Japanese · Kana · かな
Two syllabaries share the same forty-six sounds: hiragana, the front door to written Japanese, and katakana, the script of loanwords and foreign names. Here is what they are, which to learn first, and how to practice them properly. Answered plainly, by a linguist.
Questions, in stroke order
Hiragana is one of Japan's two syllabaries: 46 basic characters, each standing for a whole syllable: あ is a, か is ka, さ is sa. It writes native Japanese words, grammar particles, and word endings, and it is the script every Japanese learner starts with.
Hiragana writes native words and grammar; katakana writes loanwords and foreign names; kanji are borrowed Chinese characters that carry meaning. All three appear in ordinary Japanese sentences. Learn hiragana first; it unlocks the other two.
Hiragana first, always: it writes the grammar that holds every sentence together, and it is the script textbooks assume from page one. Katakana comes second, and it comes fast, because it encodes the same forty-six sounds you already know; most learners finish it in a few days of focused practice.
Same sounds, different look and different job: hiragana is rounded and writes native words; katakana is angular and writes loanwords, foreign names, menus, and emphasis. A few characters are near-twins, シ (shi) and ツ (tsu), ソ (so) and ン (n), and stroke order and direction are exactly what keep them apart.
The 46 basic characters take about a week of short daily practice. Add a few more days for the voiced marks and combination sounds. Reading smoothly takes a few weeks; writing by hand is what makes it stick.
Yes. Correct stroke order gives each character its proper balance and keeps similar pairs (め and ぬ, わ and れ) from blurring together in your handwriting. Order and direction are half of what makes hiragana legible.
Follow the gojūon table: the vowel row あいうえお first, then the consonant rows: ka, sa, ta, na, and onward. It is the order every dictionary, textbook, and keyboard uses, and it is the order this workbook follows.
Small marks that change a character's sound: dakuten turns か (ka) into が (ga); handakuten turns は (ha) into ぱ (pa). Learn the 46 base characters first; the marked forms come almost for free afterward.
Romaji (Japanese in Latin letters) is a crutch that real Japanese text does not use. Every hour spent leaning on it is an hour of reading you will have to relearn. Start with hiragana; it takes a week and pays forever.
Beginners of any age: kids, classrooms, homeschool families, self-learners, and travelers preparing for Japan. One character per page, numbered strokes, and a low-clutter layout; no prior Japanese needed.
No apps, no streaks. Identify. Read. Write.
Language is a puzzle. Solve it, one piece at a time.
The workbooks: Japanese series
All 46 basic hiragana in gojūon order. Numbered stroke order for every character, one character per page, fading-trace practice grids.
All 46 basic katakana in gojūon order: loanwords, foreign names, and menus, stroke by stroke. Numbered stroke order, one character per page, fading-trace practice grids.
Designed by a linguist, LinguaEnigma approaches language as a puzzle. Solve the puzzle, learn the language.
These workbooks are laid out in a simple and straightforward way. There are no promises of achieving fluency. Just small steps on the way to reading and writing a new language. Here's to a world full of polyglots. One puzzle piece at a time.
Questions or requests, including scripts you'd like to see next, are always welcome: reach out through the Etsy shop or the TPT store.