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Language Learning ›

Learn Japanese

Japanese is spoken by ~125 million people, primarily in Japan, and is one of the most rewarding — and most challenging — languages for English speakers to learn. This guide covers everything from zero to near-native: the three writing systems, JLPT vocabulary and kanji by level, grammar patterns, all nine skills, and the best resources available. Quick Start (Week 1) Install Jisho — the best free Japanese-English dictionary (web +...
japanese jlpt language-learning hiragana katakana kanji May 30, 2026
Language Learning › Learn Japanese › Japanese Writing Systems ›

Katakana Complete Reference

Complete reference for all katakana characters and loanword transcription patterns. See the katakana skill guide for the learning strategy and confusable pairs. Base Katakana (46 characters) a i u e o ∅ ア (a) イ (i) ウ (u) エ (e) オ (o) k カ (ka) キ (ki) ク (ku) ケ (ke) コ (ko) s サ (sa) シ (shi) ス (su) セ (se) ソ (so) t タ (ta) チ (chi) ツ...
japanese katakana writing-systems loanwords language-learning May 30, 2026
Language Learning › Learn Japanese › Skills ›

Katakana

Katakana (カタカナ) is the second Japanese phonetic syllabary. It encodes the same sounds as hiragana but with distinct, angular shapes. It is used primarily for foreign loanwords, foreign names, technical terms, and emphasis — and it appears constantly in modern Japanese, especially in food, technology, and pop culture contexts. The Katakana Gojuuon Chart a i u e o ∅ ア a イ i ウ u エ e オ o k...
japanese katakana writing-systems language-learning May 30, 2026
Language Learning › Learn Japanese ›

Skills

Japanese requires nine distinct skill areas. The first two — hiragana and katakana — are absolute prerequisites that must be mastered before anything else. The remaining skills develop in parallel over years of consistent study. The Nine Skills at a Glance Skill Description Difficulty Time to Basic Hiragana The primary phonetic syllabary; 46 base + ~58 variants Medium 1–2 weeks Katakana Second phonetic syllabary; same sounds as hiragana Medium 1–2...
japanese skills hiragana katakana kanji grammar listening speaking May 30, 2026
Language Learning › Learn Japanese ›

Japanese Writing Systems

Modern Japanese uses four writing systems simultaneously. A single sentence can contain all four. Understanding how they work together is essential from the very beginning. The Four Writing Systems System Characters Primary use Hiragana 46 base + ~58 variants Grammar endings, particles, native words, furigana Katakana 46 base + ~58 variants Foreign loanwords, emphasis, scientific terms Kanji 2,136 Joyo + more Most nouns, verbs (base), adjectives Romaji 26 Roman letters...
japanese writing-systems hiragana katakana kanji language-learning May 30, 2026