what's katakana?

Katakana is a syllabary. Each "letter" actually represents a syllable. For instance:

• カ ka
• タ ta
• カ ka
• ナ na

カタカナ

Katakana is fun to learn, because it's mainly used to write loanwords into Japanese. These days, the vast majority of such loanwords into Japanese are from English. Since you know English you've got a leg up.

What do you need to learn in order to read Katakana?

1. You need to understand a little about Japanese pronunciation patterns.
2. You need to memorize 50 symbols.
3. You need to learn a few rules about combining the symbols.
4. You need to practice.

This site is here to help you do the memorizing, and to practice deciphering.

Impress your friends!

Next: How common is katakana?

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