How to write Japanese Katakana (Part 1)

Katakana is one of three main Japanese scripts. Katakana is used for foreign-origin names and words and also often used for onomatopoeia. This section shows you how to write first 10 letters of Katakana.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Pen or Pencil
• Paper

1. 
    
   Katakana (Part 1)

   Open the graphic (if it is blurry, you may either want to open it in a new window or you may want to save in your computer and open it). First learn how to write the first five letters. The top first five letters are all vowels". ア is pronounced like "a" in "far" but shorter.　イ is "i" in "magazine" but shorter. ウ is often written as "u" but it pronounces like "oo" in "foot".　エ is "e" in "bed". オ is "o" in "course" but shorter. The blue lines in the picture show the stroke orders.

2. In the same picture, the next 5 letters are カ(ka), キ(ki),　ク(ku),　ケ(ke),　コ (ko). All these 5 letters start with "k" as in "kid", and add the vowel sounds described above.

3. Practice these ten letters a couple times until you memorize. Then, go to the following link to learn the next 10 Katakana Characters. ("How to write Japanese Katakana (Part 2)" http://www.ehow.com/how_4676534_write-japanese-katakana-part.html)

Resources

• How to write Japanese Katakana (Part 2)