Hiragana

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Hiragana is one of the three Japanese writing systems. The basic chart has 46 characters. Each character stands for one sound, usually a consonant with a vowel. Each row of the chart ends in the same vowel, and each column starts with the same consonant.

Dictionary entry: hiragana Katakana chart Japanese basics

The basic chart

Romaji is the English spelling of each sound※2. ※1 ※3 ※4

あ a あお ao: blue	か ka かさ kasa: umbrella	さ sa さかな sakana: fish	た ta たまご tamago: egg	な na なつ natsu: summer	は ha はな hana: flower	ま ma まち machi: town	ら ra らくだ rakuda: camel	や ya やま yama: mountain	わ wa わたし watashi: I
い i いぬ inu: dog	き ki きいろ kiiro: yellow	し shi しお shio: salt	ち chi ちず chizu: map	に ni にほん nihon: Japan	ひ hi ひと hito: person	み mi みず mizu: water	り ri りんご ringo: apple
う u うみ umi: sea	く ku くち kuchi: mouth	す su すむ sumu: to live	つ tsu つき tsuki: moon	ぬ nu ぬの nuno: cloth	ふ fu ふね fune: ship	む mu むし mushi: insect	る ru るす rusu: being away from home	ゆ yu ゆき yuki: snow	ん n ほん hon: book
え e えき eki: station	け ke けさ kesa: this morning	せ se せんせい sensei: teacher	て te てがみ tegami: letter	ね ne ねこ neko: cat	へ he へや heya: room	め me めがね megane: glasses	れ re れもん remon: lemon
お o おと oto: sound	こ ko こども kodomo: child	そ so そら sora: sky	と to ともだち tomodachi: friend	の no のり nori: seaweed	ほ ho ほし hoshi: star	も mo もも momo: peach	ろ ro ろくがつ rokugatsu: June	よ yo よる yoru: night	を wo

Voiced sounds

Two small marks change a basic character. The two strokes (゛) make a voiced sound. The small circle (゜) makes a p sound.

が ga がっこう gakkou: school	ざ za ざっし zasshi: magazine	だ da だいがく daigaku: university	ば ba ばしょ basho: place	ぱ pa ぱん pan: bread
ぎ gi ぎんこう ginkou: bank	じ ji じしょ jisho: dictionary	ぢ ji	び bi びじゅつ bijutsu: art	ぴ pi ぴかぴか pikapika: sparkling
ぐ gu ぐあい guai: condition	ず zu ずっと zutto: all along	づ zu	ぶ bu ぶた buta: pig	ぷ pu ぷりん purin: pudding
げ ge げんき genki: healthy	ぜ ze ぜんぶ zenbu: all	で de でんわ denwa: phone call	べ be べんり benri: convenient	ぺ pe ぺこぺこ pekopeko: starving
ご go ごはん gohan: meal	ぞ zo ぞう zou: elephant	ど do どうぶつ doubutsu: animal	ぼ bo ぼうし boushi: hat	ぽ po ぽかぽか pokapoka: warm

Combined sounds

A small や, ゆ, or よ after a basic character makes one combined sound. For example, き plus a small や is きゃ, said as kya.

きゃ kya きゃく kyaku: guest	しゃ sha しゃしん shashin: photograph	ちゃ cha ちゃいろ chairo: brown	にゃ nya にゃんこ nyanko: cat	ひゃ hya ひゃく hyaku: hundred	みゃ mya みゃく myaku: pulse	りゃ rya りゃく ryaku: abbreviation	ぎゃ gya ぎゃく gyaku: reverse	じゃ ja じゃま jama: obstacle	びゃ bya	ぴゃ pya
きゅ kyu きゅうり kyuuri: cucumber	しゅ shu しゅくだい shukudai: homework	ちゅ chu ちゅうい chuui: caution	にゅ nyu にゅうがく nyuugaku: admission	ひゅ hyu	みゅ myu	りゅ ryu りゅうがく ryuugaku: study abroad	ぎゅ gyu ぎゅうにゅう gyuunyuu: milk	じゅ ju じゅうしょ juusho: address	びゅ byu びゅうびゅう byuubyuu: whooshing	ぴゅ pyu ぴゅうぴゅう pyuupyuu: whistling
きょ kyo きょう kyou: today	しょ sho しょくじ shokuji: meal	ちょ cho ちょうど choudo: exactly	にょ nyo	ひょ hyo ひょうか hyouka: evaluation	みょ myo みょうじ myouji: surname	りょ ryo りょこう ryokou: trip	ぎょ gyo ぎょうざ gyouza: dumpling	じょ jo じょうず jouzu: skilled	びょ byo びょういん byouin: hospital	ぴょ pyo ぴょんぴょん pyonpyon: hopping

Notes

※1

ん (n)

ん is the only character with no vowel sound. It is the last character in the u row.
※2

Romaji

Romaji is the spelling of Japanese sounds with English letters. This chart uses the Hepburn system, which is the most common system in English textbooks. In this system, shi, chi, tsu, and fu are spelled this way.
※3

Empty cells

An empty cell has no basic hiragana. The sounds yi, ye, wi, and we are not in the basic chart.
※4

を (wo)

In modern Japanese, を is written only as a particle that marks the object of a verb. It is said as o.