Learning to read and write Japanese can feel confusing at first because Japanese uses three writing systems: Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji.
Each one has its own purpose and is often used together in the same sentence!
Let’s look at how and when to use each of them.

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1. Hiragana (ひらがな)

Hiragana is the foundation of Japanese writing. It’s mainly used for:

• Grammar parts like particles (は, が, を, に) and endings (～ます, ～でした)
• Native Japanese words that don’t have Kanji or whose Kanji is too difficult
• Okurigana — the endings attached to Kanji (like in 食べる or 見ました)

💡 Examples:

猫ねこが　水みずを　飲のんでいます。

(The cat is drinking water.)　が・を = particle, んでいます = okurigana

明日あした　友達ともだち　に　会あいます。

(I will meet my friend tomorrow.) に = particle, います = okurigana

今いま　おにぎり　を　食たべています。

(I am eating a rice ball now.) おにぎり = Japanese word, を = particle, べています = okurigana

Hiragana is usually the first script Japanese learners should master.

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2. Katakana (カタカナ)

Katakana is used for foreign words, loanwords, and special emphasis (like italics in English). You’ll often see it in non-Japanese names, countries, and onomatope.

It’s used for:

• Foreign words: コーヒー (coffee), コンピューター (computer)
• Foreign names or places: ロンドン (London), アリス (Alice)
• Sound effects (onomatopoeia): ドキドキ (heart beating), ワンワン (dog barking)
• Technical/scientific terms: ウイルス (virus), ロボット (robot)

💡 Examples:

コンビニで　コーヒーを　買かいました。

(I bought coffee at a convenience store.)

タクシーで　ホテルに　行いきました。

(I went to the hotel by taxi.)

スーパーで　バナナを　買かいました。

(I bought bananas at the supermarket.)

If the word sounds like English, it’s probably written in Katakana!

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🔴 3. Kanji (漢字)

Kanji are characters borrowed from Chinese and are used to represent meaning rather than sound.
They are used for many types of words like nouns, verbs, adjectives, and Japanese names.

💡 Examples:

学生がくせいが　日本にほんへ　行いきます。

(A student goes to Japan.)

母ははは　会社かいしゃで　働はたらいています。

(My mother works at a company.)

明日あした　友ともだちと　映画えいがを　見みます。

(I will watch a movie with my friend tomorrow.)

Each Kanji has more than one reading, so you’ll need to learn the reading in context.

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📝 Putting Them Together

In real Japanese writing, all three scripts are mixed together.

💡 Examples:

私わたしは　スーパーで　パンを　買かいました。

(I bought bread at the supermarket.)

先生せんせいは　コンピューターで　宿題しゅくだいを　チェックします。

(The teacher checks homework on the computer.)

私わたしは　東京とうきょうへ　行いきたいです。

(I want to go to Tokyo.)

This mix makes Japanese sentences balanced and natural to read.

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🌸 Summary

Script	Use	Example
Hiragana	Grammar, native words, okurigana	食たべます, おにぎり, を, は etc
Katakana	Foreign words, onomatopoeia, emphasis	コーヒー, ホテル etc
Kanji	Nouns, verbs, adjectives, names	日本にほん, 学生がくせい, 行いく etc

✨ Final Tip

Japanese writing may look complicated, but once you know when to use each script, it starts to make sense!
Practice reading short sentences every day, and soon you’ll recognize all three without even thinking about it.

If you want to learn Japanese, improve your skills, or connect with native speakers and other learners, we can help. We offer one-on-one lessons, a supportive community, and on demand courses.

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