Katakana Quiz – Free Online Katakana Practice Test
Practice all 46 basic Katakana characters plus Dakuten and Handakuten. Type the Romaji reading, get instant feedback, track your accuracy and build your Katakana skills with our free online quiz.
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Characters You Should Review
What Is Katakana?
Katakana is one of the three Japanese writing systems, used mainly for foreign loanwords, foreign names, onomatopoeia, and emphasis. Words like コーヒー (coffee), テレビ (television), and アメリカ (America) are all written in katakana. Mastering katakana — including dakuten and handakuten sounds — is essential for reading menus, signs, and everyday Japanese media, and it's core JLPT N5 vocabulary.
Katakana Chart – Basic, Dakuten & Handakuten
Use this katakana chart as a quick reference while you practice. Each character includes a real example word so it connects to meaning, not just shape.
| Katakana | Romaji | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| ア | a | アイス | Ice cream |
| カ | ka | カメラ | Camera |
| サ | sa | サラダ | Salad |
| タ | ta | タクシー | Taxi |
| ナ | na | バナナ | Banana |
| ハ | ha | ハンバーガー | Hamburger |
| マ | ma | マスク | Mask |
| ラ | ra | レストラン | Restaurant |
| テ | te | テレビ | Television |
| コ | ko | コーヒー | Coffee |
| ガ | ga | ガム | Gum |
| ザ | za | ピザ | Pizza |
| ダ | da | ダンス | Dance |
| バ | ba | バス | Bus |
| パ | pa | パン | Bread |
| ピ | pi | ピアノ | Piano |
| Monographs (清音) — Full Set | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ア a | イ i | ウ u | エ e | オ o |
| カ ka | キ ki | ク ku | ケ ke | コ ko |
| サ sa | シ shi | ス su | セ se | ソ so |
| タ ta | チ chi | ツ tsu | テ te | ト to |
| ナ na | ニ ni | ヌ nu | ネ ne | ノ no |
| ハ ha | ヒ hi | フ fu | ヘ he | ホ ho |
| マ ma | ミ mi | ム mu | メ me | モ mo |
| ヤ ya | ユ yu | ヨ yo | ||
| ラ ra | リ ri | ル ru | レ re | ロ ro |
| ワ wa | ヲ wo | |||
| ン n | ||||
| Dakuten (濁音) & Handakuten (半濁音) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ガ ga | ギ gi | グ gu | ゲ ge | ゴ go |
| ザ za | ジ ji | ズ zu | ゼ ze | ゾ zo |
| ダ da | ヂ ji | ヅ zu | デ de | ド do |
| バ ba | ビ bi | ブ bu | ベ be | ボ bo |
| パ pa | ピ pi | プ pu | ペ pe | ポ po |
Katakana Quiz Modes
This isn't just a single character test — pick the mode that matches how you want to practice.
All 46 monograph characters — ア, カ, サ, タ, ナ and beyond. Start here.
Voiced sounds like ガ (ga), ザ (za), ダ (da) formed with the ゛ mark.
Semi-voiced sounds パ, ピ, プ, ペ, ポ formed with the ゜ mark.
Combination sounds like キャ (kya) and シャ (sha) using small ャ ュ ョ.
The classic mix-ups: シ vs ツ, ソ vs ン, ウ vs ワ, ク vs ケ.
Real loanwords like コーヒー and テレビ instead of single characters, with meanings.
How to Learn Katakana Fast
Practice a little every day rather than cramming. Start with monographs (ア, カ, サ…), then move on to dakuten (ガ, ザ, ダ, バ) and handakuten (パ, ピ, プ) once the basics feel automatic. Use active-recall quizzes like this one instead of passive reading — typing the romaji reading from memory builds recognition speed far faster than simply looking at a chart. Many katakana words are recognizable English loanwords, which makes recall easier once you know the sound rules. Finish each session by reviewing the specific characters you got wrong, not the whole set again.
Katakana vs Hiragana — What's the Difference?
Katakana is reserved for foreign loanwords, names, onomatopoeia, and emphasis, while hiragana is used for native Japanese words, particles, and conjugations. Both scripts represent the exact same sounds with different characters. Most learners study hiragana first since it appears more frequently in everyday reading, then move to katakana since it shares the same sound system.
Commonly Confused Katakana Characters
These pairs trip up almost every learner at first — the differences come down to stroke direction and small shape details.
シ (shi) has strokes angled from bottom-left to top-right. ツ (tsu) has strokes angled from top-left to bottom-right, more vertical.
ソ (so) starts with a short stroke near the top. ン (n) starts lower and the strokes curve more sharply — context and word position usually give it away too.
ウ (u) has a small stroke inside the top, like a hat. ワ (wa) is more open and rounded, without the inner mark.
ク (ku) is two simple strokes forming an angle. ケ (ke) has an extra short stroke on the left side.
Katakana Words You Should Know
Katakana is commonly used for foreign loanwords, foreign names, and certain other purposes in Japanese. Here are everyday words worth memorizing first:
| Katakana | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| コーヒー | koohii | Coffee |
| テレビ | terebi | Television |
| コンピューター | konpyuutaa | Computer |
| レストラン | resutoran | Restaurant |
| ホテル | hoteru | Hotel |
| タクシー | takushii | Taxi |
| スーパー | suupaa | Supermarket |
| アメリカ | amerika | America |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Katakana?
Katakana is one of the three Japanese writing systems, used mainly for foreign loanwords, foreign names, onomatopoeia, and emphasis. Words like コーヒー (coffee) and テレビ (television) are written in katakana.
How many Katakana characters are there?
There are 46 basic katakana characters, plus 20 dakuten (voiced) characters and 5 handakuten (semi-voiced) characters — 71 characters in total. On top of that there are 33 digraph combinations formed by pairing characters with small ya, yu or yo.
How many Katakana characters should I learn first?
Start with the 46 basic monographs (ア, カ, サ, タ, ナ...). Once those feel automatic, move on to dakuten and handakuten, then digraphs last.
Is Katakana harder than Hiragana?
Katakana and hiragana represent the same sounds, so neither is inherently harder. Many learners find katakana slightly trickier because it is used less frequently in daily reading and has several visually similar characters, such as シ and ツ.
How long does it take to learn Katakana?
Most learners can recognize all 46 basic katakana characters within one to two weeks of daily practice, and become fully comfortable with dakuten, handakuten, and digraphs within about a month.
What is Katakana used for?
Katakana is used to write foreign loanwords, foreign names, onomatopoeia, scientific and technical terms, and words the writer wants to emphasize, similar to italics in English.
What is the difference between Hiragana and Katakana?
Hiragana is used for native Japanese words, grammar particles, and verb conjugations, while katakana is reserved for loanwords, foreign names, and emphasis. Both represent the same set of sounds with different characters.
What are Dakuten and Handakuten?
Dakuten (゛) and handakuten (゜) are small marks added to certain katakana characters to change their sound, such as カ (ka) becoming ガ (ga), or ハ (ha) becoming パ (pa).
What are Katakana Digraphs?
Digraphs combine a katakana character with a small ya, yu, or yo (ャ ュ ョ) to form a single sound, such as キャ (kya) or シャ (sha). There are 33 common digraph combinations.
How can I memorize Katakana quickly?
Practice a little every day using active recall rather than passive reading, group characters by visual similarity, and learn real loanwords like コーヒー and テレビ so the characters connect to meaning rather than isolated shapes.
What is the best way to practice Katakana?
Typing the romaji reading from memory, as this quiz does, builds recognition speed faster than simply looking at a chart. Reviewing the specific characters you get wrong is more effective than repeating the full set every time.
Is this Katakana quiz free?
Yes, this katakana quiz is completely free to use with no sign-up required. Practice as many rounds as you like.
Is this Katakana quiz suitable for JLPT N5?
Yes. Katakana is core JLPT N5 material, and this quiz covers every character tested at that level, including dakuten, handakuten, and common digraphs.
Should I learn hiragana or katakana first?
Most textbooks recommend learning hiragana first since it appears more often in everyday Japanese. Katakana is typically learned right after, since many beginner words like コーヒー and テレビ use it.
Can I practice Katakana on mobile?
Yes, this quiz works on both desktop and mobile browsers, with an on-screen keyboard for touch devices.
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