Katakana: Vowels and K/S Rows

Now that you have mastered hiragana, it is time to learn katakana — the second Japanese phonetic script. Katakana represents the same sounds as hiragana, but the characters look different. They are angular and sharp, in contrast to hiragana's rounded curves.

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When Is Katakana Used?

Usage	Example
Foreign loanwords	コーヒー (koohii — coffee)
Foreign names	マイク (Maiku — Mike)
Country names	アメリカ (Amerika — America)
Onomatopoeia	ドキドキ (dokidoki — heart pounding)
Emphasis	Similar to italics or CAPS in English
Scientific / technical terms	ウイルス (uirusu — virus)
Company / brand names	トヨタ (Toyota)

Tip: If you can read katakana, you can instantly understand thousands of English-origin loanwords in Japanese. This is one of the fastest wins in learning Japanese.

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The Five Vowels (ア行)

Character	Romaji	Hiragana Equivalent	Pronunciation Tip	Example Word
ア	a	あ	"ah" as in "father"	アメリカ (Amerika — America)
イ	i	い	"ee" as in "feet"	イギリス (Igirisu — England)
ウ	u	う	"oo" as in "food"	ウイルス (uirusu — virus)
エ	e	え	"eh" as in "pet"	エレベーター (erebeetaa — elevator)
オ	o	お	"oh" as in "go"	オレンジ (orenji — orange)

Stroke Order Tips

• ア (a) — 2 strokes. A horizontal-to-diagonal stroke, then a curving stroke. Looks like a tilted "T."
• イ (i) — 2 strokes. A short diagonal stroke and a longer vertical stroke. Looks like a person standing.
• ウ (u) — 3 strokes. A flat top with two downward strokes. Looks like a table or roof.
• エ (e) — 3 strokes. Three horizontal/angular strokes forming an "I-beam" shape.
• オ (o) — 3 strokes. A horizontal line, a vertical line, and a sweeping curve.

Memory Aid: ア (a) looks like an axehead. イ (i) looks like a person standing — "I am standing."

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The K Row (カ行)

Character	Romaji	Hiragana Equivalent	Pronunciation Tip	Example Word
カ	ka	か	"ka" as in "car"	カメラ (kamera — camera)
キ	ki	き	"kee" as in "key"	キロ (kiro — kilogram / kilometre)
ク	ku	く	"koo" as in "cool"	クラス (kurasu — class)
ケ	ke	け	"keh" as in "Kenya"	ケーキ (keeki — cake)
コ	ko	こ	"koh" as in "coat"	コーヒー (koohii — coffee)

Stroke Order Tips

• カ (ka) — 2 strokes. Looks like a simplified version of the katakana/kanji radical for "power" (力).
• キ (ki) — 3 strokes. Two horizontal lines and a vertical line. Very angular compared to hiragana き.
• ク (ku) — 2 strokes. A short stroke and a longer diagonal. Looks like an angle bracket.
• ケ (ke) — 3 strokes. Similar to カ but with an extra horizontal stroke on top.
• コ (ko) — 2 strokes. A simple open rectangle — two angular strokes forming a corner.