Hiragana: Lessons and Exercises

In Japanese, three writing systems coexist within the same sentence. Hiragana are the first to master, as they are used for everything: grammar, conjugation, reading kanji. Recognising each character opens the door to Japanese writing.

The 46 basic hiragana

Hiragana form a syllabary of 46 characters. Each character represents a complete syllable — never an isolated letter. The table follows a traditional order called gojūon (五十音, gojūon), meaning «table of fifty sounds».

The complete table with stroke order for writing each hiragana is available on the dedicated hiragana chart page.

What are hiragana used for in a sentence?

Hiragana serve three roles in Japanese writing. These roles often combine within the same sentence.

1. Grammatical particles

Particles indicate the grammatical role of each word in the sentence. They are always written in hiragana. The first time a particle appears in a Japanese text, its grammatical function must be identified before translating the sentence.

Note: は is written «ha» in the hiragana table, but pronounced «wa» when used as a particle. This is one of the first rules to memorise.

2. Okurigana (送り仮名, okurigana)

These are hiragana that follow a kanji to form a verb or adjective. The kanji expresses the root of the word. The hiragana specify the conjugation.

Example: 食べる (taberu) — to eat

• 食 (kanji): the root «eat»
• べる (hiragana): completes the base form

In every form, the kanji 食 stays the same. Only the hiragana change. This is the logic of okurigana: a fixed kanji, variable hiragana endings depending on tense, register and meaning.

3. Words with no kanji

Some common words have no associated kanji. They are written entirely in hiragana. This is often the case with grammatical words, adverbs and certain polite expressions.

Furigana: reading difficult kanji

Furigana (振り仮名, furigana) are small hiragana placed above a kanji to show its pronunciation. They help read unfamiliar kanji — in manga, school textbooks or texts aimed at learners.

Example: the word 日本語 (nihongo) — «Japanese» — can appear with its furigana:

Japanese children’s books and Shōnen manga (少年マンガ, shōnen manga) — manga aimed at young readers — systematically use furigana alongside complex kanji.

Other common examples with furigana:

Hiragana and katakana: key differences

Hiragana and katakana represent the same sounds. The difference lies in their shape and use. Both systems together form the group known as kana (仮名, kana).

Hiragana are always learned first. They appear in almost every Japanese sentence. Katakana come next, once hiragana are well established.

Modified sounds: dakuten and handakuten

Some basic hiragana change their sound when small diacritical marks are added.

The dakuten (濁点, dakuten) looks like two small strokes (゛). It makes the consonant voiced. The handakuten (半濁点, handakuten) is a small circle (゜). It is used only with the «h» row to produce «p» sounds.

These modified sounds are not new characters to learn from scratch. They always start from a known base hiragana. The added mark changes only the consonant.

Combinations between hiragana — such as きゃ (kya), にゅ (nyu) or しょ (sho) — form the combined hiragana. This is covered in detail on: combined hiragana (yōon).

Reading hiragana in a full sentence

An ordinary Japanese sentence mixes several writing systems. Here is how it works in practice:

Watashi wa maiasa pan wo tabemasu. — Every morning, I eat bread.

• 私, 毎朝, 食 → kanji (word roots)
• は、を、べます。 → hiragana (particles and verb endings)
• パン → katakana (foreign loanword: pain, French for bread)

Hiragana appear in every sentence. Without them, the grammatical structure disappears. Recognising は (wa), を (o), に (ni) or で (de) in a text already means understanding the relationships between words.

To understand how hiragana, katakana and kanji are organised together in the Japanese writing system: complete guide to Japanese writing systems.

How to memorise hiragana effectively

Several approaches work. The common thread: short, regular practice beats one long, infrequent session.

Learn in groups of 5

Work row by row. Start with あ い う え お (a, i, u, e, o). Move to the next row only once the previous one is solid. Rewriting each hiragana 10 to 20 times by hand builds muscle memory.

Use visual mnemonics

Some hiragana look like what they phonetically represent:

• し (shi) — looks like a side-profile smiling face
• つ (tsu) — looks like a wave rolling forward
• り (ri) — looks like two legs walking
• ぬ (nu) — looks like tangled noodles

Read real words from the start

Connecting hiragana to concrete vocabulary helps anchor them. Reading すし (sushi), ねこ (neko — cat), みず (mizu — water) gives immediate context to the characters learned.

Flashcards with spaced repetition

Apps like Anki use an algorithm that shows characters just before they would be forgotten. It is one of the most effective methods for retaining kana over the long term.

In general, learning the 46 basic hiragana takes between one and two weeks with daily practice. Reading and writing them comfortably takes a little longer.

For a detailed breakdown of each individual hiragana with stroke order: guide to the 46 basic hiragana.

Practice exercise

Test your knowledge of hiragana: