Learn Japanese Hiragana: The Complete Beginner’s Guide
F Rank LessonIf you're starting your journey into the Japanese language, learning hiragana is your essential first step. It opens the door to reading, writing, and speaking Japanese with confidence.
In this guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about hiragana in Japanese—from what hiragana is, how many hiragana characters there are, to how to write hiragana, and the best tips for how to learn hiragana quickly and effectively.
Get the Japanese Hiragana ChartWhat is Hiragana?
Hiragana (ひらがな) is one of the three Japanese writing systems, along with Katakana (カタカナ) and Kanji (漢字). It is a phonetic syllabary, meaning each character represents a distinct sound. Hiragana is mainly used for:
- Native Japanese words that don’t have kanji
- Grammar particles (like は, を, に)
- Verb and adjective endings
- Furigana (small hiragana used to show the reading of kanji)
How Many Hiragana Are There?
There are 46 basic hiragana characters in modern Japanese. These characters represent all the fundamental sounds in the Japanese language. But that’s not all—there are also:
25 additional sounds made with diacritics called dakuten (゛) and handakuten (゜).
Examples: が (ga), ぱ (pa)
36 combination sounds formed using smaller や (ya), ゆ (yu), or よ (yo).
Examples: きゃ (kya), しゅ (shu)
きゃ (kya) sounds a bit like screaming: kyaaaaa!!
So while there are 46 core hiragana, you’ll encounter about 100 commonly used syllables in total.
Japanese Hiragana Chart
Below is a chart of hiragana showing all 46 basic hiragana characters. Practice writing them using proper stroke order to build a strong foundation.
How to Write Hiragana
Learning how to write hiragana correctly impacts your future handwriting. Each character follows a specific stroke order to ensure readability and proper form.
- Use square grid paper to maintain proportions
- Follow stroke order - there's usually a good reason why they suggest that order
- Practice slowly at first, then build fluency
- Say each sound aloud as you write to reinforce memory
You'll find lots of free hiragna practice sheets online, like this one from Happy Lilac.
In Japan, as a kid you're forced to write these over and over again. And as an adult they judge your penmanship based on whether you can hit those proportions... no pressue, of course :)
How to Learn Hiragana
Not sure how to learn hiragana efficiently? We suggest strategies like these:
- Start small: Learn 5–10 characters a day, e.g. あいうえお first day, then かきくけこ the next day, etc.
- Use mnemonics: Associate visuals or stories with each character if it helps
- Use real words: Practice writing words like ねこ (cat), たべる (to eat). Using words in everyday life will make it more fun and relevant.
You can collect words from the Japan Blog or Graded Readers and test yourself in the Collections section.
Why Should You Learn Hiragana?
If you're learning Japanese, Hiragana is the first place to start. It's like learning the ABC's for English. Mastering hiragana helps you understand grammar, read menus and signs, improve pronunciation, and use furigana to learn Kanji.