After hiragana comes katakana (カタカナ). Many learners find katakana harder to memorize — the characters are angular and look similar to each other. But once you know which kanji each one comes from, things click into place.
Where Katakana Comes From
Hiragana evolved from the cursive forms of kanji — they got rounder over time. Katakana is different — it was created by extracting radicals or parts of kanji characters.
That's why katakana characters look: few strokes, angular, sharp edges.
Here are some examples:
| Katakana | Source Kanji | Part Used | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| ア | 阿 | Left half | a |
| イ | 伊 | Left radical 亻 | i |
| ウ | 宇 | Top part 宀 | u |
| エ | 江 | Right part 工 | e |
| カ | 加 | Left part 力 | ka |
| キ | 幾 | Top portion | ki |
| サ | 散 | Top portion | sa |
| タ | 多 | Top half | ta |
| ナ | 奈 | Top portion | na |
| ハ | 八 | Full character | ha |
| マ | 末 | Top portion | ma |
| ヤ | 也 | Full character, modified | ya |
| ラ | 良 | Top portion | ra |
| ワ | 和 | Left half | wa |
See the pattern? Most katakana characters come from the top half or left half of their source kanji. Keep this in mind and you can often trace a katakana back to its origin.
What Katakana Is Used For
Hiragana handles native Japanese grammar and vocabulary. Katakana has several specific roles:
1. Loanwords (Foreign Words)
This is the primary use — writing words borrowed from other languages (mostly English):
| Katakana | Origin | English |
|---|---|---|
| コンピュータ | computer | Computer |
| インターネット | internet | Internet |
| ネット | net | Net/Web |
| テレビ | television | Television |
| コーヒー | coffee | Coffee |
| バーベキュー | barbecue | Barbecue |
| ペット | pet | Pet |
2. Foreign Names and Places
Names of foreign people and places are written in katakana:
| Katakana | Meaning |
|---|---|
| アメリカ | America |
| フランス | France |
| ロンドン | London |
| マイク | Mike (name) |
3. Onomatopoeia
Words representing sounds or states sometimes use katakana:
| Katakana | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ワンワン | Woof woof (dog bark) |
| ニャーニャー | Meow meow (cat sound) |
| キラキラ | Sparkling, glittering |
4. Emphasis
Sometimes a word normally written in hiragana or kanji is written in katakana instead for emphasis — similar to using italics or ALL CAPS in English.
Loanword Pronunciation Rules
Japanese lacks certain English sounds (like standalone consonants), so loanwords get adjusted:
Rule 1: Add a Vowel After Consonants
English consonants can stand alone ("net" ends in t), but Japanese consonants can't — each needs a vowel. Usually the u-row or o-row vowel is added:
| English | Japanese | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| net | ネット | t → ト (to), plus geminate |
| pet | ペット | t → ト (to), plus geminate |
| bed | ベッド | d → ド (do) |
Rule 2: Long Vowels Use ー
English long vowels become ー (a horizontal bar called the chōon mark):
| English | Japanese | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| coffee | コーヒー | "co" → コー, "fee" → ヒー |
| computer | コンピュータ | "ter" → ータ or タ |
| barbecue | バーベキュー | "bar" → バー, "cue" → キュー |
| control | コントロール | "trol" → トロール |
Rule 3: Geminate with ッ
English double consonants or plosive sounds become a small ッ (geminate/double consonant), which creates a brief pause:
| English | Japanese | Geminate position |
|---|---|---|
| net | ネット | ネット |
| pet | ペット | ペット |
| cup | カップ | カップ |
Commonly Confused Katakana
Some katakana look very similar. Watch out for these pairs:
| Confusing pair | How to tell apart |
|---|---|
| ア (a) vs マ (ma) | ア's second stroke curves down-right; マ's curves down-left |
| シ (shi) vs ツ (tsu) | シ's strokes lean down-left; ツ's lean up-right |
| ソ (so) vs ン (n) | ソ strokes go top-to-bottom; ン strokes go bottom-to-top |
| ウ (u) vs ワ (wa) | ウ has three strokes; ワ has only two |
The most classic confusion is シ vs ツ. Memory trick: シ (shi) looks like a smiley face tilted left; ツ (tsu) has its two dots on top like eyebrows.
Summary
- Katakana characters come from kanji radicals/parts — angular and sharp
- Main uses: loanwords, foreign names/places, onomatopoeia, emphasis
- Loanword rules: add vowels after consonants, use ー for long vowels, use ッ for geminates
- Watch out for lookalikes: シ/ツ, ソ/ン, ア/マ, ウ/ワ
Practice Questions
Q1. What does 「コンピュータ」 mean? What English word does it come from?
Show answer
Computer, from the English word computer.
com → コン, pu → ピュ, ter → ータ. Note the long vowel ー and the combination sound ピュ.
Q2. What is katakana primarily used for?
Show answer
Primarily for writing loanwords (words borrowed from English and other foreign languages). It's also used for foreign names/places, onomatopoeia, and emphasis.
Q3. What do 「ネット」 and 「インターネット」 mean?
Show answer
- ネット = net/web (from English "net")
- インターネット = internet (from English "internet")
ネット is the abbreviated form. Both are commonly used in everyday conversation.