{"id":3393,"date":"2020-05-20T13:40:56","date_gmt":"2020-05-20T20:40:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lingq.com\/blog-new\/?p=3393"},"modified":"2025-05-19T11:25:26","modified_gmt":"2025-05-19T18:25:26","slug":"japanese-101-hiragana-vs-katakana","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lingq.com\/blog\/japanese-101-hiragana-vs-katakana\/","title":{"rendered":"Hiragana vs Katakana: Japanese 101"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>To the untrained eye, the Japanese language can look quite puzzling, like a quilt made of different textures. The characters don\u2019t all look alike or even similar.<br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The reason for this is that Japanese is composed of three different scripts: hiragana, katakana and kanji. Hiragana and katakana are syllabic scripts in which each character <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">stands for a syllable; for example, \u201c<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u304c\u201d evokes \u201cga\u201d and \u201c\u30a2\u201d evokes \u201ca.\u201d These scripts are native to the Japanese language.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On the other hand, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lingq.com\/blog\/2019\/02\/15\/tips-and-resources-for-reading-kanji\/\">Kanji<\/a> (for example, <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u597d) <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">are characters derived from the Chinese language. They have the same written form, but the pronunciation has changed and the meaning has deviated in some cases.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Before you <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lingq.com\/blog\/2020\/04\/01\/learning-to-read-japanese\/\">learn to read in Japanese,<\/a> let\u2019s make the distinction between hiragana vs katakana. These two are the \u201calphabet\u201d scripts of the Japanese language, as each one corresponds to a sound rather than a meaning. But why do the Japanese need two? What are they used for?<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Hiragana<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hiragana (or <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u3072\u3089\u304c\u306a)<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is the most frequently used script today, said to have been invented in the 9th century by a Buddhist priest. There are 46 basic Hiragana symbols, and these can be combined together to create many different sounds. <\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Reading hiragana is quite simple, as each symbol has just one pronunciation not unlike the letters of the English alphabet. For example, \u3042\u3001\u3044\u3001\u3046\u3001\u3048\u3001\u304a correspond to \u201ca,\u201d \u201ci,\u201d \u201cu,\u201d \u201ce\u201d and \u201co\u201d respectively. There are also \u201cvowels\u201d in the Japanese language, though there are nuanced differences from English in their pronunciation.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-3476\" src=\"https:\/\/www.lingq.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Hiragana_basic.jpg\" alt=\"Japanese 101: Hiragana vs Katakana\" width=\"651\" height=\"405\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.lingq.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Hiragana_basic.jpg 483w, https:\/\/www.lingq.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Hiragana_basic-300x186.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 651px) 100vw, 651px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hiragana also has strong ties to the basics of the Japanese language. There are many words that are only written in hiragana, such as basic grammatical units (\u306f\u3001\u306b\u3001\u3092\u3001\u3068\u3001\u3067, etc.), greetings, and some onomatopoeia.\u00a0<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Do you already know any of the following greetings?<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u3053\u3093\u306b\u3061\u306f, \u201ckonnichiwa\u201d<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u3055\u3088\u306a\u3089, \u201csayonara\u201d<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u3042\u308a\u304c\u3068\u3046, \u201carigatou\u201d<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u304a\u3081\u3067\u3068\u3046, \u201comedetou\u201d<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u3088\u3046\u3053\u305d, \u201cyoukoso\u201d<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u304a\u306f\u3088\u3046, \u201cohayou\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Answers: hello, goodbye, thank you, congratulations, welcome, good morning.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><a href=\"https:\/\/www.lingq.com\/en\/learn-japanese-online\/?utm_source=LingQ Blog&amp;utm_medium=banner&amp;utm_campaign=blogpost&amp;utm_content=HiraganavsKatakana:Japanese101\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-176597787 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.lingq.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/lingq-girl.png\" alt=\"Learn Japanese online at LingQ\" width=\"700\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.lingq.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/lingq-girl.png 700w, https:\/\/www.lingq.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/lingq-girl-300x129.png 300w, https:\/\/www.lingq.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/lingq-girl-600x257.png 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/a><\/h3>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><b>Katakana<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Katakana (or \u30ab\u30bf\u30ab\u30ca) is a writing form that has its origins in the Heian period, 794-1185 AD. It was used to aid the reading of kanji, but today it is used most often to denote words imported from foreign countries. Like hiragana, there are 46 basic katakana symbols in the Japanese language with each symbol corresponding to a syllable. <\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Katakana is also used for native Japanese words in some circumstances. Sometimes, it is to emphasize a word. For example, \u307e\u3058\uff1f(seriously?) can become \u30de\u30b8\uff1fin a manga script. Onomatopoeia can also be written in katakana, usually for an emphatic effect.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some foreign words sound similar in Japanese to how they do in the original language, but some of them have deviated to become unrecognizable. Can you guess the meaning of the following?<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u30a2\u30a4\u30b9\u30af\u30ea\u30fc\u30e0 (\u201caisu kuriimu\u201d)<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u30ba\u30dc\u30f3 (\u201czubon\u201d)<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u30d1\u30bd\u30b3\u30f3 (\u201cpasokon\u201d)<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u30b3\u30fc\u30d2\u30fc (\u201ckoohii\u201d)<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u30ef\u30f3\u30d4\u30fc\u30b9 (\u201cone-piece\u201d)<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u30db\u30c1\u30ad\u30b9 (\u201chochikisu\u201d)<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u30d3\u30b8\u30cd\u30b9 (\u201cbijinesu\u201d)<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u30de\u30f3\u30b7\u30e7\u30f3 (\u201cmanshon\u201d)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Answers: ice cream, trousers (or pants for Americans), PC or personal computer, coffee, one-piece dress, business, upper-market apartment (not mansion!)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-3477 \" src=\"https:\/\/www.lingq.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Katakana_basic.jpg\" alt=\"Japanese 101: Hiragana vs Katakana\" width=\"666\" height=\"351\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.lingq.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Katakana_basic.jpg 568w, https:\/\/www.lingq.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Katakana_basic-300x158.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 666px) 100vw, 666px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2><b>Hiragana vs katakana: which one should you learn first?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It depends on you! Both can be learned quickly, although you\u2019ll build up your reading speed and fluency over time. Learning both at the same time may cause some confusion, so it may be helpful to focus on one first before the other.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I would recommend going with hiragana, as it is the most commonly used script in the language. This will be the language that will get you the most natural reading practice, too.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Once you master one, the other script will be much faster to learn, as you\u2019ll already know what syllables to expect.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/youtube.com\/playlist?list=PLn7iYKq-G3PKbpPv_QTzFHETugwSdT67I\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-176600493 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/www.lingq.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Japanese_Blog-Banner-1-1024x288.jpg\" alt=\"Learn Japanese with the LingQ podcast\" width=\"870\" height=\"245\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.lingq.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Japanese_Blog-Banner-1-1024x288.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.lingq.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Japanese_Blog-Banner-1-300x84.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.lingq.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Japanese_Blog-Banner-1-768x216.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.lingq.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Japanese_Blog-Banner-1-600x169.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.lingq.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Japanese_Blog-Banner-1.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 870px) 100vw, 870px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h2><b>The best way to study hiragana and\u00a0<\/b>katakana<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lingq.com\/en\/learn-japanese-online\/\">best way to study hiragana or katakana<\/a> is to learn it in its natural context and do lots of reading.\u00a0<\/span><br \/>\nThis is where LingQ excels.<br \/>\nLingQ has loads of great content for you to read. Even if you don&#8217;t know all the hiragana and katakana just yet, you can easily look them up and see how they&#8217;re pronounced and save their meanings. <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/mSGWlDGY-JI\">Check out this video tutorial to see how you can learn Japanese using LingQ.<\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Katakana is used less frequently in natural contexts, but there are still some ways to find it. Manga is full of katakana to create the sound and emphasis effects that the script brings. Instead of \u308f\u3093\u308f\u3093 (wanwan), it\u2019s \u30ef\u30f3\u30ef\u30f3 for a dog barking. You might also see a line of \u30aa\u30aa\u30aa\u30aa(oooo) down a page to indicate a sudden escalation of tension. Plenty of untranslated manga can be found online through a quick search, so this is one way of studying katakana that is easily available.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In either case of hiragana or katakana, you can also utilize the old-fashioned drilling method. You can do this on LingQ (available for both\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=com.linguist&amp;hl=en\">Android<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<a class=\"broken_link\" href=\"https:\/\/apps.apple.com\/ca\/app\/learn-languages-fast-lingq\/id379385811\">iOS<\/a>) with the vocabulary exercises. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">LingQ is the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.lingq.com\/en\/learn-japanese-online\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">best way to learn Japanese<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> online because it lets you learn from content you enjoy!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That\u2019s all it takes to learn hiragana and katakana. Pretty simple. <\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So there you have it, hiragana vs katakana explained. Soon you\u2019ll be able to read the majority of the Japanese language\u2013even if you don\u2019t understand much!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Enjoyed this post? Check out polyglot and LingQ cofounder Steve Kaufmann&#8217;s YouTube video for some<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.thelinguist.com\/learn-japanese-an-introduction\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">tips for learning Japanese<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">!<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>***<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Connie Huang has self-studied the Japanese language for over a decade. In addition to Japanese, she knows Mandarin Chinese, Spanish and French.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>To the untrained eye, the Japanese language can look quite puzzling, like a quilt made of different textures. The characters don\u2019t all look alike or even similar. The reason for &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":176597623,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[105,132],"class_list":["post-3393","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-learning-japanese","tag-english","tag-japanese"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Hiragana vs Katakana: Japanese 101 &#8211; LingQ Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"All the answers to your hiragana vs katakana questions: Which should you learn first? How are they different? 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