A katakana chart for words you’ll meet.

What katakana is used for

Katakana often appears in borrowed words and foreign names. You will also encounter it in emphasis, sound expressions and other writing choices. It is a Japanese writing system, so a familiar-looking loanword should be learned with its Japanese pronunciation and meaning.

The chart follows a, i, u, e, o across each row, just like hiragana. Start with a small group and mix the order when reviewing it. The 46 basic characters are the starting set; marks and combinations extend the sounds you can write.

Long vowels: keep the ー

The horizontal mark ー extends the preceding vowel. In コーヒー, both コ and ヒ have long vowels. Do not throw the marks away because you can already guess the English word coffee. The timing belongs to the Japanese word.

Read the following examples with attention to where the long mark appears. The macron in the romaji, such as ō, marks a long vowel. There is no audio player on this chart; use a reliable recording alongside it when checking pronunciation.

Small ッ, small ャ and the sound-changing marks

Small ッ signals a hold or closure before the next consonant. In ベッド, it is part of beddo, not an extra tsu. Small ャ, ュ and ョ combine with an appropriate preceding kana: シャ is sha. Full-size シヤ would be read differently.

Dakuten and handakuten work here too: カ becomes ガ, while ハ can become バ or パ. You will also meet combinations such as ティ in ティー. The basic chart is not a complete list of every combination used in foreign names and borrowed words.

Japan Foundation: katakana and additional sounds (PDF) ↗

Slow down for シ・ツ and ソ・ン

These pairs can look very similar at first. Compare them directly, then close the chart and identify each in a word. Pay attention to the direction and placement of the short strokes, not only the long curve. Use a stroke-order reference if you are also learning to write them.

Read the four words below before checking the romaji. Afterward, cover the words and recall which one contains シ, which contains ツ, which begins with ソ and which ends in ン. The goal is to recognise the character beyond its chart position.

Turn the chart into a small reading habit

Choose three words, for example ホテル, バス and レストラン. Read them without romaji, explain their meanings, then revisit them in a different order tomorrow. When you miss a character, return to that pair or row rather than restarting the entire chart.

A loanword can have a narrower or different use than its source word. Check a dictionary example when the context is surprising. Recognising the sound is the first step; understanding what the word means in this setting is the next.

Small vowels make room for additional sounds

Small vowels can combine with another katakana to represent sounds outside the basic rows. ファ, フィ, フェ and フォ use small ア, イ, エ and オ after フ. ティ uses small イ after テ. Read the combination as a unit rather than giving both characters a full independent beat.

The extended references above cover common marked kana and contracted sounds. They are a foundation rather than an exhaustive catalogue of every foreign-name spelling. Learn extra combinations when they occur in a word you need.

Read a menu without turning it into an English guessing game

Imagine meeting コーヒー, パン and サンドイッチ on a menu. First read the printed forms. Then connect each to its meaning: coffee, bread and sandwich. If you guessed the meaning before noticing ー or ッ, return once to the spelling and make those parts explicit.

A useful practice note holds the Japanese word, its reading and one context. You might write where you saw the word or what you would order. Tomorrow, cover the Japanese and recall the whole spelling. Keep the marks that English does not show.

Decode a menu word before reaching for its English source

Look at サンドイッチ. Read the sequence carefully and notice the small ッ near the end. The word means sandwich, but knowing that English meaning should not let you skip the Japanese spelling. A learner can guess a menu successfully while still rehearsing the word inaccurately every time they say it.

Now compare コーヒー, ジュース and パン. These words use different spelling features: long-vowel marks, a contracted sound and the final ン. Identify the detail in each before checking a recording. The small set gives you several useful patterns without turning the session into a large vocabulary test.

After reading, cover the Japanese and reconstruct one word. Check every mark rather than only whether the overall shape looks familiar. This production step reveals details that recognition can overlook. Return to the menu context afterward and decide which item you would request in a simple fictional order.

Read combinations that extend beyond the basic rows

The basic chart cannot show every sound combination used in loanwords and names. Words such as ファイル and ティー use small vowels with another katakana. Read ファ and ティ as combinations, rather than giving both characters a full independent syllable according to the basic chart.

Learn these through actual words. A giant list of possible combinations may be a useful reference, but it is not necessarily the best first practice set. If your immediate materials include ティー, establish that word’s sound and spelling, then recognise the same combination in another checked example later.

Keep full-size and small vowels distinct. The visible size has a job, just as it does with small ャ, ュ and ョ. If the display is too small to see the difference comfortably, enlarge the text or choose a clearer reference. Difficulty caused by an unreadable font is not a valuable pronunciation challenge.

Treat borrowed words as Japanese vocabulary

A borrowed word can have a meaning or range different from the source expression you recognise. Learning the Japanese pronunciation is only one part of the task. Check how the word is used in a sentence and whether your intended meaning fits. An apparent resemblance to English is a clue to investigate, not a complete definition.

For example, a menu or product label may use an abbreviated form. You might recognise the larger concept while missing the specific item or option being described. Keep the surrounding words and the actual setting with the lookup. This prevents a familiar-looking loanword from supplying more certainty than the evidence supports.

When making a review note, include a concise context. “Drink on a café menu” can be enough for a basic word; another item may need a short example sentence. Avoid copying every dictionary sense immediately. Establish the use you encountered and add further meanings when a real example makes them relevant.

Compare confusing forms with a concrete visual question

For シ and ツ, look at the arrangement and direction of the strokes using a reliable writing model. For ソ and ン, inspect the movement and placement rather than treating the long curve as the entire character. A comparison is most useful when you can name what you overlooked.

Then separate the pair. Identify シ inside タクシー and ツ inside シャツ, or recognise ソ at the start of ソファ and ン at the end of パン. The complete words help check whether the distinction survives outside a side-by-side diagram. Use the reading as a check after the attempt, not as a visible answer beside every form.

If you continue guessing from the word’s meaning, test a single character briefly, then return to vocabulary. Both isolated recognition and word reading have a role. The useful balance depends on whether the error comes from the shape itself or from attention while reading a larger sequence.

Practise names without inventing a spelling rule for every language

Katakana is often used for foreign names, but names do not map mechanically from Latin letters into one fixed series of kana. Pronunciation, established conventions and personal preferences can matter. For an actual person’s name, use an established or preferred form where available instead of treating your first guess as definitive.

As a learning exercise, use a name whose katakana you can verify. Read it, identify any long vowels or contracted sounds and compare the Japanese form with a pronunciation model if available. The point is to practise the written Japanese, not to prove that every sound in the source language can be represented exactly.

Keep name practice separate from common-noun vocabulary. A dictionary may help with an ordinary loanword, while a proper name may need another reliable source. Knowing what kind of item you are looking up makes it easier to choose an appropriate reference and avoid false certainty.

Check katakana through an ordinary week

Choose three places where you already encounter written Japanese: a beginner lesson, a café photograph and a short product description supplied by your course. Select a few readable words and inspect them. Do not infer private or important information from a guessed label; the exercise is simply to connect familiar characters with meaningful vocabulary.

Return to the same words with the readings covered. Then add one new word that uses a familiar combination. This gives you continuity and a transfer check without requiring a large daily list. If one character keeps causing trouble, give it a short contrast drill before the next reading.

Katakana becomes easier when it stops being an occasional chart session. A small amount of regular word reading keeps its forms available alongside hiragana and kanji. You should eventually spend less effort guessing a borrowed source word and more attention understanding what the Japanese text is actually saying.