Beginner's guide

The Japanese Alphabet, Explained

Q: Does Japanese have an alphabet?

Not in the ABC sense. Japanese uses three scripts together: hiragana and katakana (two 46-character phonetic syllabaries) and kanji (thousands of meaning-based characters). Hiragana is the closest thing to a beginner's alphabet.

Q: How many letters are in the Japanese alphabet?

Hiragana and katakana each have 46 basic characters (92 together). Kanji adds thousands, but you only need about 2,000 for everyday literacy.

Japanese doesn't have a single A-B-C alphabet — it has three writing systems that work together. Here's what each one is, and exactly where to start.

Quick answer: Japanese uses three scripts: hiragana (46 phonetic characters for native words), katakana (46 for foreign words), and kanji (thousands of meaning-based characters). There's no ABC alphabet — hiragana is where every beginner starts.

The three Japanese scripts

A single Japanese sentence often uses all three at once. Tap a script to explore its full chart.

あ

Hiragana

46 characters · phonetic

The rounded, flowing script for native Japanese words, verb endings, and grammar. The first thing every learner masters.

View hiragana chart →

ア

Katakana

46 characters · phonetic

The sharp, angular script for foreign loanwords, names, onomatopoeia, and emphasis. Same sounds as hiragana.

View katakana chart →

水

Kanji

Thousands · meaning-based

Characters borrowed from Chinese, each carrying meaning. You need around 2,000 for everyday literacy — learned gradually, after kana.

Learn kana first

Your learning path

The order that works — build a phonetic foundation before touching kanji.

Hiragana

Learn all 46 characters. This unlocks native words and grammar, and lets you read children's books and textbooks.

Katakana

Same sounds, new shapes. Faster the second time — and essential for menus, brands, and loanwords.

Vocabulary

Build words using the kana you know. Every word reinforces the characters until reading becomes automatic.

Kanji

Start a few at a time. With kana solid, kanji becomes far easier to slot into real sentences.

The three systems at a glance

Script	Characters	Type	Used for
Hiragana	46 basic	Phonetic (syllabary)	Native words, grammar, particles
Katakana	46 basic	Phonetic (syllabary)	Loanwords, names, emphasis
Kanji	~2,000+ common	Logographic (meaning)	Nouns, verb stems, concepts
Rōmaji	26 (A–Z)	Latin letters	Typing & teaching pronunciation

Ready to start? Begin with hiragana.

It's the foundation of everything else. Grab the free hiragana chart, tap each character to hear it, then test yourself with the kana quiz.

Open the hiragana chart →

FAQ

Does Japanese have an alphabet?

Not in the ABC sense. Japanese uses three scripts together — hiragana and katakana (two 46-character phonetic syllabaries) and kanji (meaning-based characters). Hiragana is the closest thing to a beginner's alphabet.

How many letters are in the Japanese alphabet?

Hiragana and katakana each have 46 basic characters — 92 together. Kanji adds thousands, but everyday literacy needs about 2,000.

Which Japanese script should I learn first?

Start with hiragana, then katakana, then begin kanji gradually. See our hiragana vs katakana guide for the details.

What is rōmaji?

Rōmaji is Japanese written in Latin letters (A–Z), used for typing on keyboards and teaching pronunciation to beginners. It's a learning aid, not a script native readers use.