Select the characters you want to study and choose a game mode to start practicing!
| Hiragana - ひらがな |
|---|
| a (あ), i (い), u (う), e (え), o (お), |
| ka (か), ki (き), ku (く), ke (け), ko (こ), |
| sa (さ), shi (し), su (す), se (せ), so (そ), |
| ta (た), chi (ち), tsu (つ), te (て), to (と), |
| na (な), ni (に), nu (ぬ), ne (ね), no (の), |
| ha (は), hi (ひ), fu (ふ), he (へ), ho (ほ), |
| ma (ま), mi (み), mu (む), me (め), mo (も), |
| ya (や), yu (ゆ), yo (よ), |
| ra (ら), ri (り), ru (る), re (れ), ro (ろ), |
| wa (わ), wo (を), |
| n (ん), |
| Alternative Symbols (ba, ga, kya, chu ...) |
| Katakana - カタカナ |
|---|
| a (ア), i (イ), u (ウ), e (エ), o (オ), |
| ka (カ), ki (キ), ku (ク), ke (ケ), ko (コ), |
| sa (サ), shi (シ), su (ス), se (セ), so (ソ), |
| ta (タ), chi (チ), tsu (ツ), te (テ), to (ト), |
| na (ナ), ni (ニ), nu (ヌ), ne (ネ), no (ノ), |
| ha (ハ), hi (ヒ), fu (フ), he (ヘ), ho (ホ), |
| ma (マ), mi (ミ), mu (ム), me (メ), mo (モ), |
| ya (ヤ), yu (ユ), yo (ヨ), |
| ra (ラ), ri (リ), ru (ル), re (レ), ro (ロ), |
| wa (ワ), wo (ヲ), |
| n (ン), |
| Alternative Symbols (ba, ga, kya, chu ...) |
Practice your kana skills with different challenge types
Master Hiragana and Katakana through interactive games designed for effective learning
Our Hiragana quiz generator creates unlimited practice sessions tailored to your skill level. Select specific character groups or practice the entire syllabary. Each quiz adapts to challenge you with the characters you need to master most.
The Katakana practice tool helps you recognize and recall the angular script used for foreign words, onomatopoeia, and emphasis in Japanese. Essential for reading menus, signs, and modern Japanese media.
Experience gamified Japanese learning that makes memorization enjoyable. Our multiple game modes keep you engaged while building lasting character recognition skills. Track your mistakes and focus on challenging characters.
Learn the Romaji to Kana conversion naturally through practice. Type the romanized pronunciation and instantly see if you've matched the correct Japanese character. Build muscle memory for both reading and typing Japanese.
Japanese character practice is the essential first step for anyone learning Japanese. Unlike languages that use the Latin alphabet, Japanese uses three writing systems: Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji. Mastering the first two scripts—totaling just 92 basic characters—unlocks the ability to read children's books, understand pronunciation guides, and begin your Kanji journey.
NihongoPlay's approach to Japanese character practice combines proven memorization techniques with modern web technology. Our spaced repetition system ensures you review characters at optimal intervals, while our gamified challenges keep you motivated through your learning journey.
With consistent daily practice using our Hiragana quiz generator and Katakana practice tool, most learners can recognize all basic characters within 2-4 weeks. Mastery—where you can read quickly without hesitation—typically takes 1-2 months of regular practice.
We recommend starting with Hiragana, as it's used more frequently in native Japanese words and grammar. Once comfortable with Hiragana, Katakana becomes easier to learn since both scripts represent the same sounds.
Multiple Choice mode is great for beginners—you see a character and pick the correct Romaji from three options. Type Romaji mode is more challenging—you must recall and type the pronunciation from memory. The "3 Kanas" variants test your ability to read character combinations.
Our error tracking system identifies which characters you struggle with most. By showing your most-missed characters sorted by frequency, you can focus your practice sessions on the specific Kana that need more attention.