How to learn Japanese Hiragana and Katakana for beginners: start with the two phonetic scripts before Kanji. Japanese uses three writing systems, and this order is how we teach beginners at SM Academy in Bengaluru.
Hiragana (ひらがな)
Hiragana consists of 46 basic characters representing syllables. It is used for native Japanese words, grammar particles and verb endings, and words without kanji. Master Hiragana first as the foundation; practise writing each character daily.
Katakana (カタカナ)
Katakana also has 46 characters with the same sounds as Hiragana but different shapes. It is used for foreign words, onomatopoeia, and emphasis. Learn Katakana after Hiragana — many loanwords are easier to remember.
Kanji (漢字)
Kanji are Chinese characters adopted into Japanese. You need about 2,000 for daily life. Each kanji has meaning(s) and readings (on-yomi and kun-yomi). Start with the most common 100 and learn radicals to understand structure.
Study strategy
- Master Hiragana (1–2 weeks)
- Learn Katakana (about 1 week)
- Start basic Kanji (ongoing)
- Practise reading texts that combine all three
Ready to learn Japanese in Bangalore or online? Join our Japanese language classes at SM Academy, RT Nagar.