Hiragana chart ひらがな
Hiragana is the first Japanese script to learn: 46 basic characters that spell every sound of the language. Tap any character for example words, its katakana twin and a short quiz.
Basic hiragana (gojūon)
All 46 basic characters. Rows share a consonant, columns share a vowel.
Dakuten and handakuten
Add ゛ for a voiced sound and ゜ for p: か → が, は → ぱ.
Combined sounds (yōon)
An i-column character plus a small ゃ, ゅ or ょ.
How to read this chart
Each row shares a consonant and each column a vowel: か き く け こ = ka ki ku ke ko. Learn the five vowels first, then one row at a time.
Two small marks change the consonant: the dakuten (゛) makes it voiced (か ka → が ga) and the handakuten (゜) turns h into p (は ha → ぱ pa).
A small や, ゆ or よ after an i-column character merges into one syllable: き + ゃ = きゃ (kya).
When is hiragana used?
Hiragana writes native Japanese words, grammar endings (食べる, 食べます) and particles like は, を and に. Children’s books and furigana above kanji use it too.
Every character has a katakana twin with the same sound: see the katakana chart.
Ready to learn all 46?
Flashcards, quizzes and multiplayer battles for every hiragana character. Free to start, no account needed.
Keep practicing: Katakana chart Hiragana quiz Learn hiragana online JLPT N5 kanji Daily Japanese quiz