Unit 1 - Section 5: Katakana - ア行・カ行・サ行

Practice Quiz

Katakana - ア行・カ行・サ行

Katakana is the second Japanese writing system used for foreign words, sound effects, and emphasis. It has the same 46 basic characters as hiragana, but with a different shape. Let's start learning!

Why katakana? Katakana is primarily used for foreign words (like コーヒー - coffee), animal names, onomatopoeia, and emphasizing words in advertisements or manga.

ア行 (A Row)

Katakana Hiragana Romaji Memory Tip
ア あ a Looks like an "A" rotated - sharp angle
イ い i Looks like "I" - two vertical lines with a dot
ウ う u Looks like "U" with one less curve
エ え e Looks like "E" - horizontal lines
オ お o Looks like "O" - rectangular circle

カ行 (KA Row)

Katakana Hiragana Romaji Memory Tip
カ か ka Looks like a "K" standing upright
キ き ki Looks like an upright "K" with extra strokes
ク く ku Looks like a number "9" - "Ku"rvy
ケ け ke Looks like a "K" with a right angle
コ こ ko Looks like a "C" or box - "Co"zy box

サ行 (SA Row)

Katakana Hiragana Romaji Memory Tip
サ さ sa Looks like three slashes - zigzag "S"
シ し shi Looks like a "C" shape
ス す su Looks like "スウ" - "SU"per
セ せ se Looks like a "/\" - pointy shape
ソ そ so Looks like a curved "J" - "SOrry"

Foreign Words in Katakana

These are common foreign words written in katakana:

コーヒー
coffee
カー
car
ケーキ
cake
スポーツ
sports
アメリカ
America
イギリス
England/UK
カナダ
Canada
サッカー
soccer/football
システム
system
コンピューター
computer
インターネット
internet
セーター
sweater

Study Tips

Learning Katakana:
  • Parallel learning: Learn hiragana and katakana side by side - they're paired
  • Write character pairs: Write ひ and ヒ, き and キ together 10 times each
  • Look for patterns: Katakana uses more straight lines and sharp angles than hiragana
  • Foreign words: Practice reading katakana foreign words - they're everywhere!
  • Speed matters: Focus on frequent characters first (the A, KA, and SA rows appear most)