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The Complete Katakana Chart

All 104 katakana characters with romaji and pronunciation — tap any character to hear it, then download the free printable PDF to master the script for good.

⬇ Download free PDFPractice in the app
104characters & sounds
46core katakana
1–2 wksto memorise

Tap a character to hear it

The full katakana chart, organised by sound. Switch between the basic characters, voiced sounds, combinations, and the extended katakana used for foreign words.

a
i
u
e
o
K
ka
ki
ku
ke
ko
S
sa
shi
su
se
so
T
ta
chi
tsu
te
to
N
na
ni
nu
ne
no
H
ha
hi
fu
he
ho
M
ma
mi
mu
me
mo
Y
ya
yu
yo
R
ra
ri
ru
re
ro
W
wa
wo
N
n
G
ga
gi
gu
ge
go
Z
za
ji
zu
ze
zo
D
da
ji
zu
de
do
B
ba
bi
bu
be
bo
P
pa
pi
pu
pe
po
K
kya
kyu
kyo
S
sha
shu
sho
T
cha
chu
cho
N
nya
nyu
nyo
H
hya
hyu
hyo
M
mya
myu
myo
R
rya
ryu
ryo
G
gya
gyu
gyo
J
ja
ju
jo
B
bya
byu
byo
P
pya
pyu
pyo
fa
fi
fe
fo
wi
we
wo
vu
ti
di
tu
che
she
je

Used for modern loanwords: フォーク (fork), パーティー (party), カフェ (café), チェック (check).

🔊 Tip: tap any character to hear its pronunciation (works best in Chrome, Edge & Safari).

Free printable katakana chart (PDF)

Download the full chart as a clean, one-page PDF. Print it, pin it above your desk, or share it with your class — completely free, no email required.

⬇ Download the PDF
PDF · A4Printable katakana chart preview

Learn katakana that actually sticks

A chart shows you the characters. Kanabloom makes you remember them — with spaced-repetition flashcards that focus on exactly the katakana you keep getting wrong.

  • Dedicated katakana mode with native audio
  • Smart revision that targets your weak characters
  • Beautiful, ad-free, and free to start
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Kanabloom katakana flashcards modeKanabloom spaced repetition revision

The 3 things beginners miss

Katakana looks simple, but these are the details that separate reading fluently from guessing.

➖

The long vowel mark (ー)

Unique to katakana, this line stretches the vowel before it for an extra beat. Miss it and words fall apart.

= kōhī (coffee) · = rāmen
🌐

Extended katakana

Modern loanwords need sounds the old chart never had, spelled with small vowels like ファ (fa) and チェ (che).

= café · = party
👀

Lookalike characters

A few pairs trip up everyone. The trick is stroke direction — see the pairs below.

/  ·  /

Master the tricky lookalikes

The golden rule: シ (shi) and ン (n) sweep upward; ツ (tsu) and ソ (so) come downward.

シ has near-horizontal dots and a stroke sweeping up from the bottom. ツ has side-by-side dots and a stroke coming down from the top.

Same rule: ン sweeps upward from the bottom-left, ソ drops down from the top. Write them in stroke order and you'll never confuse them.

ク is a tidy two-stroke corner. ケ adds a short third stroke on the left.

ナ is a clean cross (plus shape). メ is an X with the strokes crossing diagonally.

Katakana chart FAQ

How many katakana characters are there?
There are 46 basic katakana characters. Adding dakuten and handakuten brings you to 71 sounds, and combination characters (yōon) add about 33 more — 104 in total. Katakana covers exactly the same sounds as hiragana.
What is katakana used for?
Mainly foreign loanwords (コーヒー, coffee), onomatopoeia, foreign names, scientific names of plants and animals, and emphasis — much like italics in English.
Is this katakana chart free to download and print?
Yes. The printable PDF is completely free to download, print, and share for personal or classroom use — no sign-up required.
Should I learn hiragana or katakana first?
Learn hiragana first — it's used for native Japanese words and grammar, so you'll see it everywhere from day one. Then move to katakana for loanwords. See our full hiragana vs katakana guide.