Katakana is part of the Japanese writing system, used mostly for words from other languages, and has 121 characters. Let’s look at them:
Basic Characters: There are 47 basic characters, just like in Hiragana.
Characters with Marks: 25 characters can change sounds with marks, similar to Hiragana.
Contracted Sounds: Katakana uses 33 of the same contracted sounds as Hiragana, plus an extra 16 unique to Katakana.
Important Points:
Katakana shares many rules with Hiragana, making it somewhat easier for learners to adapt. However, Katakana introduces unique aspects:
Extra Characters: Katakana has some characters that are only used in Katakana, often for words from other languages.
Long Vowel Sign: In Katakana, when you want to make a vowel sound longer, you use a special sign “ー”. For example, the word for card in Japanese, カード(kaado), uses this sign to lengthen the ‘a’ sound.
Katakana is cool because it shows how Japanese language includes words from other countries. Learning Katakana helps you read things like menus, signs, and names of many modern items.
To further improve your understanding and practice of Katakana, consider watching tutorial videos. So, please practice Katakana by accessing YouTube through the link below. Watching this video can help you get better at reading and writing Japanese, making the whole process much easier and more fun.
