The complete katakana chart

Katakana is the second Japanese syllabary: it is used for foreign loanwords (コーヒー kōhī, “coffee”), non-Japanese proper names, onomatopoeia and emphasis.

The sounds are the same as hiragana: 46 base kana in the same grid (gojūon). Only the shapes change — sharper and more angular.

Tap any kana to hear its pronunciation and watch its stroke order, animated stroke by stroke.

Yukigo — learn katakana with audio, handwriting and spaced repetition, then kanji and grammar. Free, no ads.

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The 46 base katakana (gojūon)

Dakuten and handakuten

Just like hiragana: the dakuten ( ゛) voices the consonant (カ ka → ガ ga), the handakuten ( ゜) turns the H row into P (ハ ha → パ pa).

Combinations (yōon)

An I-column kana followed by a small ャ, ュ or ョ forms a single sound: キ + ャ = キャ kya.

How to memorize katakana

If you already know hiragana you're halfway there: the sounds are identical. Focus on the lookalike pairs (シ shi / ツ tsu, ン n / ソ so) by writing them by hand. Yukigo teaches them with tracing, audio and spaced repetition, for free.

How you study it in the app: hear it, trace it, then write it from memory.

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Take the chart with you

The complete katakana chart as a free PDF — print it and keep it where you study.

Complete katakana chart: all 46 kana with romaji, dakuten and yōon

Download the PDF

Frequently asked questions

46 base characters, same as hiragana, plus dakuten, handakuten and combinations — the sounds are exactly the same.

They split the work: hiragana for native words and grammar, katakana for foreign loanwords, proper names, onomatopoeia and emphasis.

The chōonpu: it lengthens the previous vowel, as in コーヒー kōhī. In katakana it's the standard way to write long vowels.

Look at the stroke orientation: in シ (shi) they're more horizontal, in ツ (tsu) more vertical. Writing them in the correct stroke order fixes them better than any mnemonic.

Each kana is written in a set order, usually top to bottom and left to right. Tap any kana in the chart to watch its strokes drawn one by one.

Yes: the free PDF includes gojūon, dakuten and yōon laid out for A4 printing, with rōmaji readings.

Looking for the other syllabary? Hiragana chart →