< Japanese < Kana < Lessons < Katakana

Hiragana: [ a ] [ ka ] [ sa ] [ ta ] [ na ] [ ha ] [ ma ] [ ya ] [ ra ] [ wa, wo, n ] [ ゐ and ゑ (ancient hiragana in disuse) ]
Katakana: [ a ] [ ka ] [ sa ] [ ta ] [ na ] [ ha ] [ ma ] [ ya ] [ ra ] [ wa, wo, n ] [ ヰ and ヱ (ancient katakana in disuse) ]

In this lesson you are going to learn how to read and write カ、キ、ク、ケ、コ. Adding two small lines called 濁(だく)点(てん) dakuten, but commonly known simply as 点々(てんてん) tenten, meaning "two marks", causes clear sounds to change to their voiced sound. Thus, adding the 点々(てんてん) tenten marks will cause カ、キ、ク、ケ、コ to be produced ガ、ギ、グ、ゲ、ゴ.

Brush Stroke:
Sound:

ka

 ga
Mnemonic:

Like the か (ka) of Hiragana, just missing the extra stroke on the right.
Example:
  • カナダ (kanada) Canada
  • カメラ (kamara) camera
  • カカオ (kakao) cacao
  • ガラパゴス　(garapagosu) Galapagos
  • ガイダンス (gaidansu) guidance
  • ガバナンス (gabanansu) governance
Brush Stroke:
Sound:

ki

 gi
Mnemonic:

Another key, now just the top half.
Example:
  • キルギズタン (kirugizustan) Kyrgyzstan
  • キウイ (kiui) kiwi
  • キス (kisu) kiss
  • ギア　(gia) gear
  • ギアナ (giana) Guiana
  • ギフト (gifuto) gift
Brush Stroke:
Sound:

ku

 gu
Mnemonic:
  • The open wing of a cooing pigeon.
  • The handle of a cup
  • Cookie with a bite taken out of it, held in the lower left corner.
Example:
  • クウェート (kueeto)　Kuwait
  • クリック (kurikku) click
  • クローン (kuroon) clone
  • グアバ (guaba) guava
  • グリーン (guriin) green
  • グアム (guamu) Guam
Brush Stroke:
Sound:

ke

 ge
Mnemonic:
  • Looks like a "K" tilted to the side. Just pronounce the K with a Japanese accent so its "ke".
  • You guessed wrong. This isn't a pigeon wing but a bat wing, because it has a claw; the bat lives in a cave
Example:
  • ケベック (kebekku) Quebec
  • ケーブル (keeburu) cable
  • ケーキ (keeki) cake
  • ゲゲゲ (gegege) sound used to signify cackling
  • ゲノム (genomu) genome
  • ゲリラセン (gerirasen) guerilla warfare
Brush Stroke:
Sound:

ko

 go
Mnemonic:
  • Like the hiragana こ, but connected at the right hand side. The bottom stroke was to be a copy of the top one but ran out of room.
  • It's the side-view of a gopher's burrow.
  • Looks like the corners of the edge of a table.
Example:
  • コンゴ (kongo) Congo
  • コーヒー (koohii) coffee
  • コンピュータ (konpyuuta) computer
  • ゴブレット (goburetto) goblet
  • ゴブリン (goburin) goblin
  • ゴジラ (gojira) Godzilla
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