Japanese Alphabet | ひらがな・カタカナ
The Japanese writing system uses two phonetic syllabaries: Hiragana (ひらがな) for native words and grammar, and Katakana (カタカナ) for foreign words and emphasis. Each consists of 46 basic characters.
Hiragana (ひらがな)
View Details →Hiragana is used for native Japanese words, grammatical particles, and verb endings. It has cursive, flowing character forms.
Katakana (カタカナ)
View Details →Katakana is used for foreign words, loanwords, onomatopoeia, and emphasis. It has angular, geometric character forms.
About the Japanese Writing System
Japanese uses three writing systems: Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji. Hiragana and Katakana are syllabaries where each character represents a syllable rather than a single sound. Both consist of 46 basic characters with the same pronunciations but different uses and visual styles.
Hiragana vs Katakana
- Hiragana (ひらがな): Cursive, flowing shapes; used for native Japanese words, grammatical particles, and verb endings
- Katakana (カタカナ): Angular, geometric shapes; used for foreign loanwords, onomatopoeia, scientific names, and emphasis
- Both have 46 basic characters with identical pronunciations
- Combined with Kanji (Chinese characters) in standard Japanese writing
- Essential for learning Japanese language
History
Both Hiragana and Katakana evolved from Chinese characters (man'yōgana) during the Heian period (794-1185 CE). Hiragana developed from cursive forms and was originally called "onnade" (women's writing), while Katakana evolved from abbreviated forms used by Buddhist monks for annotating Chinese texts. Over time, both became essential components of the modern Japanese writing system.
Japanese Keyboards
Type in Japanese using our online keyboards:
- Hiragana Keyboard - Type Hiragana characters online
- Katakana Keyboard - Type Katakana characters online
- Japanese Keyboard - General Japanese typing tool