Katakana chart
Learn katakana with a complete basic chart, voiced sounds, combinations and example words. Hear Japanese device audio where available.
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ア · a
Audio uses your device’s Japanese voice when available.
Read it in a word
アイス · ice cream
エアコン · air conditioner
Same sound in hiragana: あ
Practice katakana →Small kana change the rhythm
キャ ≠ キヤ · カップ ≠ カプ
A small ゃ / ャ combines sounds. A small っ / ッ adds a beat before the next consonant. These are not interchangeable with full-sized characters.
Make sense of what you’re practicing
Read borrowed words in Japanese
Katakana often writes borrowed words, names, emphasis and sound effects. コーヒー is coffee and カメラ is camera, but Japanese pronunciation follows its own sound system.
Length matters
The mark ー lengthens the preceding vowel: メール is meeru. Small ッ marks a consonant pause, as in ベッド (beddo). These features can change a word’s meaning.
Beyond the core chart
The core combinations include キャ, シュ and チョ. Loanwords also use extended sounds such as ファ (fa), ティ (ti), and ウェ (we). Learn them in words after the basic chart.