This is the latest version of our Hiragana guide, if you like the old version better, you can use this link here:• (Archived) Hiragana Guide Part 1

In your journey to learn Japanese, you will encounter 3 types of Japanese writing. The most important and the first you need to master is Hiragana. But don’t fret! Our guide will help you to master Hiragana in no time! はじめましょう！

Before you start

Our guide use mnemonics to help you memorize all characters. Think of it as a text/image reference. As a reference, you don’t have to follow it 100%. And as you will notice. Not all mnemonics fit the character perfectly and that is fine. As long as it helps to create a connection to the new character, it will help you to memorize it much easier!
Be sure to listen to each audio sound to hear the correct spelling! ヾ(@°▽°@)ノ

Use these links to navigate between columns easily:
• Vowels [a, i, u, e, o]
• K Column [ka, ki, ku, ke, ko]
• S Column [sa, shi*, su, se, so]
• T Column [ta, chi*, tsu*, te, to]
• N Column [na, ni, nu, ne, no]
• H Column [ha, hi, fu*, he, ho]
• M Column [ma, mi, mu, me, mo]
• R Column [ra, ri, ru, re, ro]
• Others [ya, yu, yo, wa, wo, n]
• Tips to differentiate similar hiragana shape
• Quick Summary

Hiragana Chart Part 1

Don’t worry! (๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧
Part 2 is just about sound combinations, no more new stuff to remember!

Vowels [a, i, u, e, o]

First and foremost! The Japanese version of ABCDE is their vowels! Don’t forget to check the corresponding audio sounds for each Hiragana characters.

Hiragana Vowels Mnemonics

あ [a] – The Singing Girl

い [i] – Letter “i”

う [u] – The Letter “U”

え [e] – “3” Equals Letter “E”

お [o] – A Crying Boy

Navigation links:
Chart | Vowels | K Column | S Column | T Column | N Column | H Column | M Column |
R Column | Others

K Column [ka, ki, ku, ke, ko]

We continue the characters according to the Hiragana chart. This is the K Column. Nothing unusual here. Just letter K followed with vowels. Can you see now why the vowels are so important?

Hiragana K Column Mnemonics

か [ka] – A Vintage Camera

き [ki] – The Key to it All

く [ku] – The Duck with a Big Mouth

け [ke] – Just an Ordinary Kettle

こ [ko] – A Dancing Cobra

Navigation links:
Chart | Vowels | K Column | S Column | T Column | N Column | H Column | M Column |
R Column | Others

S Column [sa, shi*, su, se, so]

Now we are starting to see the irregulars! You might’ve anticipated for [sa, si , su, se, so]. But notice that it’s not si . It’s し [shi] instead. So the correct one is [sa, shi ,su, se ,so] There are a few more irregulars. But don’t worry, they aren’t as hard as English vocabulary irregulars!

Hiragana S Column Mnemonics

さ [sa] – The Little Sardine

し [shi] – She is All I want

す [su] – Smoking is Bad for Health

せ [se] – Lucky Number Seven

そ [so] – The Wandering Soul

Navigation links:
Chart | Vowels | K Column | S Column | T Column | N Column | H Column | M Column |
R Column | Others

T Column [ta, chi*, tsu*, te, to]

This time there are 2 irregulars. Instead of ti , we have ち [chi]. And つ [tsu] instead of tu.

Notes:

Sometimes, you will encounter small つ [tsu], as in まって , this means that you need to double the consonant of next kana. Therefore it’s read as matte and not matsute .

More examples are:
きって [kitte], きっぷ [kippu], あさって [asatte], and もっと [motto].

Hiragana T Column Mnemonics

た [ta] – The Wooden Table

ち [chi] – 5 Citrus Fruits

つ [tsu] – Surfing the Ocean

て [te] – Telephone

と [to] – Tomatoes

Navigation links:
Chart | Vowels | K Column | S Column | T Column | N Column | H Column | M Column |
R Column | Others

N Column [na, ni, nu, ne, no]

Just an ordinary Column with N combined with vowels!

Hiragana N Column Mnemonics

な [na] – The Nail and Hammer

に [ni] – The Nippon Flag

ぬ [nu] – A Yummy Noodles

ね [ne] – The Snake’s Neck

の [no] – No Smoking!

Navigation links:
Chart | Vowels | K Column | S Column | T Column | N Column | H Column | M Column |
R Column | Others

H Column [ha, hi, fu*, he, ho]

Just one irregular this time. There’s no hu in Japanese. Just remember the Great Fuji Mountain and you’ll easily remember ふ [fu].

Notes:
When you encounter は [ha] as a particle and not a part of a vocabulary/word. It will be read similarly as わ [wa]. “But how can I differentiate them”, you asked? Usually, it will not be accompanied by another characters. And as your vocabulary and Japanese knowledge expand, you will recognize it almost immediately.

Hiragana H Column Mnemonics

は [ha] – Ha, Ha, Ha! *laugh*

ひ [hi] – Hill in The Sunset

ふ [fu] – The Great Fuji Mountain

へ [he] – Some Weird Head

ほ [ho] – Ho’s Inception!

Navigation links:
Chart | Vowels | K Column | S Column | T Column | N Column | H Column | M Column |
R Column | Others

M Column [ma, mi, mu, me, mo]

M Column is as ordinary as N Column. Nothing to comment here!

Hiragana M Column Mnemonics

ま [ma] – Angry Mama

み [mi] – It’s Me!

む [mu] – The Gentleman with A Moustache

め [me] – What A Beautiful Eye

も [mo] – More Please!

Navigation links:
Chart | Vowels | K Column | S Column | T Column | N Column | H Column | M Column |
R Column | Others

R Column [ra, ri, ru, re, ro]

R Column another simple column with no irregulars 😀

Hiragana R Column Mnemonics

ら [ra] – A Rabbit

り [ri] – A Ribbon

る [ru] – Rub, rub, rub~

れ [re] – R for Red

ろ [ro] – A Big Rock

Navigation links:
Chart | Vowels | K Column | S Column | T Column | N Column | H Column | M Column |
R Column | Others

Others [ya, yu, yo, wa, wo, n]

These are the columns of Y, W, and N. But as you can see, they are a bit different than previous columns. For example, there are no yi and ye. And no wi, we and wu either.

Notes:
を [wo] is special. This characters here is always used as a particle to mark object which given action and is always read similarly as お [o].

Hiragana Y, W, N Columns Mnemonics

や [ya] – The Yawning Yak

ゆ [yu] – A Yummy Fish!

よ [yo] – Another Inception

わ [wa] – Water in The Belly

を [wo] – I’ve Won!

ん [n] – It’s A Letter “n”

Navigation links:
Chart | Vowels | K Column | S Column | T Column | N Column | H Column | M Column |
R Column | Others

Tips to Differentiate Similar Hiragana Characters

You might have noticed some very similar Hiragana characters and got confused sometimes. These tips might help you to easily differentiate each similar Hiragana characters!

Differentiate あ[a] and お[o]

The main difference is in the stroke!

Differentiate い[i] and り[ri]

The main difference is in the stroke!

Differentiate め[me] and ぬ[nu]

The main difference is in the tail!

Differentiate れ[re] and ね[ne]

The main difference is in the tail!

Differentiate ろ[ro] and る[ru]

The main difference is in the tail!

Differentiate さ[sa] and ち[chi]

If you focus to remember one of them, the other one is a breeze. ち[chi] might be easier to remember as it resembles the number ‘5’. Think about 5 oranges!

And we are done with part 1!

Get ready for part 2! But make sure you’ve remembered all the characters well before moving on. Don’t worry, there will be no new character for you to remember in part 2! ヾ(@°▽°@)ノ

What’s next?:
• Moving on to part 2!
• Try Hiragana Reading Practice!