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)