Katakana Crash Course | Japanese for Beginners

Name: Katakana Crash Course | Japanese for Beginners
Rating: 4.7 (78 reviews)

Learn how to read and write katakana

Created byAndy Watabe

Last updated 5/2026

English

What you'll learn

Recognize and read katakana characters
Write katakana characters using a practice sheet
Be able to read dakuten, handakuten, and small sutegana characters
Read over 150 practice words written and katakana

Course content

1 section • 19 lectures • 1h 11m total length

Introduction to Katakana2:16
Learn all 46 katakana characters and variations, and practice reading loanwords and foreign names. Explore how katakana adds emphasis, marks loanwords, and appears for animal and insect names.
アイウエオ (a i u e o)3:07
Explore katakana vowels aiueo by identifying each character's sound, ah, e, oo, and o, using example words like ukulele, auto, et, uso, and betadine.
カキクケコ (ka ki ku ke ko)4:05
Learn how to create long vowels in katakana by extending sounds with a trailing line, compare with hiragana, and identify key kana such as ka, ki, and ko.
ガギグゲゴ (ga gi gu ge go)3:35
Learn the katakana ga, gi, gu, ge, go and review each character through repeated prompts like 'what is this character?'.
サシスセソ (sa shi su se so)4:05
Learn the katakana characters sa, shi, su, se, so and practice identifying which symbol matches each sound.
ザジズゼゾ (za ji zu ze zo)3:36
Master the katakana za ji zu ze zo through focused practice and quick reviews. Identify each character by answering 'what is this character?' in examples.
タチツテト (ta chi tsu te to)5:25
ダヂヅデド (da ji zu de do)3:03
Master the katakana ダヂヅデド by learning the characters da, ga, zu, and do with dakuten, and practice pronunciation with examples, noting that few long words or loanwords use these forms.
ナニヌネノ (na ni nu ne no)4:40
Learn to recognize and distinguish the katakana characters na ni nu ne no through guided drills and example prompts that reinforce correct identification.
ハヒフヘホ (ha hi fu he ho)4:41
バビブベボ (ba bi bu be bo)3:35
Learn the katakana characters バビブベボ (ba bi bu be bo) and review with practice words like ha, bake, banana, hee, bedale, business, boot, avocado, and snowball.
パピプペポ (pa pi pu pe po)3:35
Master the pa pi pu pe po katakana set and the handakuten rule, using mnemonic examples like piano, pikuniku, soup, and hip hop to practice the sounds.
マミムメモ (ma mi mu me mo)4:40
Learn to recognize and pronounce the katakana characters ma, mi, mu, me, and mo, with example words to reinforce character identification.
ヤユヨ (ya yu yo)2:39
Learn to read and recognize the katakana ya, yu, yo through identification prompts and examples like yoshi, kyaku, unito, eusa, and mayonnaise.
ラリルレロ (ra ri ru re ro)4:40
Learn the ラリルレロ (ra ri ru re ro) katakana characters and practice recognizing which symbol matches sounds like da, dee, and duh through guided examples.
ワヲン (wa wo n)2:18
Learn the katakana characters wa, wo, and n, with usage notes for wo as a rarely used particle, and examples like Hawaii, today, flower, tornado, handkerchief, and orange.
Small ヤユヨ (ya yu yo)4:21
Learn the small versions of ya yu yo in katakana and read 12 combinations, including kya, jaya, pia, ya, shiatsu, jacket, tai, chi, you, and yo.
Small アイウエオ (a i u e o)6:01
Learn how the small katakana vowels modify the preceding sound, focusing on the a, e, and o forms and their common combinations, including the oo case for the w sound.
Bonus: Japanese for Beginners Course Bundle0:40
This lecture includes information about my other Japanese courses and materials.

Requirements

Be familiar with hiragana

Description

Do you want to learn Japanese? When learning a new language, one of the first things you should do is familiarize yourself with its writing system.

The Japanese writing system has 3 different types of characters- hiragana, katakana, and kanji. Most Japanese learners start by learning hiragana, then katakana, then kanji.

If you haven't learned hiragana yet, I highly suggest taking my hiragana course here on Udemy before taking this one.

Katakana has the same pronunciation patterns and rules as hiragana, but it's mainly used for words that originated from other languages. You'll also see katakana used for names, places, and many scientific terms. We also use katakana to emphasize words in a sentence.

In this course, you will learn how to read and write katakana with video lessons and over 150 practice words. Video lessons include a simple explanation of the characters and visuals of stroke order and font variations. The resources section of this course also includes downloadable practice sheets and Quizlet sets to help you master hiragana. By the end of this course, you’ll not only have the katakana characters memorized, but you’ll also understand how the characters come together to create words.

Thanks for checking out this course! Best of Luck!

Who this course is for:

Beginner Japanese learners who want to learn how to read and write Japanese