🇯🇵 Read Japanese Kana
Hiragana and katakana, look-alikes included
You'll see one Japanese character and pick how it's read. Hiragana and katakana are both in the mix, and the wrong answers are the look-alikes on purpose (さ vs ち, シ vs ツ). Miss one and you'll get a tip on telling them apart.
About this quiz
Japanese has two sets of basic letters. Hiragana is used for native words and grammar endings, katakana mostly for foreign words and emphasis.
You see one character and pick its reading in the Latin alphabet. The wrong options are readings of look-alike characters, so a quick glance won't cut it.
- Questions
- 10
- Subject
- World languages
- Price
- Free
- Sign-in
- Optional
- Devices
- Phone, tablet, desktop
At a glance
How to play
- Hepburn romanization
- し is shi, ち is chi, つ is tsu and ふ is fu. It's the system on Japanese passports and station signs, so it's the one you'll see most.
- Telling look-alikes apart
- Mix up a pair like さ and ち, シ and ツ, or ソ and ン, and you'll get a tip on how to tell them apart.
- Learn both sets as pairs
- The same sounds come up in both hiragana and katakana, so you learn the two sets side by side.
Score ranks
No Subtitles Needed
All correct. Not even シ and ツ fooled you.
Can Read the Convenience Store Menu
You know almost all of them. Just a look-alike or two to review.
Hiragana Is Fine
The basics are there. Katakana dots and stroke directions probably tripped you up.
Beginner Badge
At first they all look alike. Read the tips, play again, and they start to stand out.
Frequently asked questions
- Why isn't を in the quiz?
- を is written both wo and o, so there's no single right answer. We left it out.
- Do characters like が or ぱ appear?
- This quiz sticks to the basic characters. Adding two small marks (゛) or a small circle (゜) to a basic one gives you が, ぱ and the rest.
- Do I need to know any Japanese?
- No. Every miss comes with a tip, and after a few rounds the characters start to stick.