How to Read the Chart
Hiragana is one of the two Japanese syllabaries. Each character is one syllable: a vowel (a, i, u, e, o) or a consonant plus a vowel (ka, ki, ku). The chart has 46 basic characters in 10 rows. Read each row left to right and you have read the five vowels with one consonant.
ん (n) is the only consonant that stands alone. を (wo) is used almost only as the object particle and is read “o”.
The Five Pairs People Confuse Most
- ぬ めnu has a loop at the end, me does not
- ね れ わne has a loop, re ends with a hook, wa curls in
- る ろru has a loop at the end, ro does not
- さ ちsa and chi are mirror images
- は ほho has one more horizontal stroke
How long does it take to learn hiragana?
Recognition takes days: most people can read all 46 after 3 to 7 days of 10 minutes a day. Reading words without sounding them out takes weeks of practice. Writing takes longer and is optional for reading.
Which romaji is right?
This chart shows the spellings people type: shi, chi, tsu, fu. Kanaria also accepts si, ti, tu, hu and any other common spelling when you type an answer. Long vowels are written as typed, ookii and kouen, never with macrons.
Print the Chart
The print version fits one A4 or Letter page: the three tables, romaji, and nothing else. Use your browser’s print command, or the button at the top.