# Hiragana

https://langs123.com/en/japanese/foundations/hiragana/
CEFR A0 · 2026-10-24 · CC BY 4.0, langs123 contributors (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

> The 46 basic hiragana, one sound each, set out in a table of five vowels and ten rows. As particles, **は**, **へ** and **を** read *wa*, *e* and *o*: わたし**は** *watashi wa*, うみ**へ** *umi e*, ほん**を** *hon o*

## Summary

| Point | Rule | Example |
| --- | --- | --- |
| The table | 46 kana: five vowels across, ten rows down | **あ** / **か** / **さ** / **た** / **な** *a, ka, sa, ta, na* |
| Vowels | five kana, five vowels | **あ** / **い** / **う** / **え** / **お** *a, i, u, e, o* |
| Rows | a consonant plus the vowels, in the order a i u e o | **か** / **き** / **く** / **け** / **こ** *ka, ki, ku, ke, ko* |
| Irregular | **し**, **ち**, **つ** and **ふ** have their own sounds | **し** / **ち** / **つ** / **ふ** *shi, chi, tsu, fu* |
| Direction | horizontal left to right; vertical top to bottom, columns right to left |  |
| Particles | **は**, **へ**, **を** read *wa*, *e*, *o* | わたし**は** *watashi wa* |
| Trap | write the particle **は**, say *wa* | わたし**は**ほんをよみます。 *watashi wa hon o yomimasu* |
| Trap | write the particle **を**, say *o*; the *o* of words is **お** | **ほんを**よみます。 *hon o yomimasu* |

## Hiragana and the table

- Hiragana has 46 basic kana, and each kana stands for one sound.
- Hiragana writes endings, particles and many native words; Katakana and Kanji write the rest.
- The table is called **ごじゅうおん**; it has five vowels across and ten rows down.
- A row keeps its consonant and runs through the vowels in the fixed order a, i, u, e, o. **か** / **き** / **く** / **け** / **こ** *ka, ki, ku, ke, ko*
- Romaji spells Japanese in Latin letters; this guide uses modified Hepburn, which writes **し** as *shi*.
- Voiced sounds, small kana and long vowels follow in Kana Sounds.

## The vowels

| Kana | Sound | Example |  |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| **あ** | *a* /a/ | **あ**さ *asa* /asa/ | morning |
| **い** | *i* /i/ | **い**え *ie* /ie/ | house |
| **う** | *u* /ɯ/ | **う**み *umi* /ɯmi/ | sea |
| **え** | *e* /e/ | **え**き *eki* /eki/ | station |
| **お** | *o* /o/ | **お**かし *okashi* /okaɕi/ | sweets |

## The K, S, T and N rows

| Kana | Sound | Example |  |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| **か** | *ka* /ka/ | **か**さ *kasa* /kasa/ | umbrella |
| **き** | *ki* /ki/ | **き**つね *kitsune* /kitsɯne/ | fox |
| **く** | *ku* /kɯ/ | **く**ち *kuchi* /kɯtɕi/ | mouth |
| **け** | *ke* /ke/ | **け**さ *kesa* /kesa/ | this morning |
| **こ** | *ko* /ko/ | **こ**え *koe* /koe/ | voice |
| **さ** | *sa* /sa/ | **さ**かな *sakana* /sakana/ | fish |
| **し** | *shi* /ɕi/ | **し**ろ *shiro* /ɕiɾo/ | white |
| **す** | *su* /sɯ/ | **す**し *sushi* /sɯɕi/ | sushi |
| **せ** | *se* /se/ | **せ**かい *sekai* /sekai/ | world |
| **そ** | *so* /so/ | **そ**ら *sora* /soɾa/ | sky |
| **た** | *ta* /ta/ | **た**こ *tako* /tako/ | octopus |
| **ち** | *chi* /tɕi/ | **ち**ち *chichi* /tɕitɕi/ | my father |
| **つ** | *tsu* /tsɯ/ | **つ**き *tsuki* /tsɯki/ | moon |
| **て** | *te* /te/ | **て**ら *tera* /teɾa/ | temple |
| **と** | *to* /to/ | **と**り *tori* /toɾi/ | bird |
| **な** | *na* /na/ | **な**つ *natsu* /natsɯ/ | summer |
| **に** | *ni* /ɲi/ | **に**く *niku* /ɲikɯ/ | meat |
| **ぬ** | *nu* /nɯ/ | い**ぬ** *inu* /inɯ/ | dog |
| **ね** | *ne* /ne/ | **ね**こ *neko* /neko/ | cat |
| **の** | *no* /no/ | **の**り *nori* /noɾi/ | seaweed (nori) |

- **し**, **ち** and **つ** differ from the pattern of their rows: they read *shi*, *chi* and *tsu*. **し** / **ち** / **つ** *shi, chi, tsu*

## The H, M, Y, R and W rows, and ん

| Kana | Sound | Example |  |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| **は** | *ha* /ha/ | **は**な *hana* /hana/ | flower |
| **ひ** | *hi* /çi/ | **ひ**と *hito* /çito/ | person |
| **ふ** | *fu* /ɸɯ/ | **ふ**ね *fune* /ɸɯne/ | ship |
| **へ** | *he* /he/ | **へ**や *heya* /heja/ | room |
| **ほ** | *ho* /ho/ | **ほ**し *hoshi* /hoɕi/ | star |
| **ま** | *ma* /ma/ | **ま**ち *machi* /matɕi/ | town |
| **み** | *mi* /mi/ | **み**ち *michi* /mitɕi/ | road |
| **む** | *mu* /mɯ/ | **む**し *mushi* /mɯɕi/ | insect |
| **め** | *me* /me/ | あ**め** *ame* /ame/ | rain |
| **も** | *mo* /mo/ | **も**り *mori* /moɾi/ | forest |
| **や** | *ya* /ja/ | **や**ま *yama* /jama/ | mountain |
| **ゆ** | *yu* /jɯ/ | **ゆ**き *yuki* /jɯki/ | snow |
| **よ** | *yo* /jo/ | **よ**る *yoru* /joɾɯ/ | night |
| **ら** | *ra* /ɾa/ | さく**ら** *sakura* /sakɯɾa/ | cherry blossoms |
| **り** | *ri* /ɾi/ | **り**す *risu* /ɾisɯ/ | squirrel |
| **る** | *ru* /ɾɯ/ | く**る**ま *kuruma* /kɯɾɯma/ | car |
| **れ** | *re* /ɾe/ | こ**れ** *kore* /koɾe/ | this |
| **ろ** | *ro* /ɾo/ | **ろ**く *roku* /ɾokɯ/ | six |
| **わ** | *wa* /wa/ | **わ**たし *watashi* /wataɕi/ | I |
| **を** | *o* /o/ | ほん**を**よむ *hon o yomu* /hoɴ o jomɯ/ | to read a book |
| **ん** | *n* /ɴ/ | ほ**ん** *hon* /hoɴ/ | book |

- **ふ** reads *fu*, a soft puff of air between the lips. **ふ**ね *fune*
- The **や** row has three kana: **や**, **ゆ** and **よ**.
- The **ら** row starts with a quick tap of the tongue, between *r* and *l*.
- **を** reads *o* and writes the object particle; **ん** follows another kana, as in **ほん**.

## Writing direction

- Horizontal text runs left to right, line after line.
- Vertical text runs top to bottom, and its columns run from right to left; books and newspapers use it.
- Words follow each other without spaces. わたしはほんをよみます。 *watashi wa hon o yomimasu* /wataɕi wa hoɴ o jomimasɯ/ (I read a book.)

## Particles は, へ, を

| Kana | Sound | Example |  |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| **は** | *wa* /wa/ | わたし**は**ほんをよみます。 *watashi wa hon o yomimasu* /wataɕi wa hoɴ o jomimasɯ/ | I read a book. |
| **へ** | *e* /e/ | わたしはうみ**へ**いきます。 *watashi wa umi e ikimasu* /wataɕi wa ɯmi e ikimasɯ/ | I go to the sea. |
| **を** | *o* /o/ | わたしはほん**を**よみます。 *watashi wa hon o yomimasu* /wataɕi wa hoɴ o jomimasɯ/ | I read a book. |

- Inside words they keep their own sounds: **はな** *hana*, **へや** *heya*, **おかし** *okashi*. **はな** *hana* /hana/ · **へや** *heya* /heja/ · **おかし** *okashi* /okaɕi/ (flower / room / sweets)
- The greeting **こんにちは** ends in the particle **は**, so it reads *konnichiwa*. こん**にちは** *konnichiwa* /koɲɲitɕiwa/ (Hello.)

## Typical errors

| ✗ | ✓ |  |
| --- | --- | --- |
| わたしわほんをよみます。 | わたし**は**ほんをよみます。 *watashi wa hon o yomimasu* | the particle is written **は**, though it is read *wa* |
| わたしはうみえいきます。 | わたしはうみ**へ**いきます。 *watashi wa umi e ikimasu* | the particle is written **へ**, though it is read *e* |
| わたしはほんおよみます。 | わたしはほん**を**よみます。 *watashi wa hon o yomimasu* | the object particle is written **を**, though it is read *o* |
| こんにちわ | こんにち**は** *konnichiwa* | the greeting keeps the particle **は** in writing |
| れこ | **ね**こ *neko* | **ね** ends its last stroke in a loop; **れ** ends in an outward flick |