Katakana Course
Learn Katakana fast and easy!
Free online course for learning
how to read, write and type the Japanese Katakana alphabet
Course Outline
Online self-study course produced by an experienced native Japanese language teacher.
Suitable for beginners who have learned Hiragana.
Goal
This course will assist you to gain the following abilities;
Also, over 500 commonly used words and phrases are introduced through the course.
Structure
The course consists of 11 lessons. Each lesson takes 45-90 minutes.
| Lesson | Katakana Letters |
|---|---|
| 1 | ア イ ウ エ オ (gojūon), アー イー ウー エー オー (long vowels) |
| 2 | カ キ ク ケ コ (gojūon), ガ ギ グ ゲ ゴ (dakuon) |
| 3 | サ シ ス セ ソ (gojūon), ザ ジ ズ ゼ ゾ (dakuon) |
| 4 | タ チ ツ テ ト (gojūon), ダ ヂ ヅ デ ド (dakuon) |
| 5 | ナ ニ ヌ ネ ノ (gojūon), ッ (sokuon) |
| 6 | ハ ヒ フ ヘ ホ (gojūon), バ ビ ブ ベ ボ (dakuon), パ ピ プ ペ ポ (han-dakuon) |
| 7 | マ ミ ム メ モ (gojūon) |
| 8 | ヤ ユ ヨ (gojūon), ャ ュ ョ (yōon) |
| 9 | ラ リ ル レ ロ (gojūon) |
| 10 | ワ ヲ ン (gojūon) |
| 11 | all Katakana letters |
Lesson Contents
Each lesson consists of three sections - Reading, Writing and Typing.
Reading
Correct shape and sound are introduced through video clips.
Full of voice recordings narrated by Japanese voice actors.
Writing
|
|
|---|---|
|
[1] and [2] are just touching, should not be crossed. Start [2] at around the center of X-axis. [1] and [2] end near the same Y-axis height. |
Detailed handwriting instructions.
Specially developed original font is used to show the standard shape of letters.
Printable writing practice sheets (PDF) are provided.
Typing
| Katakana | ナ | ニ | ヌ | ネ | ノ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keystrokes |  |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Detailed instructions on how to input Katakana letters on personal computers.
Printable keystrokes chart (PDF) is provided.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Different styles of commonly used fonts are introduced.
Quiz
In each section, quiz programs are provided in the form of YouTube video.
You can easily access them through any device such as personal computers, tablets and smartphones.
Click the thumbnail to watch the sample video.
How to Study
Practice Makes Perfect
Read instructions quickly and spend most of your time for Quiz programs.
Repeat them till you can answer most questions easily.
You don't have to memorize word meanings - it is not the purpose of this course. It would be enough if you get some feeling of how words are pronounced.
Curriculum Options
If you plan to study, work or live in Japan, we recommend to study all three sections.
Writing and Typing sections can be skipped if you don't need these skills.
If you are in hurry, do Quiz A (basic) only and skip Quiz B (advanced).
Preparation
Hiragana should be learned first at Hiragana Course.
We recommend to read the following pages briefly.
- Katakana - introduction of Katakana character
- Study Guide - information on how to learn the Japanese language
Go to Lesson 1. Enjoy!
