ピ pi | プ pu | ペ pe | ポ po |
Part 3: The hardest katakana pairs to distinguish
Katakana shapes are more angular and similar to each other than hiragana. These pairs cause the most confusion:
ソ vs ン
ソ (so) has a shorter top stroke going right. ン (n) has a longer top stroke and the bottom curves left.
シ vs ツ
シ (shi) — two short lines go right, long stroke goes right-down. ツ (tsu) — two short lines go down, long stroke goes right-up. Rotate 90°: シ is tilted シ, ツ is tilted ツ.
ウ vs ウ・ア
ウ (u) has a small horizontal stroke on top. ア (a) has a large diagonal stroke on top.
フ vs ア
フ (fu) = one stroke, like a fishhook. ア (a) = two separate strokes.
ロ vs コ
ロ (ro) is a closed square. コ (ko) is open on the left.
テ vs ラ
テ (te) has three horizontal lines and a vertical. ラ (ra) has one horizontal and a curved bottom.
Part 4: Reading exercises
These sentences mix katakana loanwords with hiragana. Read the katakana words first, then read the whole sentence. The English translation is below each sentence.
コーヒーをのみます。
I drink coffee.
テレビでニュースをみました。
I watched the news on TV.
スマホでメールをおくります。
I send email on my smartphone.
ホテルにチェックインしました。
I checked into the hotel.
レストランでハンバーガーをたべました。
I ate a hamburger at a restaurant.
アメリカからきました。
I came from America.
ノートパソコンをかいたいです。
I want to buy a laptop computer.
タクシーでホテルへいきます。
I go to the hotel by taxi.
Katakana-specific rules to know
- Long vowel mark: ー — In katakana, long vowels are written with a horizontal dash (ー), not by repeating the vowel. コーヒー (koohii = coffee), ケーキ (keeki = cake).
- Double consonants: ッ — Small ッ doubles the following consonant. ロボット (robotto), キッチン (kicchin = kitchen).
- Foreign sounds: ファ、ティ、ウィ — Katakana can represent sounds not native to Japanese using combinations: ファ (fa), ティ (ti/tee), ウィ (wi).
- Emphasis — Katakana can be used for emphasis in Japanese text, similar to bold or italics in English. コレ (this) looks more emphatic than これ.
Practise reading katakana in real Japanese
Once you know the 46 characters, write sentences with katakana loanwords and check them. Use ZISTICA MOJIIQ's free grammar checker — it reads both hiragana and katakana and will flag any errors in particle usage, verb conjugation, or phrasing. The full katakana chart with printable stroke order is also available.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to learn katakana?
Most learners who already know hiragana memorise katakana in 1 week. The sounds are identical — only the shapes are new. Learning through loanwords (words you already know in English) significantly speeds up memorisation.
What is katakana used for?
Katakana is primarily used for foreign loanwords (外来語), foreign names and place names, onomatopoeia in manga, and emphasis. It is not used for native Japanese words or grammar — those use hiragana and kanji.
Which katakana characters are hardest to learn?
The most commonly confused pairs are ソ/ン (so/n), シ/ツ (shi/tsu), ロ/コ (ro/ko), and テ/ラ (te/ra). Writing them side by side and learning a mnemonic for each pair is the fastest way to distinguish them.