Hiragana vs Katakana: What's the Difference?
If you're new to Japanese, the two kana scripts can feel like a strange redundancy: hiragana () and katakana () represent the exact same set of sounds, just with different shapes. They're not alternatives you pick between, though - each has its own job.
Spot the difference by shape
Hiragana is rounded and flowing - あ, ひ, ら curve and loop, since the script grew out of cursive handwriting. Katakana is angular and blocky - ア, ヒ, ラ are made of short, straight strokes, since each character was originally just a fragment cut from a more complex kanji. Once you've seen a few side by side, the two styles are easy to tell apart even before you can read them.
Spot the difference by use
- Hiragana writes native Japanese words, grammar particles (は, を, に…), and verb/adjective endings.
- Katakana writes foreign loanwords (, kōhī, "coffee"), foreign names, and onomatopoeia.
- Katakana is also used for emphasis, similar to italics in English.
A simple rule of thumb: if a word came from English, French, or another foreign language relatively recently, it's almost certainly written in katakana. Everything else - the grammatical glue of a sentence especially - is hiragana.
Because they map one-to-one, once you've learned hiragana, learning katakana is mostly just memorizing a second set of shapes for sounds you already know. Try both scripts yourself with the practice keyboard, or read the full breakdown in the hiragana and katakana lessons.