Jan 9, 2025
Mastering Japanese Writing: Hiragana, Katakana & Kanji
Japanese writing isn’t just one alphabet—it’s a mix of three unique systems:
Hiragana (平仮名): Used for grammar and everyday words. Think of it as the backbone of Japanese sentences.
Katakana (片仮名): For foreign words, names, and cool emphasis—like italics in English.
Kanji (漢字): Complex symbols with meanings, borrowed from Chinese.
Most Japanese text blends hiragana and kanji, with katakana sprinkled in. If you’re just starting out, focus on hiragana and katakana first—they’re essential for understanding the fundamentals of Japanese!
Why Is Japanese Writing So Unique?
Unlike English, Japanese uses three character systems together, making it both fascinating and challenging. It’s one of the reasons Japanese is considered tough to master, but also why it’s so rewarding. For some people, writing in Japanese is a form of art that is relaxing to write, offering a meditative way to connect with the beauty of the language and its cultural roots.
How Do You Write Japanese?
Japanese writing can flow in two directions:
Vertical: Top to bottom, right to left—traditional and elegant.
Horizontal: Left to right, top to bottom—modern and practical.
This dual style means Japanese books and magazines might open in ways that surprise you!
Learning to write in Japanese takes time, but it’s a fun and rewarding experience. Start with hiragana, build your skills with katakana, and let kanji challenge you once you’re ready!
Hiragana: Your First Step in Japanese
When you start learning Japanese, hiragana is where it all begins. Think of it as the building blocks of the language. There are 46 core characters, each representing a specific syllable, and with a few extra tweaks (like adding small marks), you get even more sounds—71 in total. Every sound in Japanese is tied to a hiragana character, so it’s a must-learn for beginners.
You’ll see hiragana everywhere, but it’s especially handy for learners. It’s used in furigana (ふりがな)—those little helper characters written next to kanji to show how they’re pronounced. If you’re struggling with kanji, furigana is your best friend. It’s also why kids’ books in Japan are usually written entirely in hiragana—simple and easy to read.
How is Hiragana Used?
Hiragana is everywhere in Japanese writing and plays a huge role in making the language flow. Here’s where you’ll find it most:
Verb and Adjective Endings: After kanji roots, hiragana adds the necessary endings to show tense or conjugation. For example, the verb 食べる (taberu) uses kanji for the root (食) and hiragana for the ending (べる).
Connecting Grammar: Those small but crucial words like を (wo), で (de), and は (wa) that glue sentences together are all written in hiragana.
Simple Writing: Some words skip kanji entirely, either because the kanji is too old-fashioned or just too complicated to use in daily writing. Hiragana steps in to keep things simple.
Fun Hiragana Features
Hiragana isn’t just static—it can change its sound with tiny tweaks:
Dakuten (ﾞ): Add two little dashes to a character, and it transforms! For example, た (ta) becomes だ (da).
Handakuten (ﾟ): A small circle changes sounds like は (ha) into ぱ (pa).
Think of hiragana as the foundation of Japanese. It’s what you’ll rely on to form basic sentences, read kanji with pronunciation guides, and write even if you don’t know any kanji yet. Once you master hiragana, you’ve unlocked the first key to understanding Japanese—it’s like building a strong base before moving on to more complex structures! If you are still a little confused about hiragana, read this article which goes into depth about how to learn hiragan.
Katakana
Katakana is the go-to script for anything modern, foreign, or attention-grabbing in Japanese. It’s sharp, angular, and used for writing words borrowed from other languages, foreign names, and even sound effects. If you’ve ever visited Japan, you’ve probably seen katakana plastered across menus, advertisements, and store signs—it’s hard to miss!
What’s Katakana Used For?
Loanwords: Words borrowed from other languages are written in katakana. For example, コーヒー (koohii) means "coffee," and アイス (aisu) means "ice cream."
Foreign Names: If your name isn’t Japanese, you’ll likely write it in katakana. For instance, John becomes ジョン (Jon), and Emily becomes エミリー (Emirii).
Sound Effects (Onomatopoeia): Japan loves sound effects, and many are written in katakana. Take ドキドキ (dokidoki), for example—it describes the feeling of a racing heart, like when you’re excited or nervous.
Why Learn Katakana?
Katakana is essential for navigating modern Japanese life. From reading menus to learning your name’s Japanese pronunciation, mastering it will give you a big boost. Plus, it’s fun to see how words like チーズ (chiizu, cheese) or サンドイッチ (sandoicchi, sandwich) are adapted into Japanese!
Get started with the basics, and you’ll be spotting katakana everywhere in no time.
Unlocking the Mystery of Kanji
Kanji is one of the most fascinating aspects of Japanese writing, with thousands of characters in daily use. Each kanji has its own meaning and often multiple pronunciations depending on context. For instance, 山 can be read as yama (meaning “mountain”) or san (as in 富士山, Fujisan or “Mount Fuji”).
Kanji Readings: Onyomi vs. Kunyomi
Kanji have two main types of readings:
Onyomi (音読み): The “Chinese-derived” reading, used in compound words. For example, the character 学 (meaning “study”) is read as gaku in 学生 (gakusei, meaning “student”).
Kunyomi (訓読み): The “native Japanese” reading, often used when kanji stand alone. For instance, 学 can also be read as manabu, meaning “to study” or “to learn.”
Some kanji have multiple onyomi and kunyomi readings, while others might only have one or the other.
How Many Kanji Do You Need to Know?
According to the Japanese Ministry of Education, students are expected to learn 1,026 kanji during elementary school, known as kyōiku kanji (教育漢字). By the end of high school, they will have learned an additional set of characters, bringing the total to 2,136 kanji, referred to as jōyō kanji (常用漢字).These characters are considered essential for daily life, enabling individuals to read newspapers, official documents, and literature. While there are over 50,000 kanji in existence, the average Japanese adult recognizes approximately 2,000 to 3,000 kanji.
This information might seem scary and overwhelming, but do not worry! Once you understand the radicals and basics of the most common kanji (around 100-300), you can build your knowledge a lot quicker of more and more kanji. This is because a lot of kanji have similar or the same radicals. Additionally if you are studying in Japan, you will be exposed to a lot more kanji and it will be easier to learn at a quicker rate.
Rōmaji: The Roman Alphabet in Japanese
If you’re learning Japanese, you’ll notice Rōmaji (ローマ字) everywhere—it’s the Roman alphabet used to represent Japanese sounds. You’ll see it on street signs, textbooks, passports, and anywhere Japanese text is meant to be accessible to non-Japanese speakers. It’s a handy tool for beginners to get familiar with Japanese words before diving into hiragana, katakana, or kanji.
Wrapping It Up: Your Journey into Japanese Writing
Learning Japanese characters might seem overwhelming at first, but it’s all about taking it step by step. Start with hiragana and katakana to build a solid foundation, and then tackle kanji gradually by focusing on the most common ones. Don’t worry about memorizing thousands of characters overnight—every step forward is progress. And remember, rōmaji is there to give you a helping hand at the start.
The beauty of Japanese writing is in its layers—each character system adds depth and meaning, making it one of the most fascinating languages to learn. So enjoy the journey, embrace the challenge, and before you know it, you’ll be reading and writing like a pro! If you want to dive deeper into learning Japanese, click here for more resources and guidance. 頑張って (Ganbatte)—you’ve got this!