Introduction to Japanese Script: Hiragana and Katakana
Welcome to your master guide for the foundational scripts of GCSE Japanese! In the Pearson Edexcel GCSE (9–1) Japanese exam (1JA0), mastering the two phonetic syllabaries—Hiragana (ひらがな) and Katakana (カタカナ)—is essential. Together, these two scripts form the bedrock of everything you will read in Paper 3 (Reading) and write in Paper 4 (Writing).
Crucial GCSE Exam Rule: Pearson Edexcel mark schemes strictly state that "Any work in rōmaji will not be credited". This means Latin alphabet spellings receive zero marks in your writing paper. You must be able to read and write confidently using standard Japanese script.
Don't worry if learning two full alphabets feels daunting at first! Both scripts represent the exact same set of sounds. Once you master the sound system, you will simply learn two visual styles: the smooth, curvy Hiragana and the sharp, angular Katakana.
Key Takeaway: Hiragana and Katakana represent the exact same sounds. Master the sound grid first, and reading and writing will quickly become second nature.
1. The Syllabic System: The Gojūon (50 Sounds Chart)
Japanese is built around rhythmic beats known as a mora (plural: morae). In almost all cases, one kana character equals one mora (one single beat of time).
The 5 Core Vowels
Every standard sound in Japanese is based on five basic vowel sounds. Always keep this order in mind:
• a (あ / ア) — pronounced like the 'a' in father
• i (い / イ) — pronounced like the 'ee' in feet
• u (う / ウ) — pronounced like the 'oo' in boot (with relaxed lips)
• e (え / エ) — pronounced like the 'e' in pet
• o (お / オ) — pronounced like the 'o' in core
The Consonant Columns
To produce the rest of the chart, consonants combine with the 5 vowels in a fixed order:
• K-column: ka (か/カ), ki (き/キ), ku (く/ク), ke (け/ケ), ko (こ/コ)
• S-column: sa (さ/サ), shi (し/シ), su (す/ス), se (せ/セ), so (そ/ソ)
• T-column: ta (た/タ), chi (ち/チ), tsu (つ/ツ), te (て/テ), to (と/ト)
• N-column: na (な/ナ), ni (に/ニ), nu (ぬ/ヌ), ne (ね/ネ), no (の/ノ)
• H-column: ha (は/ハ), hi (ひ/ヒ), fu (ふ/フ), he (へ/ヘ), ho (ほ/ホ)
• M-column: ma (ま/マ), mi (み/ミ), mu (む/ム), me (め/メ), mo (も/モ)
• Y-column: ya (や/ヤ), [empty], yu (ゆ/ユ), [empty], yo (よ/ヨ)
• R-column: ra (ら/ラ), ri (り/リ), ru (る/ル), re (れ/レ), ro (ろ/ロ)
• W-column: wa (わ/ワ), [empty], [empty], [empty], wo/o (を/ヲ)
• Syllabic Nasal (1 beat): n (ん / ン)
Watch Out for Irregular Pronunciations: Notice that Japanese does not say si, ti, tu, or hu in standard native words. They become shi (し), chi (ち), tsu (つ), and fu (ふ).
Key Takeaway: The Gojūon chart is systematic. Learn the consonant sequence (K, S, T, N, H, M, Y, R, W) combined with the 5 vowels (a, i, u, e, o) to unlock the entire foundation.
2. Sound Modifications: Voicing and Combinations
A. Voiced Sounds (Dakuten / Ten-ten ゛)
Adding two small diagonal strokes (called dakuten or ten-ten) to the top right of a kana character softens or "voices" the consonant sound:
• K $\rightarrow$ G: が (ga), ぎ (gi), ぐ (gu), げ (ge), ご (go) / ガ, ギ, グ, ゲ, ゴ
• S $\rightarrow$ Z: ざ (za), じ (ji), ず (zu), ぜ (ze), ぞ (zo) / ザ, ジ, ズ, ゼ, ゾ
• T $\rightarrow$ D: だ (da), ぢ (ji/dji), づ (zu/dzu), で (de), ど (do) / ダ, ヂ, ヅ, デ, ド
• H $\rightarrow$ B: ば (ba), び (bi), ぶ (bu), べ (be), ぼ (bo) / バ, ビ, ブ, ベ, ボ
B. Semi-Voiced Sounds (Handakuten / Maru ゜)
Adding a small circle (called handakuten or maru) to the H-column converts the 'h' sound into a crisp 'p' sound:
• H $\rightarrow$ P: ぱ (pa), ぴ (pi), ぷ (pu), ぺ (pe), ぽ (po) / パ, ピ, プ, ペ, ポ
C. Contracted Sounds (Yōon — Small ゃ, ゅ, ょ / ャ, ュ, ョ)
Contracted sounds are created by taking any consonant from the -i row (such as き, し, ち, に, ひ, み, り, ぎ, じ, び, ぴ) and adding a smaller version of ya (ゃ), yu (ゅ), or yo (ょ).
• Examples: きゃ (kya), しゅ (shu), ちょ (cho), りょ (ryo), ぴゅ (pyu).
• Mora Count Rule: A contracted pair counts as one single beat (1 mora). For example, きょ (kyo) is 1 beat, whereas full-sized きよ (ki-yo) is 2 beats!
D. Double Consonants / Glottal Stops (Sokuon — Small っ / ッ)
A small tsu (っ in Hiragana / ッ in Katakana) creates a distinct one-beat pause right before consonants like k, s, t, and p. Think of it like holding your breath for a quick split-second beat.
• Examples: がっこう (gakkō - school), きって (kitte - stamp), カップ (kappu - cup).
• Mora Count Rule: The small っ counts as its own full 1 mora (1 beat) pause in spoken rhythm.
Key Takeaway: Small marks make huge sound changes! Ten-ten turns K/S/T/H into G/Z/D/B, maru turns H into P, small ya/yu/yo creates single-beat blend sounds, and small tsu creates a one-beat rhythmic pause.
3. Long Vowels (Chōon): Hiragana vs. Katakana
Holding a vowel for two beats instead of one can completely change the meaning of a word in Japanese (e.g., おばさん obasan = aunt, while おばあさん obāsan = grandmother).
Long Vowels in Hiragana
In Hiragana, long vowels are formed by adding an extra vowel kana:
• Long 'a': add あ $\rightarrow$ おかあさん (okāsan - mother)
• Long 'i': add い $\rightarrow$ おにいさん (onīsan - older brother)
• Long 'u': add う $\rightarrow$ ゆうがた (yūgata - evening)
• Long 'e': usually add い (e.g., せんせい sensei), or occasionally え for native words (e.g., おねえさん onēsan - older sister)
• Long 'o': almost always add う $\rightarrow$ とうきょう (Tōkyō), がっこう (gakkō), さようなら (sayōnara). (Only a few rare native words use お, such as おおい and とお).
Long Vowels in Katakana (The Chōonpu: ー)
Katakana makes things much simpler! Instead of writing extra vowel letters, all extended vowel sounds use a flat horizontal dash called the Chōonpu (ー).
• Examples: コーヒー (kōhī - coffee), デパート (depāto - department store), ケーキ (kēki - cake).
Examiner Warning: Never use the Katakana dash (ー) in Hiragana words (do NOT write せんせー). Similarly, do not write Hiragana vowels in Katakana words (do NOT write コオヒイ).
Key Takeaway: Hiragana stretches sounds using specific vowel letters (especially う for long 'o'), while Katakana always uses the straight dash ー.
4. Special Extended Katakana for Foreign Sounds
Because Katakana is used for non-Japanese loanwords, modern Japanese uses special combinations of small kana to recreate foreign sounds that don't exist in native Japanese. These frequently appear in Edexcel GCSE vocabulary:
• F-sounds (using フ + small vowels): ファ (fa), フィ (fi), フェ (fe), フォ (fo)
• T / D sounds: ティ (ti), ディ (di), トゥ (tu)
• Sh / Ch / J sounds: シェ (she), チェ (che), ジェ (je)
• W-sounds (using ウ + small vowels): ウィ (wi), ウェ (we)
• Real GCSE Exam Examples: パーティー (pātī - party), カフェ (kafe - café), チェック (chekku - check).
Key Takeaway: Extended Katakana combines full kana with small vowels (ア, イ, エ, オ) to transcribe modern global words accurately.
5. When to Use Which Script in GCSE Japanese
Knowing which script to use is essential for Paper 4 (Writing) mark schemes:
Use Hiragana (ひらがな) For:
1. Grammatical Particles: Single kana markers like は (wa), を (o), へ (e), に (ni), で (de), が (ga), と (to), も (mo), から (kara), まで (made).
2. Inflectional Verb and Adjective Endings (Okurigana): For example, the endings on 食べます (tabemasu), 行きました (ikimashita), 高い (takai), 安くて (yasukute).
3. Native Japanese Words: Words that do not use Kanji at GCSE level (e.g., ここ, これ, ありがとう).
4. Furigana: Small phonetic guide text written above complex Kanji.
Use Katakana (カタカナ) For:
1. Foreign Loanwords: Words borrowed from English and other languages (e.g., パン pan - bread, テレビ terebi - TV, トイレ toire - toilet).
2. Foreign Names and Places: Non-Japanese names and country names (e.g., イギリス Igirisu - UK, ロンドン Rondon - London, スミス Sumisu - Smith).
3. Sound Effects (Onomatopoeia) and Stylized Words.
Key Takeaway: Hiragana is the glue of Japanese grammar and native vocabulary; Katakana is the tool for borrowed foreign words, non-Japanese names, and international places.
6. Examiner Traps & Common Pitfalls to Avoid
Trap 1: Grammatical Particle Spelling vs. Pronunciation
Three essential particles in Japanese are pronounced differently from their standard Gojūon spelling:
• Topic Marker: Always write は (ha), NEVER write わ (wa).
• Direction Marker: Always write へ (he), NEVER write え (e).
• Direct Object Marker: Always write を (wo), NEVER write お (o).
Trap 2: Visually Similar Hiragana Characters
Make sure you distinguish these easily confused pairs when writing:
• あ (a) vs. お (o): お has a separate dash on the top right; あ has a central loop.
• わ (wa) vs. ね (ne) vs. れ (re): Notice the right side! わ curves smoothly inward; ね ends in an enclosed curly loop; れ flicks outward to the right.
• さ (sa) vs. ち (chi): さ faces right with the horizontal stroke first; ち faces left with a curved belly.
• め (me) vs. ぬ (nu): ぬ has a loop at the tail end; め simply sweeps through.
• る (ru) vs. ろ (ro): る curls into a closed loop at the bottom; ろ remains open.
Trap 3: The Infamous Katakana Lookalikes (Examiner Top Trap!)
Examiners regularly report students mixing up these Katakana strokes:
• シ (shi) vs. ツ (tsu):
- シ (shi): The strokes are aligned horizontally/flatter, and the long final sweeping stroke moves from the bottom upwards.
- ツ (tsu): The strokes are aligned vertically, and the long sweeping stroke moves from the top downwards.
• ソ (so) vs. ン (n):
- ソ (so): The stroke moves from the top downwards.
- ン (n): The stroke moves from the bottom upwards.
• Other Lookalikes:
- ク (ku) vs. ワ (wa) vs. ウ (u) vs. タ (ta)
- ス (su) vs. ヌ (nu)
Trap 4: Small Kana Sizing (ゃ/ゅ/ょ and っ/ッ)
If you write a small kana at full size, it changes the entire word and costs marks! On standard lined or grid paper (Genkō Yōshi), small characters should be written at approximately one-quarter of normal character size and placed neatly in the lower-left corner of the character space.
• Wrong: きよう (3 beats: ki-yo-u)
• Correct: きょう (2 beats: kyō - today)
• Wrong: つき (2 beats: tsu-ki - moon)
• Correct: っき (1-beat stop + ki)
Key Takeaway: Pay strict attention to stroke direction on シ/ツ and ソ/ン, keep particles spelled as は/へ/を, and always ensure small kana are visibly small.
7. Quick Revision Summary Checklist
Before sitting your GCSE Japanese assessments, make sure you can confidently check off each of these points:
• I know all 46 basic Hiragana and Katakana characters from memory.
• I never use rōmaji (Latin letters) in Paper 4 writing tasks.
• I can correctly apply dakuten (゛) and handakuten (゜) to voice consonants.
• I know that small ゃ/ゅ/ょ create 1-mora blend sounds and small っ/ッ creates a 1-mora pause.
• I use standard vowel letters for Hiragana long vowels (e.g. とうきょう) and the dash (ー) for Katakana long vowels (e.g. コーヒー).
• I write particles as は (topic), へ (direction), and を (object).
• I can clearly distinguish between Katakana シ (shi) / ツ (tsu) and ソ (so) / ン (n).