How Japanese Writing Works

Japanese has one of the most fascinating writing systems in the world. Unlike English, which uses a single alphabet, Japanese uses three distinct scripts — often mixed together in a single sentence. This lesson introduces the big picture before you start learning individual characters.

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The Three Scripts

Script	Characters	Purpose	Example
Hiragana	46 base characters	Native Japanese words, grammar	たべる (taberu — to eat)
Katakana	46 base characters	Foreign loanwords, emphasis, onomatopoeia	コーヒー (koohii — coffee)
Kanji	~2,136 in common use	Meaning-carrying characters from Chinese	山 (yama — mountain)

A typical Japanese sentence uses all three:

私はコーヒーを飲みます。 Watashi wa koohii wo nomimasu. "I drink coffee."

• 私 and 飲 are kanji
• は, を, みます are hiragana
• コーヒー is katakana

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Why Learn Hiragana and Katakana First?

Hiragana and katakana are the foundation of Japanese literacy:

1. Every Japanese sound can be written in hiragana or katakana
2. Furigana — small hiragana above kanji show pronunciation, so you can read anything
3. Children's books are written entirely in hiragana
4. Katakana lets you read thousands of English-origin loanwords immediately
5. Textbooks use hiragana from lesson one — romaji (Roman letters) disappears quickly

Tip: Mastering hiragana and katakana typically takes 2–4 weeks of daily practice. This course gives you everything you need.

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Hiragana: The Everyday Script

Hiragana (ひらがな) is used for:

• Native Japanese words that are not written in kanji
• Grammar particles — は (wa), が (ga), を (wo), に (ni), で (de)
• Verb and adjective endings — 食べる (taberu), 高い (takai)
• Furigana — pronunciation guides above kanji
• Children's writing before they learn kanji

Hiragana characters are rounded and flowing:

あ い う え お    (a i u e o)
か き く け こ    (ka ki ku ke ko)
さ し す せ そ    (sa shi su se so)

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Katakana: The Foreign-Word Script

Katakana (カタカナ) is used for:

• Foreign loanwords — テレビ (terebi — television), パソコン (pasokon — personal computer)
• Foreign names — マイク (Maiku — Mike), ロンドン (Rondon — London)
• Onomatopoeia — ドキドキ (dokidoki — heart pounding)
• Emphasis — similar to italics or bold in English
• Scientific terms — ウイルス (uirusu — virus)

Katakana characters are angular and sharp:

ア イ ウ エ オ    (a i u e o)
カ キ ク ケ コ    (ka ki ku ke ko)
サ シ ス セ ソ    (sa shi su se so)

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Romaji: Roman Letters

Romaji (ローマ字) is the representation of Japanese sounds using the Latin alphabet. There are several systems:

System	し	ち	つ	ふ
Hepburn (most common)	shi	chi	tsu	fu
Kunrei-shiki	si	ti	tu	hu
Nihon-shiki	si	ti	tu	hu

This course uses the Hepburn system, which is the most widely used and closest to English pronunciation.

Warning: Do not rely on romaji long-term. It is a stepping stone. Native Japanese text does not use romaji, and over-reliance on it slows your progress.

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The Japanese Sound System

Vowels

Japanese has exactly five vowel sounds:

Vowel	Pronunciation	English Approximation
a	ah	"a" in "father"
i	ee	"ee" in "feet"
u	oo	"oo" in "food" (lips unrounded)
e	eh	"e" in "pet"
o	oh	"o" in "go"

These five vowels are consistent — they always sound the same, unlike English vowels.

Consonants + Vowels = Mora

Japanese sounds are built by pairing a consonant with a vowel:

k + a = ka (か)
s + u = su (す)
t + e = te (て)
n + i = ni (に)

Mora vs Syllable

Japanese rhythm is based on mora (拍, haku), not syllables:

Word	English Syllables	Japanese Mora
Tokyo (とうきょう)	To-kyo (2)	to-u-kyo-u (4)
Osaka (おおさか)	O-sa-ka (3)	o-o-sa-ka (4)
Nippon (にっぽん)	Nip-pon (2)	ni-p-po-n (4)

Each mora takes equal time to pronounce. This gives Japanese its characteristic even rhythm.

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The Gojuuon Chart

All hiragana and katakana characters are traditionally arranged in the gojuuon (五十音, "fifty sounds") chart:

     a    i    u    e    o
—   あ   い   う   え   お
k   か   き   く   け   こ
s   さ   し   す   せ   そ
t   た   ち   つ   て   と
n   な   に   ぬ   ね   の
h   は   ひ   ふ   へ   ほ
m   ま   み   む   め   も
y   や        ゆ        よ
r   ら   り   る   れ   ろ
w   わ                  を
n   ん

The chart has 46 basic characters (some cells are empty). With dakuten (゛) and handakuten (゜) marks, plus combination characters, the total number of distinct sounds is around 100.

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Course Roadmap

Lesson	What You Will Learn
1	How Japanese writing works (this lesson)
2	Hiragana: Vowels and K/S rows (15 characters)
3	Hiragana: T/N/H rows (15 characters)
4	Hiragana: M/Y/R/W/N rows (13 characters)
5	Hiragana: Dakuten and combinations
6	Katakana: Vowels and K/S rows (15 characters)
7	Katakana: T/N/H rows (15 characters)
8	Katakana: M/Y/R/W/N rows (13 characters)
9	Katakana: Dakuten and special combinations
10	Reading practice and next steps

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Summary

Japanese uses three scripts: hiragana for native words and grammar, katakana for foreign words, and kanji for meaning. This course focuses on hiragana and katakana — the essential 92 characters that form the foundation of Japanese literacy. Japanese sounds are built from five consistent vowels combined with consonants, producing a regular and learnable sound system. In the next lesson, you will learn your first 15 hiragana characters.