Hiragana Chart
The complete hiragana syllabary — all 46 basic characters with romaji, plus voiced variants, combination characters, and an interactive flashcard quiz. Use the AI assistant on the left for instant pronunciation and stroke order help.
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Basic Hiragana Chart (46 Characters)
The 46 basic hiragana characters are arranged in the traditional gojūon (fifty-sounds) grid. Columns represent the five vowels and rows represent the consonant groups.
| a | i | u | e | o | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| – | あ a | い i | う u | え e | お o |
| k | か ka | き ki | く ku | け ke | こ ko |
| s | さ sa | し shi | す su | せ se | そ so |
| t | た ta | ち chi | つ tsu | て te | と to |
| n | な na | に ni | ぬ nu | ね ne | の no |
| h | は ha | ひ hi | ふ fu | へ he | ほ ho |
| m | ま ma | み mi | む mu | め me | も mo |
| y | や ya | ゆ yu | よ yo | ||
| r | ら ra | り ri | る ru | れ re | ろ ro |
| w | わ wa | を wo | |||
| n | ん n |
Dakuten & Handakuten (Voiced Variants)
Dakuten (゛) — two small marks — are added to k, s, t, and h-row characters to voice them. Handakuten (゜) — a small circle — is added only to h-row characters to create the p-sound. Together these add 25 extra sounds to the hiragana system.
| a | i | u | e | o | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| g | が ga | ぎ gi | ぐ gu | げ ge | ご go |
| z | ざ za | じ ji | ず zu | ぜ ze | ぞ zo |
| d | だ da | ぢ di | づ du | で de | ど do |
| b | ば ba | び bi | ぶ bu | べ be | ぼ bo |
| p | ぱ pa | ぴ pi | ぷ pu | ぺ pe | ぽ po |
Combination Characters — Yōon (拗音)
Yōon are formed by combining an i-column hiragana with a small や, ゆ, or よ. The small size is important — it signals the contraction rather than two separate syllables. For example, きゃ is one syllable (kya), not ki-ya.
| Base | + ゃ (ya) | + ゅ (yu) | + ょ (yo) |
|---|---|---|---|
| き | きゃ kya | きゅ kyu | きょ kyo |
| し | しゃ sha | しゅ shu | しょ sho |
| ち | ちゃ cha | ちゅ chu | ちょ cho |
| に | にゃ nya | にゅ nyu | にょ nyo |
| ひ | ひゃ hya | ひゅ hyu | ひょ hyo |
| み | みゃ mya | みゅ myu | みょ myo |
| り | りゃ rya | りゅ ryu | りょ ryo |
| ぎ | ぎゃ gya | ぎゅ gyu | ぎょ gyo |
| じ | じゃ ja | じゅ ju | じょ jo |
| び | びゃ bya | びゅ byu | びょ byo |
| ぴ | ぴゃ pya | ぴゅ pyu | ぴょ pyo |
Stroke Order Tips
Correct stroke order makes hiragana easier to write quickly and consistently. Japanese stroke order follows three general rules:
| Rule | Explanation | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Top to bottom | Upper strokes are written before lower strokes. | さ → horizontal first |
| Left to right | Left strokes are written before right strokes. | に → left vertical first |
| Horizontal before vertical | When strokes cross, the horizontal stroke generally comes first. | た → horizontal crossing stroke first |
Use the flashcard quiz below and toggle the stroke order hint on each card to practise individual characters. For detailed animated stroke order, use the AI assistant on the left — type any character or romaji and select "Show stroke order".
| Character | Romaji | Strokes | Stroke Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| あ | a | 3 | Horizontal line, curved line through it, then a looping final stroke. |
| い | i | 2 | Two diagonal strokes, left curves slightly, right curves down. |
| う | u | 2 | Small horizontal line at top, then a large curved U-shape below. |
| え | e | 2 | Horizontal line, then a complex curved stroke with a loop and tail. |
| お | o | 3 | Horizontal line, vertical stroke through it, then a sweeping curved stroke. |
| か | ka | 3 | Horizontal stroke, angled stroke crossing it, then a curved stroke. |
| き | ki | 4 | Two horizontal lines, a vertical stroke, then a curved bottom stroke. |
| く | ku | 1 | A single V-shaped stroke, drawn in one fluid motion. |
| さ | sa | 3 | Horizontal stroke, crossing diagonal stroke, then a curved tail. |
| し | shi | 1 | A single curved stroke starting from top, sweeping down and hooking right. |
| な | na | 4 | Two horizontal strokes, a vertical loop, and a final curved stroke. |
| は | ha | 3 | Vertical stroke, horizontal crossing stroke, then a curved right-side stroke. |
| ん | n | 1 | A single curved stroke that hooks upward at the end. |
Hiragana Flashcard Quiz
Test your hiragana knowledge with the interactive flashcard quiz below. Choose a character group and number of cards, then type the romaji for each character shown. Toggle stroke order hints on any card if you need help.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many hiragana characters are there?
There are 46 basic hiragana characters. Adding voiced (dakuten) and semi-voiced (handakuten) variants brings the total to 71, and combination characters (yōon) add another 33 for a grand total of 104 hiragana sounds in modern use.
How long does it take to learn hiragana?
Most learners can memorise all 46 basic hiragana characters in one to two weeks with daily practice of 15–30 minutes. Using flashcards — like the quiz tool above — alongside writing practice significantly speeds up retention.
What is the difference between hiragana and katakana?
Both scripts represent the same sounds but look different and serve different purposes. Hiragana is used for native Japanese words, verb endings, and grammatical particles. Katakana is used primarily for loanwords, foreign names, scientific terms, and emphasis — similar to how English uses italics.
What order should I learn hiragana in?
Start with the five vowels (あいうえお), then work through the consonant rows in order: k, s, t, n, h, m, y, r, w, and finally the standalone ん. This traditional gojūon order groups characters by shared sound patterns which makes the system much easier to internalise.
What are dakuten and handakuten?
Dakuten (゛) are two small marks added to the upper right of certain hiragana characters to voice the consonant — for example か (ka) becomes が (ga). Handakuten (゜) is a small circle used only with h-row characters to create the p-sound — for example は (ha) becomes ぱ (pa).
What are yōon combination characters?
Yōon are contracted sounds formed by combining an i-column hiragana with a small や, ゆ, or よ. For example き (ki) combined with small ゃ gives きゃ (kya). The small size of the second character is the key signal — a full-size よ after き would be read as two separate syllables ki-yo.
What is the hardest hiragana character to write?
Many learners find ぬ (nu), ね (ne), め (me), and む (mu) the most difficult because they involve complex looping strokes. The characters look similar to each other which adds to the confusion. The flashcard quiz above is useful for drilling these tricky characters specifically.
Can I download a printable hiragana chart?
Yes — use the Download PDF or Download CSV buttons directly below each table above. The PDF download generates a print-ready version of that specific chart.
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