Katakana characters

There are 46 basic katakana, which can be modified to make over a hundred characters. However, the last modified katakana are very rare, which is why you will learn the most important 112 katakana characters with WordDive. The hiragana characters are more central to building your language skills.

 ア aイ iウ uエ eオ o   
Kカ kaキ kiク kuケ keコ koキャ kyaキュ kyuキョ kyo
Sサ saシ shiス suセ seソ soシャ shaシュ shuショ sho
Tタ taチ chiツ tsuテ teト toチャ chaチュ chuチョ cho
Nナ naニ niヌ nuネ neノ noニャ nyaニュ nyuニョ nyo
Hハ haヒ hiフ fuヘ heホ hoヒャ hyaヒュ hyuヒョ hyo
Mマ maミ miム muメ meモ moミャ myaミュ myuミョ myo
Yヤ ya ユ yu ヨ yo   
Rラ raリ riル ruレ reロ roリャ ryaリュ ryuリョ ryo
Wワ wa       
 ン n       
Gガ gaギ giグ guゲ geゴ goギャ gyaギュ guyギョ gyo
Zザ zaジ jiズ zuゼ zeゾ zoジャ jaジュ juジョ jo
Dダ daヂ (ji)ヅ (zu)デ deド do   
Bバ baビ biブ buベ beボ boビャ byaビュ byuビョ byo
Pパ paピ piプ puペ peポ poピャ pyaピュ pyuピョ pyo
Fファ faフィ fi フェ feフォ fo   
Tツァ tsaティ tiトゥ tu     
W   ウェ weウォ wo   
 
ElementaryIntermediateAdvanced

With WordDive, you will automatically learn the katakana characters in order of priority.

Writing in katakana

write katakana

After installing Japanese support, select Full-width katakana as the input language.

Now the characters are typed in Latin alphabet as usual, apart from the exceptions below.

Entering exceptional katakana characters

vowel mark

The lengthened vowel mark, which is common in katakana text "ー" (e.g. in アイスクリーム, aisukuriimu, ice-cream), is entered by pressing the + key in the number row of your keyboard.

Below are listed the other katakana characters with exceptional input.

CharacterEnterSyllable and pronunciation
diji
duzu
nnn
+Lengthens the preceding vowel, as in aisukuriimu.
CharacterSyllableEnterSyllable and pronunciationExampleEnglish
ウェU+Ewewewebusaitoweb site
ウォU+Owhowowonwon (South Korean currency)
ツァTSU+AtsatsaMootsarutoMozart
ティTE+Ithititiitea
トゥTO+Utwututatuutattoo
ファFU+Afafakyanpufaiacampfire
フィFU+Ififitorofiitrophy
フェFU+Efefefenshingufencing
フォFU+Ofofofoagurafoie gras

The katakana on the latter list are rare, and you might never need to use them. However, it is useful to know the method of writing these characters: adding the small character which causes the large character to be pronounced differently.