Mastering Hiragana and Katakana: Why Starting with Katakana Makes Japanese Easier
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Learn Japanese efficiently by understanding why Katakana feels difficult and how practicing it first can transform your Japanese learning experience.
Introduction
Learning Japanese can feel overwhelming at first, especially when you encounter both Hiragana and Katakana. Many beginners wonder why Katakana seems harder, why it doesn’t stick, or why the pronunciation feels different from English. In this article, I explain these differences clearly and share teaching insights based on my experience working with learners from around the world. If you want to build a strong foundation in Japanese for Beginners and make Japanese Language Learning easier, this guide will help you see Katakana in a new way.
Why Katakana Feels More Difficult Than Hiragana
Hiragana appears constantly in Japanese text, which means beginners naturally become familiar with it through repeated exposure. Most students eventually read Hiragana without difficulty.
Katakana, however, appears mainly in nouns such as technology terms, brand names, foreign loanwords, and country names. Because it shows up less frequently in everyday sentences, learners have fewer chances to recognize and memorize it. This limited exposure leads many students to say that Katakana is difficult.
Another common reason is pronunciation. English speakers often expect Katakana words to match English sounds, but Katakana represents Japanese pronunciation. Just like Korean or Thai adapt English words into their own phonetic systems, Japanese also adjusts foreign words to fit its sound patterns. Understanding this makes Katakana far less confusing.
Katakana Comes from Kanji: Why It’s Easier to Write
Many learners assume Hiragana is simpler because they encounter it first. In reality, Hiragana is much harder to write.
Hiragana evolved from entire Kanji characters being simplified, which results in curved, complex shapes.
Katakana, on the other hand, was created from parts of Kanji. Because it is built from simpler strokes, writing Katakana is more straightforward and visually cleaner.
If you compare letters like の／ノ or な／ナ or む／ム, you will notice how Katakana uses fewer strokes and resembles small segments of Kanji. This makes Katakana ideal for building confidence before moving on to more complex writing.
A Practical Teaching Approach: Katakana First, Hiragana Later
If I were to teach brand-new beginners again, I would start with this method:
Katakana：Practice writing
Hiragana：Focus on reading
Since Hiragana appears frequently in sentences, learners can absorb it through reading practice. Katakana, however, requires intentional writing practice to stick. Starting with Katakana helps develop stroke awareness and prepares learners for Kanji, because the shapes are structurally similar.
Many learners who begin with Katakana later find Kanji much easier—and even enjoyable—because their writing skills are already prepared.
Learning Resources to Support Your Practice
On Udemy, I currently offer two courses designed for solid foundational learning:
a Katakana writing course and a 100 Basic Kanji course.
If you feel uncertain about Katakana or want to strengthen your writing skills, starting with Katakana is one of the most effective ways to improve your overall Japanese Listening Practice and Japanese reading and writing ability.
Key Takeaways
Katakana appears less often in sentences, so learners have fewer opportunities to memorize it.
Katakana pronunciation differs from English because it represents Japanese sounds, not English ones.
Katakana is structurally simpler because it comes from parts of Kanji.
Starting with Katakana writing practice makes later Kanji learning easier and more enjoyable.
Hiragana is best learned through reading, while Katakana benefits most from writing practice.
【Listener Questions】
1 How did you study Hiragana and Katakana? (Textbook, apps, self-study, etc.)
2 What practice method worked best for you when learning Katakana?
3 When studying Japanese characters, what do you think are the pros and cons of learning from a teacher versus learning with apps?
4 Can you write and read Hiragana and Katakana smoothly now?
5 What do you think makes Katakana feel difficult? (Pronunciation differences, low frequency in texts, etc.)
6 Would you like to study Katakana again, or do you feel you no longer need to?
◆My Udemy
１ What is Japanese?
Japanese for Beginners: Just 2 Things - Simple Grammar
２ Katakana
Master Katakana: Writing & Calligraphy the Classic Way カタカナ
３ Kanji 100
Japanese 100 Basic Kanji: Write, Feel, and Truly Understand
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