Starting Japanese — the three scripts and your first steps

2026-10-16

The first thing every learner meets is the writing system. It is simpler than it looks.

The three scripts

• Hiragana (ひらがな) — 46 basic characters, used for native words, endings and grammar.
• Katakana (カタカナ) — 46 characters with the same sounds, used for loanwords, names and sound effects (e.g. コーヒー, coffee).
• Kanji (漢字) — characters that carry meaning. About 2,136 are in everyday use, but a few hundred are enough to start.

All three appear together in one sentence: 私はコーヒーを飲みます (I drink coffee).

A first-month plan

1. Weeks 1–2: memorise hiragana — 10–15 characters a day, with writing practice.
2. Weeks 2–3: katakana.
3. Weeks 3–4: 5–10 words a day from the N5 vocabulary, reviewed with flashcards.
4. Alongside: the first grammar patterns (です, ます, を, に).

Tips

• Short daily study (15–30 minutes) beats one long weekly session.
• Learn words inside sentences, not alone.
• Listen and repeat; pronunciation is regular.
• Don’t fear mistakes.

Next: how to learn hiragana.