Learn Japanese

 

Tap or hover the character to reveal its reading. Type the romaji, then press space or enter to skip.

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Hiragana |

あa かka さsa たta なna はha まma やya らra わwa がga ざza だda ばba ぱpa
いi きki しshi ちchi にni ひhi みmi りri ぎgi じji ぢji びbi ぴpi
うu くku すsu つtsu ぬnu ふfu むmu ゆyu るru ぐgu ずzu づzu ぶbu ぷpu
えe けke せse てte ねne へhe めme れre げge ぜze でde べbe ぺpe
おo こko そso とto のno ほho もmo よyo ろro をo んn ごgo ぞzo どdo ぼbo ぽpo

Hiragana combinations |

きゃkya しゃsha ちゃcha にゃnya ひゃhya みゃmya りゃrya ぎゃgya じゃja ぢゃja びゃbya ぴゃpya
きゅkyu しゅshu ちゅchu にゅnyu ひゅhyu みゅmyu りゅryu ぎゅgyu じゅju ぢゅju びゅbyu ぴゅpyu
きょkyo しょsho ちょcho にょnyo ひょhyo みょmyo りょryo ぎょgyo じょjo ぢょjo びょbyo ぴょpyo

Katakana |

アa カka サsa タta ナna ハha マma ヤya ラra ワwa ガga ザza ダda バba パpa
イi キki シshi チchi ニni ヒhi ミmi リri ギgi ジji ヂji ビbi ピpi
ウu クku スsu ツtsu ヌnu フfu ムmu ユyu ルru グgu ズzu ヅzu ブbu プpu
エe ケke セse テte ネne ヘhe メme レre ゲge ゼze デde ベbe ペpe
オo コko ソso トto ノno ホho モmo ヨyo ロro ヲo ンn ゴgo ゾzo ドdo ボbo ポpo

Katakana combinations |

キャkya シャsha チャcha ニャnya ヒャhya ミャmya リャrya ギャgya ジャja ヂャja ビャbya ピャpya
キュkyu シュshu チュchu ニュnyu ヒュhyu ミュmyu リュryu ギュgyu ジュju ヂュju ビュbyu ピュpyu
キョkyo ショsho チョcho ニョnyo ヒョhyo ミョmyo リョryo ギョgyo ジョjo ヂョjo ビョbyo ピョpyo

Fonts |

Check more than one and the quiz rotates through them — useful once you can read the default style and want exposure to handwriting, print, or stylized variants.

ぎsystem ぎNoto Sans ぎNoto Serif ぎZen Kaku ぎKosugi Maru ぎShippori
ぎHina Mincho ぎKlee (handwriting) ぎYomogi (marker) ぎReggae (display) ぎDotGothic (pixel) ぎStick (skeleton)

How this trainer adapts

The picker is weighted. Every kana you miss gets a bigger slice of the random draw on subsequent turns, so the ones giving you trouble come back more often — and the ones you breeze through fade into the background. The weighting is per-character and persists between sessions in your browser's localStorage. Clear that storage and the trainer resets to neutral.

Miss a character and a quick feedback card appears: a memory-hook mnemonic linking its shape to its sound, and an example word or two using it. The card deepens the more you miss the same kana — on a repeat slip it adds a "why you slipped" note (if you typed a look-alike kana, it names it and tells you the difference), and once a kana becomes a real sticking point it shows a picture cue, your miss count, and more examples. A small tricky one badge also flags it. Everything clears once you start getting it right.

Multi-font practice (the Fonts table above) is for after you can read the default style fluently. Real Japanese text shows up in many shapes — pencil scribbles, posters, retro game pixels — and the brain learns to abstract the identity of each kana faster when it's seen in a few styles. Tick a few extras when you feel ready; the quiz will rotate through them randomly.

The pair of tick marks beside a kana (called dakuten) softens the consonant: k → g, t → d, h/f → b, s/ts → z, sh/ch → j. A small circle (handakuten) on the は-row turns h → p: は (ha) → ぱ (pa).

The small kana ゃ ゅ ょ glue onto an i-row character to form a single syllable — き (ki) plus ゃ becomes きゃ (kya). The small っ doesn't make a sound itself; it doubles the consonant of the next kana, like a half-beat pause: にっぽん (nippon), がっこう (gakkou).

Tap Play sound to hear the current kana spoken by your browser's voice synthesizer. Stroke order pops up the stroke-order animation (sourced from Wikimedia Commons) right on the page. Skip moves on and counts the current character as missed.

Keyboard: type the romaji, then press Space or Enter to skip / advance.

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View on Wikimedia Commons