Moji NinjaHow to learn hiragana
Take one row of five kana a day, test yourself from memory instead of rereading the chart, write each new kana by hand, and review yesterday's before adding more. At that pace most learners can read all 46 basic hiragana in about two weeks.
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What there is to learn
Hiragana has 46 basic characters. Another 25 add a small mark for a voiced sound (dakuten and handakuten: か becomes が), and 33 combinations write syllables like きゃ (yōon). Then come small っ and long vowels. Once you know the basic 46, the rest takes a few days.
A two-week plan
Spend 10–15 minutes a day. If a row doesn't stick, repeat it the next day rather than moving on.
| Day | What you learn |
|---|---|
| 1 | The vowels: あ い う え お |
| 2 | K row: か き く け こ |
| 3 | S row: さ し す せ そ |
| 4 | T row: た ち つ て と |
| 5 | N row: な に ぬ ね の |
| 6 | H row: は ひ ふ へ ほ |
| 7 | Review everything so far |
| 8 | M row: ま み む め も |
| 9 | Y row: や ゆ よ |
| 10 | R row: ら り る れ ろ |
| 11 | W row and ん: わ を ん |
| 12 | Review all 46 |
| 13 | Dakuten and handakuten |
| 14 | Combination kana, small っ and long vowels |
Four habits that make it stick
- Recall, don't reread. Cover the answer and name the kana. Testing yourself is among the best-supported study methods there are (Roediger and Karpicke, 2006; Dunlosky et al., 2013).
- Space your reviews. Reviews spread over several days beat cramming in one sitting (Cepeda et al., 2006). That is why reviews in the app bring each kana back just as you are about to forget it.
- Write by hand. Write each new kana in the correct stroke order. Your hand remembers the shape, which helps most with the kana that look alike.
- Read real words early. After the first rows you can already read あい (love) and いえ (house). A word you know holds a kana in memory better than a chart does.
Kana that look alike
- ぬ and め: ぬ ends in a small loop.
- ね, れ and わ: only the end of the right side differs. ね ends in a loop.
- さ and ち: the lower curve of ち bulges to the right, that of さ to the left.
- る and ろ: る ends in a loop, ろ doesn't.
- は and ほ: ほ has one more stroke across the top.
What comes next
After hiragana, learn katakana: the sounds are the same, so it goes faster. Then move on to kanji, starting at level N5.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to learn hiragana?
About two weeks at one row a day, for most learners. Reading it quickly comes later, with practice.
Should I learn hiragana or katakana first?
Hiragana. It writes grammar and native Japanese words, so you use it from your first sentence. Katakana has the same sounds and is easier to learn afterwards.
Do I need to learn stroke order?
Yes, it is worth it. The right order keeps your handwriting legible, helps you remember the shape and prepares you for kanji. The JLPT itself has no handwriting.
Should I use romaji?
Only for the first days. The sooner you stop leaning on romaji, the sooner you read the kana themselves.
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