Hiragana is the basic Japanese alphabet. It has 46 main characters, and every Japanese learner starts here. With 20 to 30 minutes a day, you can learn to read all of it in about two weeks.
The two-week plan
| Days | Learn |
|---|---|
| 1–2 | Vowels あいうえお and the k row かきくけこ |
| 3–4 | The s row さしすせそ and the t row たちつてと |
| 5–6 | The n row なにぬねの and the h row はひふへほ |
| 7–8 | The m, y, r and w rows, and ん |
| 9–10 | Sounds with marks: が ざ だ ば ぱ |
| 11–12 | Combined sounds such as きゃ, しゅ and ちょ |
| 13–14 | Reading practice with real words |
Tips that work
- Write by hand. Writing each character five to ten times fixes its shape in your memory far better than only looking at it.
- Use simple pictures. For example, く looks like a beak saying "ku-ku", and し looks like a fishing hook ("shi").
- Review every day. Spend five minutes going over earlier rows before you learn new ones.
- Read real words early. Try すし (sushi), さかな (fish) and ありがとう (thank you) as soon as you know the characters.
- Stop using romaji quickly. Once you know a row, read it in hiragana only.
Start with our free hiragana chart. When you are ready, katakana comes next, and it is learned the same way.
Ready to start?
Find your level with the free placement test, or join a free demo class.