Learn how to write Japanese katakana symbols with the 46 katakana chart, when to use, and how to use them.
A chart of 46 different Katakana
Here is a chart of 45 Katakana symbols, which is exactly the same as for Hiragana.
Starting from A, i, u, e, o and end with Wa, O.
There are basically 45 Katakana characters. Not 46.
Unlike Hiragana script, there is no WO character with the Katakana scripts.
 a |
 i |
 u |
 e |
 o |
 ka |
 ki |
 ku |
 ke |
 ko |
 sa |
 shi |
 su |
 se |
 so |
 ta |
 chi |
 tsu |
 te |
 to |
 na |
 ni |
 nu |
 ne |
 no |
 ha |
 hi |
 fu |
 he |
 ho |
 ma |
 mi |
 mu |
 me |
 mo |
 ya |
 yu |
 yo |
||
 ra |
 ri |
 ru |
 re |
 ro |
 wa |
 nn |
What is Katakana?
Katakana symbols are more sharp and angular than Hiragana symbols.
Katakana symbols are also said ‘partial character’ which means the character is a part of Kanji character.
Like Hiragana scripts, Katakana scripts are the same set of sounds and called “Phonetic Alphabetic” which has got 46 basic Katakana symbols.
Take a look at the example above.
These are the first 5 characters(a, i, u, e, o) both in Katakana and Hiragana.
However, the use of Katakana is totally different to other 2 scripts.
Katakana is often used for representing non-Japanese words:
- non-Japanese names: Japanese people often use Katakana script to write non-Japanese names. If you go to a Mcdonalds in Japan, you will see its names written by using Katakana scripts.
- Words introduced into Japanese Language from other langauge: words such as Stereo can be written with Katakana scripts.
Wring your English name in Katakana
What if you want to write your name in Japanese?
It is very common to use Katakana script to write English names in Japanese.
So, let’s see how Japanese people write ‘Ken’ in Japanese.
|
|
| ke | nn |
First of all, the Japanese name translation is usually done by using the phonetic translation which means a suitable Katakana character is allocated according to the sound of its name.
So, if the name is Ken, there are 2 types of sound that match one of the Katakana symbol from the 45 Katakana chart.
Remember, a chart of Katakana syllabary is called ‘a phonetic alphabet’.
So, we decide a Katakana symbol by the sound of its name.
However, some people prefer their names written in Kanji like a Japanese person’ name.
In that case, you need to have a Japanese person to decide which kanji symbol to use, but unlike Katakana script, writing names in Kanji is more complex.
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