The 46 basic kana
| a | i | u | e | o | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | あa | いi | うu | えe | おo |
| k | かka | きki | くku | けke | こko |
| s | さsa | しshi | すsu | せse | そso |
| t | たta | ちchi | つtsu | てte | とto |
| n | なna | にni | ぬnu | ねne | のno |
| h | はha | ひhi | ふfu | へhe | ほho |
| m | まma | みmi | むmu | めme | もmo |
| y | やya | ゆyu | よyo | ||
| r | らra | りri | るru | れre | ろro |
| w | わwa | をo | |||
| n | んn |
Add two dots, change the sound
| a | i | u | e | o | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| g | がga | ぎgi | ぐgu | げge | ごgo |
| z | ざza | じji | ずzu | ぜze | ぞzo |
| d | だda | ぢji | づzu | でde | どdo |
| b | ばba | びbi | ぶbu | べbe | ぼbo |
| p | ぱpa | ぴpi | ぷpu | ぺpe | ぽpo |
Two dots ゛ voice the sound; the small circle ゜ turns h into p.
Small ゃゅょ squeeze two kana into one beat
| きゃkya | きゅkyu | きょkyo | ぎゃgya | ぎゅgyu | ぎょgyo |
| しゃsha | しゅshu | しょsho | じゃja | じゅju | じょjo |
| ちゃcha | ちゅchu | ちょcho | びゃbya | びゅbyu | びょbyo |
| にゃnya | にゅnyu | にょnyo | ぴゃpya | ぴゅpyu | ぴょpyo |
| ひゃhya | ひゅhyu | ひょhyo | みゃmya | みゅmyu | みょmyo |
| りゃrya | りゅryu | りょryo |
The second kana is written small. きや is two beats, きゃ is one.
Three rules that finish the job
Small っ — hold the next sound for one silent beat. きって kitte, stamp · がっこう gakkou, school
A second vowel kana doubles the length. う stretches o and い stretches e: おかあさん okaasan, mother · えいが ee-ga, film
Three kana lie when they act as particles. は = wa · へ = e · を = o
Watch out
Look-alike pairs. あ・お · ぬ・め · は・ほ · れ・わ・ね · る・ろ · さ・き. Write each pair out a few times; staring at them does not work.
ん is its own beat. にほん is ni-ho-n — three beats, not two.
Spelling is honest. Unlike English, a kana never changes its sound, so a new word holds no surprises — and furigana above kanji makes the rest readable too.
