Japanese has two phonetic alphabets of 46 sounds each, hiragana for Japanese words, katakana for borrowed ones. Every lesson in this course is written in them, so they come first. Most people get readable in a weekend.
How to learn them
Work the grids below in order, tap any kana to hear it. Say each row aloud as you read it
(あ・い・う・え・お…), then cover the romaji and test yourself before moving on. When all four
sections feel familiar, take the quiz: 80% unlocks Unit 1. Don't aim for perfection first.
The N5 units keep furigana training wheels on, and reading practice does the rest.
ひらがな · The 46 basics rows read left to right: a・i・u・e・o
The one wrinkle: three characters change sound as grammar particles.
は reads wa as the topic marker, へ reads e as direction, を is only ever the object marker o.
You met all three in this course's N5 Unit 1; now you know why they look different from how they sound.
゛゜ と 拗音 · Marks & combined kana two dots voice it, a circle pops it, small ゃゅょ blend it
Two dots (゛) turn k→g, s→z, t→d, h→b. A small circle (゜) turns h→p. No new shapes to memorize, just decorations on ones you know.
Combined kana consonant + small ゃ・ゅ・ょ = one syllable
A small ゃ, ゅ, or ょ fuses with the い-column kana before it: き + small ゃ = きゃ kya, one beat, not two. These spell some of the most common sounds in the language: しゃ (sha), じゅ (ju), ちょ (cho).
Size matters: きや (ki-ya, two beats) and きゃ (kya, one beat) are different words waiting to happen.
The small versions sit low in the line, squint until it's automatic.
カタカナ · The same 46 sounds, angular for foreign words, names, and emphasis
Katakana is not a new alphabet, it's the same sounds in sharper handwriting. コーヒー (coffee), マリア (Maria), カラオケ (karaoke). If a word came from abroad, it wears katakana.
Voiced & combined same marks, same small ャュョ
The lookalikes that trip everyone: シ (shi) vs ツ (tsu), shi's strokes lie flat, tsu's stand up.
ソ (so) vs ン (n), same trick. And 力 (katakana ka) is a dead ringer for the kanji 力 (power). Context saves you every time.
ー と っ · Long sounds & the small tsu the timing marks
Long vowels
A vowel held for two beats. Hiragana doubles the vowel
(う after the o/u-columns); katakana just draws a line: ー. Length changes meaning, おばさん is aunt, おばあさん is grandmother.
The small っ
A small っ is a one-beat pause that doubles the next
consonant, the difference between きて (come!) and きって (stamp). Your mouth stops, holds, releases.
Put it together: じゅう (jū) is a combo + a long vowel. しゅっぱつ (shuppatsu, departure)
is a combo + small っ. Once these two timing marks feel natural, you can read every sound Japanese makes.
Kana Quiz 20 QUESTIONS · 80% TO PASS
Both alphabets, combos included, both directions. A fresh random set every attempt, retake it as many times as you like. Passing unlocks Unit 1.