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ひらがなHiragana chart and how to learn it

Hiragana is the first of Japan's two syllable alphabets: 46 basic characters, each one sound. With it you can already write every word in Japanese. Below is the full chart with romaji, then the marks that change a sound, and a few tips for learning it in about a week.

五十音The 46 basic hiragana

Read across: a, i, u, e, o. Each row adds a consonant in front.

濁音Voiced sounds: ゛ and ゜

Two small dots (dakuten) make a sound voiced: か ka → が ga. A small circle (handakuten) turns the h-row into p: は ha → ぱ pa.

拗音Combined sounds: small ゃ ゅ ょ

A small ゃ, ゅ or ょ after an i-sound kana blends the two into one syllable: き + ゃ = きゃ kya.

コツHow to learn hiragana fast

• One row a day. Ten rows plus ん: learn a row, then review all earlier rows before the next one. Most people can read the whole chart in one to two weeks.
• Say it out loud. Hearing and saying each sound links the shape to the sound, not to the romaji.
• Read real words early. As soon as you know あ, い, う, え, お and the k-row you can read あおい (blue), いえ (house) and かお (face).
• Watch the look-alikes: さ/ち, ぬ/め, ね/れ/わ, は/ほ, る/ろ. Compare them side by side.
• A small っ doubles the next consonant: きって kitte (stamp). A long vowel doubles the vowel: おかあさん okaasan (mother).
• Three particles break the rule: は is read wa, を is read o and へ is read e when they are used as particles: わたしは watashi wa.
• Then move on. Don't wait to be perfect: katakana and your first words fix the last gaps.