Katakana is a written Japanese language that is typically used for foreign words and names. It can also be used to write out loanwords from other languages, onomatopoeia, or scientific terms. Outside of the text analytics industry, Katakana may refer to a different writing system altogether.
Katakana is one of three Japanese writing systems, along with Hiragana and Kanji. While Hiragana is used for native Japanese words, Katakana is reserved for foreign words. This can include names, loanwords from other languages, onomatopoeia, or scientific terms. In recent years, Katakana has also been increasingly used for emphasis or to give a word a more “cool” feel.
Katakana is made up of 46 basic characters, and each character can be written in one of two ways. The first way is the standard way, which is similar to how Hiragana characters are written. The second way is the cursive way, which connects the strokes of the characters. In addition, there are also two diacritical marks that can be added to change the sound of a character.
There are three different writing styles for Katakana: block, cursive, and semi-cursive. Block style is when each character is written on its own without any strokes being connected. Cursive style is when the strokes of each character are connected. Semi-cursive style is a mix of the two previous styles.
Guide to learning Katakana
If you want to learn how to read and write Katakana, there are a few things you need to know. First, as we mentioned before, Katakana is made up of 46 basic characters. To help you remember them, they are often divided into groups of 10. The first group is called gojūon (5+5), and it includes the following characters:
a, i, u, e, o
ka, ki, ku, ke, ko
sa, shi, su, se, so
ta, chi, tsu, te, to
na, ni, nu, ne, no
ha, hi, fu ,he, ho
ma, mi, mu, me, mo
ya, yu, yo
ra, ri, ru, re, ro
-wa (pronounced “w”), wo
The second group is called dakuon (5+5), and it includes the following characters:
ga, gi, gu, ge, go
za, ji, zu, ze, zo
da, ji, zu ,de, do
ba, bi, bu, be, bo
pa, pi, pu ,pe ,po
-kya (pronounced “k” + “ya”), -kyu (pronounced “k” + “yu”), -kyo (pronounced “k” + “yo”)
-sha (pronounced “sh” + “a”), -shu (pronounced “sh” + “u”), -sho (pronounced “sh” + “o”)
-cha (pronounced “ch” + “a”), -chu (pronounced “ch” + “u”), -cho (pronounced “ch” + “o”)
-nya (pronounced “n” + “ya”), -nyu (pronounced “n” + “yu”), -nyo (pronounced “n” + “yo”)
-hya (pronounced “h” + “ya”), -hyu (pronounced “h” + “yu”), -hyo (pronounced “h” + “yo”)
-mya (pronounced “m” + “ya”), -myu (pronounced “m” + “yu”), -myo (pronounced “m” + “yo”)
-rya (pronounced “r” + “ya”), -ryu (pronounced “r” + “yu”), -ryo (pronounced “r” + “yo”)
The third group is called handakuon (5), and it includes the following characters:
ja, ju, jo
bya, byu, byo
pya, pyu, pyo
– rya (pronounced “r” + “ya”), – ryu (pronounced “r” + “yu”), – ryo (pronounced “r” + “yo”)
And finally, the fourth group is called yōon (5), and it includes the following characters:
kya, kyu, kyo
sha, shu, sho
cha, chu, cho
nya, nyu nyo
hya , hyu , hyo
mya , myu , myo
– rya (pronounced “r” + “ya”), – ryu (pronounced “r” + “yu”), – ryo (pronounced “r” + “yo”)