Table of Contents

Introduction ............................................................................ 3 Katakana Charts .................................................................. 11 Stroke Order Practice ..................................................... 14 Learning Japanese Words in Katakana .................. 85 Practicing Double Consonants ................................... 131 Using Modified Syllables .............................................. 133 Examples of Modified Syllables ............................... 139 Long Vowels ........................................................................ 141 More Modified Syllables .............................................. 142 Shortened Words ............................................................. 143 Hiragana and Katakana ................................................. 144 Mimetic Words .................................................................. 145

Introduction
There are 3 types of Japanese characters: hiragana, katakana, and kanji. The first two are called kana, and they are similar in that they are both sound-based characters. In addition, there is rmaji, which is Japanese that is written with the Latin alphabet. You dont really need to spend any time learning rmaji, since you already know it. Hiragana and katakana are the most simple and important characters to learn, which is why it is best to learn them first! Japanese sentences often contain a mix of hiragana, katakana, and kanji.

Hiragana

Hiragana is probably the most important form of writing that you will learn. Hiragana is a syllabary, a sound-based form of writing. Most hiragana are made up of 2 English letters, but one sound or syllable (e.g. ka, ma, na). Generally hiragana is used for particles and the ends of verbs and adjectives, while kanji is used for stems of verbs and adjectives and nouns. However, you can use hiragana to write anything in Japanese.

Katakana

Katakana, similar to hiragana, is a syllabary. Katakana is primarily used for words of foreign origin (words that come from English, Chinese, German, etc.). However, this is not a hard rule. There are other times when katakana is used, but 99% of the time you see katakana, it will be for foreign words. Japanese has a lot of foreign words, especially from English. Most Japanese billboards and magazines are full of Katakana.

Kanji

Kanji, the oldest form of Japanese writing, has its origin in China. Unlike hiragana and katakana, kanji each carry a meaning with them rather than a sound. There are usually multiple ways to read the same kanji, making it difficult for beginners. However, sometimes one can guess the meaning of the kanji based on its parts.

Romaji

Rmaji uses the Latin alphabet, making it so that even people who havent learned hiragana, katakana, or kanji can read and write in Japanese. However, only knowing rmaji can be very limiting. Rmaji can be helpful when you are first starting out, but since Japanese people dont really use it, it is important to learn how to read and write hiragana and katakana.

Furigana

Furigana (AKA rubi) is small hiragana that is written above (for horizontal text) or next to (for vertical text) kanji to indicate the pronunciation. For people who know hiragana but do not know many kanji yet, furigana is a very helpful reading tool. You can frequently see furigana in childrens books and manga.

Pronunciation Guide
There only 5 vowel sounds in Japanese, and they are always pronounced the same way! In this way, Japanese pronunciation is much easier than English!
a as in Ah! i as in Eek! u as in Moo! e as in Hey! o as in Oh! Example: Example: Example: Example: Example: ame isu usagi enpitsu ocha rain chair rabbit pencil tea

Long Vowels For the Katakana portion of this book, long vowels will be romanized in the following ways.

Pronunciation Guide
When two consonants are placed next to each other (double consonants, e.g. kk), there is a sort of pause before the consonant is pronounced. The best way to master this is to listen and repeat. Dont forget to listen to the audio that is included with this book and repeat it out loud to practice your pronunciation! Have fun!!

Katakana Chart 1 a i
shi

k n h y r s t

chi

tsu fu

m w n

Chart 2: Voiced Syllables g z d b p a i u

zu

ji

ji

Chart 3: Modified Syllables

The following katakana are simply modifications of the katakana listed in the first two figures. They are pronounced as one syllable, and the , , or is written smaller than normal.

k n h g j r c s

ya

sha

yu

cha

shu

yo

chu

sho

cho

ja

ju

jo

Chart 4: Additional Modified Syllables

In order to come closer to the correct pronunciation of foreign words, these combinations were created. Notice that they use a smaller ,,,or to modify the sound of the katakana before it.

ch d f t

sh j

America

itaria Italy

uinn weiner

erebt elevator

sutoraria Australia

ka

karend calendar

ki

kisu kiss

ku

kurisumasu Christmas

ke

kki cake

ko

kh coffee

sa

sakk soccer

shi

shaw shower

su

supein Spain

se

st sweater

so

ssu sauce

ta

taiya tires

chi

chiketto ticket

tsu

tsu tour

te

tisshu tissue

to

tonneru tunnel

na

naifu knife

ni

nyjrando New Zealand

nu

nunchaku nunchucks

ne

nekkuresu necklace

no

nto notebook

ha

hanbg hamburger

hi

ht heater

fu

fku fork

he

herikoput helicopter

ho

hsu hose

ma

macchi match

mi

misuter mystery

mu

musasabi flying squirrel

me

mekishiko Mexico

mo

monsut monster

ya

yagi goat

yu

yunikn unicorn

yo

yotto yacht

ra

rmen ramen

ri

ribon ribbon

ru

rub ruby

re

remon lemon

ro

robotto robot

wa

wanpsu one piece (dress)

wo

meron melon

ga

gasu gas

gi

git guitar

gu

gurpufurtsu grapefruit

ge

gmu game

go

gorira gorilla

za

piza pizza

ji

jnzu jeans

zu

chzu cheese

ze

zer jelly (jello)

zo

zonbi zombie

da

dtsu darts

ji

dojjibru dodgeball

zu

de

dto date

do

dnattsu donuts

ba

baito part-time job

bi

bru beer

bu

btsu boots

be

beddo bed

bo

bru ball

pa

pan bread

pi

piasu piercing

pu

purin pudding

pe

pengin penguin

po

poketto pocket


Examples: 1.
airurando
IRELAND

3.
anime
ANIME

2.
amerika
AMERICA

4.
aisukurmu
ICECREAM


Examples: 1.
ENGLAND

igirisu

3.
indo
INDIA

2.
itaria
ITALY


Examples: 1.
WHISKEY

uisuk uinn

3.
uirusu
VIRUS

2.
WEINER


Examples: 1.
epuron
APRON

3.
ejiputo
EGYPT

2.
AIR CONDITIONER

eakon

4.
erebt
ELEVATOR


Examples: 1.
kesutora
ORCHESTRA

3.
sutoraria
AUSTRALIA

2.
OMELETTE RICE

omuraisu


Examples:
kamera
CAMERA

1. 2.
kdo
CARD

3.
karend
CALENDAR

ka

4.
gasu
GAS


Examples: 1.
kisu
KISS

3.
GUITAR

git

ki

2.
khorud
KEY HOLDER

4.
kiui
KIWI


Examples: 1.
kurpu
CREPE

3.
gurpufurtsu
GRAPEFRUIT

ku

2.
kurisumasu
CHRISTMAS

4.
guratan
GRATIN


Examples:
kki
CAKE

1. 2.
baketsu
BUCKET

3.
gmu
GAME

ke

4.
raketto
RACKET


Examples:
kra
cola

1. 2.
coffee

3.
gorufu
Golf

ko

kh

4.
Gorilla

gorira


Examples:
soccer

1.
sakk

3.
skasu
circus

sa

2.
sandoicchi
Sandwich

4.
piza
pizza


Examples: 1.
shaw jsu
JUICE SHOWER

3.
jnzu
JEANS

shi

2.

4.
shbetto
SHERBET


Examples:
Skiing

1.
suk

3.
supein
Spain

su

2.
spu
Soup

4.
chzu
cheese


Examples:
serori
Celery

1. 2.
Sweater

3.
zero
ZERO

se

st

4.
jelly (Jello)

zer


Examples:
sda
SODA

1. 2.
SAUCE

3.
z

so

ELEPHANT

ssu

4.
zonbi
ZOMBIE


Examples:
taiya
TIRES

1. 2.
tabako
TOBACCO

3.
dansu
DANCE

ta

4.
dtsu
DARTS


Examples:
chzu
cheese

* both and are pronounced ji, but in most cases, is used. is only used in a few specific cases.

1. 2.
cheetah

3.
chiketto
ticket

chi

cht

4.
dojjibru
dodgeball


Examples: 1.
tsuna
tuna

* both and are pronounced zu. However, there are no examples for because it is not really used.

3.
tshatsu
T-shirt

tsu

2.
tsu
tour

4.
shtsu
sheets


Examples:
terebi

1.
TELEVISION

3.
dto
DATE

te

2.
TISSUES

tisshu

4.
dezto
DESSERT


Examples:
tsuto
TOAST

1. 2.
tonneru
TUNNEL

3.
doitsu
Germany

to

4.
dnattsu
DONUTS


Examples:
naifu
KNIFE

1. 2.
NURSE

3.
naiagara
NIAGARA

na

nsu


Examples:
news

1.
nysu

3.
nyjrando
new zealand

ni

2.
nyyku
new york


Examples: 1.
nunchaku
nunchucks

3.
kappundoru
cup of noodles

nu

2.
kan
canoe


Examples: 1.
nekutai
necktie

3.
nekkuresu
necklace

ne

2.
screw

neji

4.
tonneru
tunnel


Examples:
NOTEBOOK

1.
nto

3.
domino
DOMINOES

no

2.
sunbdo
SNOWBOARD


Examples:
HAMBURGER

1.
hanbg hamu
HAM

3.
pma
PERM

ha

2.

4.
PART-TIME JOB

baito


Examples:
hr
HERO

1. 2.
HEATER

3.
PIERCING

piasu bru
BEER

hi

ht

4.


Examples:
fku
FORK

1. 2.
PHILIPPINES

3.
PUDDING

purin

fu

firipin

4.
btsu
BOOTS


Examples: 1.
herikoput
HELICOPTER

3.
beddo
BED

he

2.
heddohon
HEADPHONES

4.
pengin
PENGUIN


Examples:
hsu
HOSE

1. 2.
hocchikisu
STAPLER

3.
bru
BALL

ho

4.
poketto
POCKET


Examples:
macchi
MATCH

1. 2.
APARTMENT BUILDING

3.
marakasu
MARACAS

ma

manshon

4.
majikku
MAGIC


Examples:
MIXER

1.
mikis minto
MINT

3.
misuter
MYSTERY

mi

2.

4.
mtobru
MEATBALL


Examples: 1.
FLYING SQUIRREL

musasabi gmu
GAME

3.

hamu
HAM

mu

2.

4.
HAMSTER

hamusut


Examples:
meron
MELON

1. 2.
mru
E-MAIL

3.
memo
MEMO

me

4.
mekishiko
MEXICO


Examples:
moppu
MOP

1. 2.
monsut
MONSTER

3.
motemote
POPULAR

mo

4.
monburan
MONTBLANC


Examples: 1.
yagi
GOAT

3.
kyanpu
CAMP

ya

2.
shbetto
SHERBET

4.
shanp
SHAMPOO


Examples:
yro
EURO

1. 2.
jsu
JUICE

3.
yunikn
UNICORN

yu


Examples:
yotto
YACHT

1. 2.
yy
YOYO

3.
yguruto
YOGURT

yo

4.
yroppa
EUROPE


Examples:
TRUMPET

1.
rappa rajio
RADIO

3.
raion
LION

ra

2.

4.
rmen
RAMEN


Examples: 1.
risu
SQUIRREL

3.
RIBBON

ribon

ri

2.
risaikuru
RECYCLE

4.
LIP CREAM (CHAPSTICK)

rippukurmu


Examples:
LURE

1.
ru

3.
rru
RULE

ru

2.
rub
RUBY

4.
bru
BEER


Examples:
reshipi
RECIPE

1. 2.
remon
LEMON

3.
ORANGE

orenji

re

4.
resutoran
RESTAURANT


Examples: 1.
DONKEY

roba

3.
robotto
ROBOT

ro

2.
roshia
RUSSIA

4.
HALLOWEEN

harowin


Examples: 1.
wani
ALLIGATOR

3.
hawai
HAWAII

wa

2.
ONE-PIECE (DRESS)

wanpsu

This katakana is not used in modern Japanese. Japanese telegrams were written all in katakana. The first computers in Japan (in the 1980s) also used all katakana. This character has fallen out of use since then because it was only used for the direct object particle, and now katakana is not used in that way. There are several other katakana characters that are not used anymore. An example is ,pronounced wi. Practically speaking, there is no reason that you need to memorize these katakana, as they have become obsolete. But now you know something that not all students of Japanese know!

wo


Examples: 1.
BREAD

pan

3.
meron
MELON

2.
zonbi
ZOMBIE

4.
pengin
PENGUIN

Double Consonants
Words that have double consonants are written with a small which indicates the short pause that you take when pronouncing these words. Take a look at the examples below and pay close attention to the difference in pronunciation.

kk ss tt pp

kappu CUP beddo BED

macchi MATCH

batto BAT

Practice
Practice writing the following words, paying close attention to double consonants.

1. 2.

kappu
CUP

baggu
BAG

Practice (continued)
Practice writing the following words, paying close attention to double consonants.

3. 4. 5. 6.

TRUMPET

rappa batto
BAT BED

suicchi
SWITCH

beddo

7. 9.

8.

SLIPPERS

surippa

raketto
RACKET

kicchin
KITCHEN

Modified Syllables
When a katakana has a small or next to it, they are pronounced together as a single syllable. The small or are about a quarter the size of a regular character, and should be written in the lower left corner of the practice square.

kya

kyu kyo gya

gyu gyo

Modified Syllables
When a katakana has a small or next to it, they are pronounced together as a single syllable. The small or are about a quarter the size of a regular character, and should be written in the lower left corner of the practice square.

sha

shu sho ja ju jo

Modified Syllables
When a katakana has a small or next to it, they are pronounced together as a single syllable. The small or are about a quarter the size of a regular character, and should be written in the lower left corner of the practice square.

cha

chu cho nya

nyu nyo

Modified Syllables
When a katakana has a small or next to it, they are pronounced together as a single syllable. The small or are about a quarter the size of a regular character, and should be written in the lower left corner of the practice square.

hya

hyu hyo bya

byu byo

Modified Syllables
When a katakana has a small or next to it, they are pronounced together as a single syllable. The small or are about a quarter the size of a regular character, and should be written in the lower left corner of the practice square.

pya

pyu pyo

mya

myu myo

Modified Syllables
When a katakana has a small or next to it, they are pronounced together as a single syllable. The small or are about a quarter the size of a regular character, and should be written in the lower left corner of the practice square.

rya

ryu ryo

EXAMPLES

shatsu jazu

chansu kyabetsu kyanpu

jazz

shirt

chance

cabbage camp

EXAMPLES

jogingu jsu

jogging juice

manshon meny

pajama

pajamas

mansion menu

LONG VOWELS
When writing in katakana, the symbol is used to represent a long vowel sound. This symbol extends the amount of time that you use to pronounce the vowel by two times. Practice writing the words below and listen to the audio to hear the pronunciation.

EXAMPLES

suk

pru

ski

gmu st

pool

game

kten

sweater curtain

MORE MODIFIED SYLLABLES

Another way that syllables can be modified using katakana is by adding a small ,,, or after a katakana. This is done in an attempt to come closer to the actual pronunciation of the words that they are borrowing from other languages. Refer to the chart for the full list.

fairu

ofisu pt chekku fku

file

office party check fork

vkaru

vocal

SHORTENED WORDS
A lot of foreign words are shortened in Japanese so that they are easier to say. Here are some examples of English words that have been shortened.

remote control personal computer digital camera air conditioner convenience store famiresu family restaurant konbini eakon dejikame pasokon

rimokon

HIRAGANA&KATAKANA
Some Japanese words are actually composed of both hiragana and katakana. This is because part of the word originally came from another country, while the other part was originally Japanese.

For example, (panya) is composed of the word (pan, bread), which came from Portuguese, and (ya) which means store in Japanese.

panya

bakery eraser

keshigomu kanadajin Canadian

basunoriba bus station doitsugo German (language) rmaji romanization of japanese

MIMETIC WORDS
Japanese has a lot of mimetic words. This category includes but is not limited to onomatopoeias (sound words). For example (wanwan) has the same meaning as bark or woof in English (the sound a dog makes). However, there are many other words that English does not have. A good example is (nikoniko). This word represents the action of smiling. Mimetic words in Japanese tend to repeat the same sound twice.

wanwan

bow-wow gorogoro piyopiyo sound of thunder tweet-tweet gokugoku sound of drinking nyny meow-meow

MIMETIC WORDS (CONTINUED)

giggling smiling

kusukusu nikoniko buruburu iraira

shaking

become irritated fluently, chatter knock-knock tonton berabera

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