46 Basic Katakana
1. Vowels: a, i, u, e, o
ア a | イ i | ウ u | エ e | オ o |
1.1 ア (a)
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Pronunciation of ア:
- like “ah“
- like ‘a‘ in “arm”
- like ‘a‘ in “mask”
1.2 イ (i)
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Pronunciation of イ:
- like ‘i‘ in “in”
- like ‘i‘ in “internet”
- like ‘ee‘ in “eel”
1.3 ウ (u)
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Pronunciation of ウ:
- like ‘u‘ in “gnu“
- like ‘oo‘ in “oops”
- like ‘oo‘ in “moo“
1.4 エ (e)
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Pronunciation of エ:
- like ‘e‘ in “end”
- like ‘e‘ in “exotic”
- like ‘e‘ in “enter”
1.5 オ (o)
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Pronunciation of オ:
- like “oh“
- like ‘o‘ in “off”
- like ‘o‘ in “over”
2. K-Row: ka, ki, ku, ke, ko
カ ka | キ ki | ク ku | ケ ke | コ ko |
2.1 カ (ka)
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Pronunciation of カ:
- like “Ka” in “Kardashians”
- like “Ca” in “California”
- like ‘ca‘ in “car”
2.2 キ (ki)
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Pronunciation of キ:
- like ‘ki‘ in “kit”
- like ‘ki‘ in “kiss”
- like ‘ki‘ “kill”
2.3 ク (ku)
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Pronunciation of ク:
- like ‘cou‘ in “cougar”
- like ‘cu‘ in “cuckoo”
- like ‘co‘ in “cool”
2.4 ケ (ke)
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Pronunciation of ケ:
- like ‘ke‘ in “kelp”
- like ‘ke‘ in “Kentucky”
- like ‘ke‘ in “Kelly”
2.5 コ (ko)
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Pronunciation of コ:
- like ‘ko‘ in “koala”
- like ‘co‘ in “cobra”
- like ‘co‘ in “corn”
3. S-Row: sa, shi, su, se, so
サ sa | シ shi | ス su | セ se | ソ so |
3.1 サ (sa)
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Pronunciation of サ:
- like ‘sa‘ in “sauna”
- like ‘sa‘ in “sahara”
- like ‘su‘ in “sun”
3.2 シ (shi)
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Pronunciation of シ:
- like ‘shi‘ in “shish”
- like ‘shi‘ in “shift”
- like ‘shi‘ in “Shiva”
3.3 ス (su)
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Pronunciation of ス:
- like ‘su‘ in “sushi”
- like ‘su‘ in “surrender”
- like ‘soo‘ in “soon”
3.4 セ (se)
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Pronunciation of セ:
- like ‘se‘ in “self”
- like ‘se‘ in “set”
- like ‘se‘ in “send”
3.5 ソ (so)
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Pronunciation of ソ:
- like ‘so‘
- like ‘so‘ in “song”
- like ‘so‘ in “soft”
4. T-Row: ta, chi, tsu, te, to
タ ta | チ chi | ツ tsu | テ te | ト to |
4.1 タ (ta)
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Pronunciation of タ:
- like ‘ta‘ in “target”
- like ‘ta‘ in “Tarzan”
- like ‘ta‘ in “tacos”
4.2 チ (chi)
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Pronunciation of チ:
- like ‘chi‘ in “chilly”
- like ‘chi‘ in “chin”
- like ‘chi‘ in “Tai chi“
4.3 ツ (tsu)
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Pronunciation of ツ:
- like ‘zu‘ in “Zumba”
- like ‘zu‘ in “zucchini”
- like ‘tsu‘ in “shiatsu“
4.4 テ (te)
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Pronunciation of テ:
- like ‘te‘ in “test”
- like ‘te‘ in “temple”
- like ‘te‘ in “text”
4.5 ト (to)
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Pronunciation of ト:
- like ‘to‘ in “top”
- like ‘to‘ in “toss”
- like ‘to‘ in “toggle”
5. N-Row: na, ni, nu, ne, no
ナ na | ニ ni | ヌ nu | ネ ne | ノ no |
5.1 ナ (na)
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Pronunciation of ナ:
- like ‘na‘ in “nan bread”
- like ‘na‘ in “Narnia”
- like ‘nu‘ in “number”
5.2 ニ (ni)
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Pronunciation of ニ:
- like ‘ni‘ in “ninja”
- like ‘ni‘ in “Nixon”
- like ‘nea‘ in “near”
5.3 ヌ (nu)
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Pronunciation of ヌ:
- like ‘nu‘ in “kanu“
- like ‘nu‘ in “numerous”
- like ‘nu‘ in “nutritious”
5.4 ネ (ne)
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Pronunciation of ネ:
- like ‘ne‘ in “next”
- like ‘ne‘ in “nest”
- like ‘ne‘ in “never”
5.5 ノ (no)
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Pronunciation of ノ:
- like ‘no‘
- like ‘no‘ in “normal”
- like ‘no‘ in “non”
6. H-Row: ha, hi, fu, he, ho
ハ ha | ヒ hi | フ fu | ヘ he | ホ ho |
6.1 ハ (ha)
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Pronunciation of ハ:
- like ‘ha‘ in “ha ha ha“
- like ‘ha‘ in “hard”
- like ‘hu‘ in “hunter”
6.2 ヒ (hi)
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Pronunciation of ヒ:
- like ‘hi‘ in “hint”
- like ‘hi‘ in “Himalaya”
- like ‘hy‘ in “hystery”
6.3 フ (fu)
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Pronunciation of フ:
- like ‘f‘ in “full”
- like ‘f‘ in “fur”
- like ‘ff‘ in “huff“
6.4 ヘ (he)
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Pronunciation of ヘ:
- like ‘he‘ in “helicopter”
- like ‘he‘ in “hesitant”
- like ‘he‘ in “hell”
6.5 ホ (ho)
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Pronunciation of ホ:
- like ‘ho‘ in “ho ho ho“
- like ‘ho‘ in “hot”
- like ‘ho‘ in “home”
7. M-Row: ma, mi, mu, me, mo
マ ma | ミ mi | ム mu | メ me | モ mo |
7.1 マ (ma)
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Pronunciation of マ:
- like ‘ma‘ in “mama”
- like ‘ma‘ in “mark”
- like ‘ma‘ in “mask”
7.2 ミ (mi)
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Pronunciation of ミ:
- like ‘mi‘ in “mist”
- like ‘mi‘ in “milk”
- like ‘mi‘ in “mix”
7.3 ム (mu)
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Pronunciation of ム:
- like ‘moo‘
- like ‘mo‘ in “movie”
- like ‘moo‘ in “moon”
7.4 メ (me)
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Pronunciation of メ:
- like ‘me‘ in “mess”
- like ‘me‘ in “merry”
- like ‘me‘ in “Mexico”
7.5 モ (mo)
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Pronunciation of モ:
- like ‘mo‘ in “moss”
- like ‘mo‘ in “more”
- like ‘mo‘ in “monster”
8. R-Row: ra, ri, ru, re, ro
ラ ra | リ ri | ル ru | レ re | ロ ro |
8.1 ラ (ra)
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Pronunciation of ラ:
- like ‘la‘ in “large”
- like ‘la‘ in “last”
- like ‘la‘ in “lavender”
8.2 リ (ri)
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Pronunciation of リ:
- like ‘li‘ in “list”
- like ‘li‘ in “limb”
- like ‘li‘ in “lip”
8.3 ル (ru)
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Pronunciation of ル:
- like ‘lu‘ in “luna”
- like ‘lu‘ in “lucid”
- like ‘lu‘ in “luminosity”
8.4 レ (re)
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Pronunciation of レ:
- like ‘le‘ in “lend”
- like ‘le‘ in “left”
- like ‘le‘ in “lemon”
8.5 ロ (ro)
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Pronunciation of ロ:
- like ‘lo‘ in “lost”
- like ‘lo‘ in “long”
- like ‘lo‘ in “lock”
9. Y-Row: ya, yu, yo
ヤ ya | ユ yu | ヨ yo |
9.1 ヤ (ya)
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Pronunciation of ヤ:
- like ‘ya‘ in “yard”
- like ‘ya‘ in “yahoo”
- like ‘ya‘ in “yakuza”
9.2 ユ (yu)
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Pronunciation of ユ:
- like ‘you‘
- like ‘u‘ in “universe”
- like ‘u‘ in “unicorn”
9.3 ヨ (yo)
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Pronunciation of ヨ:
- like ‘yo‘ in “yo-yo”
- like ‘yo‘ in “New York”
- like ‘yo‘ in “yoghurt”
10. W-Row: wa, wo
ワ wa | ヲ wo |
10.1 ワ (wa)
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Pronunciation of ワ:
- like ‘wa‘ in “wand”
- like ‘wa‘ in “waffle”
- like ‘wi‘ in “wise”
10.2 ヲ (wo)
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Pronunciation of ヲ:
- like ‘o‘ in “on”
- like ‘wa‘ in “want”
- like ‘wa‘ in “waltz”
11. N-Row: n
ン n |
11.1 ン (n)
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Pronunciation of ン:
- like ‘n‘ in “account”
- like ‘n‘ in “Johnny”
- like ‘n‘ in “want”