Hiragana Alphabet | All Characters, Usage, and Examples
Hiragana is one of the three main writing systems in Japanese, along with Katakana and Kanji. It is a phonetic syllabary consisting of 46 basic characters, each representing a specific sound. Unlike the Latin alphabet, where letters represent individual consonants or vowels, each Hiragana symbol represents a complete syllable.
When is Hiragana used?
Hiragana is mainly used for native Japanese words that do not have Kanji representations or for grammatical elements such as particles, verb endings, and inflections. It is also used in children’s books, beginner textbooks, and for phonetic guides called “furigana” that help readers pronounce Kanji.
Can we write Japanese using only Hiragana?
Technically, yes. You can write entire sentences in Hiragana, and native speakers will understand you. However, it will look unnatural and be harder to read, especially for longer texts, because there will be no visual separation between words. This is why Kanji is important, it breaks up sentences visually and makes reading faster.
Why should we learn Katakana and Kanji too?
Katakana is used for foreign loanwords, onomatopoeia, scientific terms, and emphasis. Without Katakana, you cannot properly write imported words like “computer” (コンピュータ) or “coffee” (コーヒー).
Kanji carries meaning in each character, making sentences more concise and precise. For example, the word “はな” (hana) could mean “flower,” “nose,” or “talk” depending on the context. Kanji removes this ambiguity: 花 (flower), 鼻 (nose), 話 (talk).
Learning Hiragana is the first essential step for mastering Japanese. Once you have memorized all characters and their sounds, you will be able to read basic sentences, use dictionaries, and move forward to learning Katakana and Kanji. This guide provides all Hiragana characters, their romaji readings, example Japanese words, and English translations, followed by short example sentences to help you practice.
Hiragana Table
| Hiragana | Romaji | Japanese Word | Romaji Reading | English |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| あ | a | あさ | asa | morning |
| い | i | いぬ | inu | dog |
| う | u | うみ | umi | sea |
| え | e | えき | eki | station |
| お | o | おちゃ | ocha | tea |
| か | ka | かさ | kasa | umbrella |
| き | ki | きん | kin | gold |
| く | ku | くるま | kuruma | car |
| け | ke | けむり | kemuri | smoke |
| こ | ko | こえ | koe | voice |
| さ | sa | さくら | sakura | cherry blossom |
| し | shi | しお | shio | salt |
| す | su | すし | sushi | sushi |
| せ | se | せんせい | sensei | teacher |
| そ | so | そら | sora | sky |
| た | ta | たまご | tamago | egg |
| ち | chi | ちず | chizu | map |
| つ | tsu | つき | tsuki | moon |
| て | te | てがみ | tegami | letter |
| と | to | とり | tori | bird |
| な | na | なつ | natsu | summer |
| に | ni | にほん | nihon | Japan |
| ぬ | nu | ぬの | nuno | cloth |
| ね | ne | ねこ | neko | cat |
| の | no | のみもの | nomimono | drink |
| は | ha | はな | hana | flower |
| ひ | hi | ひる | hiru | noon |
| ふ | fu | ふね | fune | boat |
| へ | he | へや | heya | room |
| ほ | ho | ほし | hoshi | star |
| ま | ma | まど | mado | window |
| み | mi | みず | mizu | water |
| む | mu | むし | mushi | insect |
| め | me | めがね | megane | glasses |
| も | mo | もり | mori | forest |
| や | ya | やま | yama | mountain |
| ゆ | yu | ゆき | yuki | snow |
| よ | yo | よる | yoru | night |
| ら | ra | らいおん | raion | lion |
| り | ri | りんご | ringo | apple |
| る | ru | るす | rusu | absence |
| れ | re | れきし | rekishi | history |
| ろ | ro | ろうそく | rousoku | candle |
| わ | wa | わに | wani | crocodile |
| を | o* | をのみます | o nomimasu | (particle) drink |
| ん | n | ほん | hon | book |
| Japanese Sentence | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|
| わたしはがくせいです。 | watashi wa gakusei desu. | I am a student. |
| ねこがいます。 | neko ga imasu. | There is a cat. |
| おちゃをのみます。 | ocha o nomimasu. | I drink tea. |
| あさごはんをたべます。 | asagohan o tabemasu. | I eat breakfast. |
| そらがあおいです。 | sora ga aoi desu. | The sky is blue. |
| にほんごをべんきょうします。 | nihongo o benkyou shimasu. | I study Japanese. |
| やまへいきます。 | yama e ikimasu. | I go to the mountain. |
| ゆきがふっています。 | yuki ga futteimasu. | It is snowing. |
| ほんをよみます。 | hon o yomimasu. | I read a book. |
| てがみをかきます。 | tegami o kakimasu. | I write a letter. |
| あさはやくおきます。 | asa hayaku okimasu. | I wake up early in the morning. |
| いぬがさんぽしています。 | inu ga sanpo shiteimasu. | The dog is taking a walk. |
| うみでおよぎます。 | umi de oyogimasu. | I swim in the sea. |
| えきでまちあわせします。 | eki de machiawase shimasu. | We meet at the station. |
| おちゃをいれます。 | ocha o iremasu. | I make tea. |
| かさをもちます。 | kasa o mochimasu. | I carry an umbrella. |
| きんをかぞえます。 | kin o kazoemasu. | I count gold coins. |
| くるまでいきます。 | kuruma de ikimasu. | I go by car. |
| けむりがでています。 | kemuri ga deteimasu. | Smoke is coming out. |
| こえがきこえます。 | koe ga kikoemasu. | I can hear a voice. |
| さくらがさきました。 | sakura ga sakimashita. | The cherry blossom has bloomed. |
| しおをつかいます。 | shio o tsukaimasu. | I use salt. |
| すしをたべます。 | sushi o tabemasu. | I eat sushi. |
| せんせいにききます。 | sensei ni kikimasu. | I ask the teacher. |
| そらをみます。 | sora o mimasu. | I look at the sky. |
| たまごをやきます。 | tamago o yakimasu. | I fry an egg. |
| ちずをひらきます。 | chizu o hirakimasu. | I open the map. |
| つきがでています。 | tsuki ga deteimasu. | The moon is out. |
| てがみをだします。 | tegami o dashimasu. | I send a letter. |
| とりがとんでいます。 | tori ga tondeimasu. | The bird is flying. |
| なつはあついです。 | natsu wa atsui desu. | Summer is hot. |
