How many hiragana are there?

There are 46 basic hiragana. Dakuten and handakuten add 25 more, and small ゃ, ゅ and ょ make 33 combinations (yōon). You need all of them for the JFT-Basic.

How long does it take to learn hiragana?

With 15 to 20 minutes a day, many beginners can read the basic chart within one or two weeks; reading it fast takes longer. That is our estimate from teaching experience, not an official figure.

Is hiragana enough for the JFT-Basic?

No. You also need katakana and everyday kanji: the Script and Vocabulary section has kanji reading questions. Hiragana comes first, because everything else builds on it.

Can I share this hiragana chart?

Yes. Print it, post it in your study group or send it on Messenger or Telegram. Please keep the jftprep.com footer on it and don't sell it.

Free cheat sheet · Hiragana

Hiragana chart (free PDF and image)

Hiragana has 46 basic characters. Add the marks ゛ (dakuten) and ゜ (handakuten) and you get 25 more, and small ゃ, ゅ and ょ make 33 contracted sounds (yōon). This free chart shows all of them with romaji, ready to print as an A4 PDF or save as an image. For the JFT-Basic you need to read hiragana fast: the test is written in Japanese script, with no romaji.

Hiragana chart with all 46 basic hiragana, dakuten, handakuten and yōon, each with romaji — Hiragana chart: 46 basic characters, 25 with dakuten or handakuten, 33 yōon. Free A4 PDF.

Free PDF cheat sheet

Hiragana chart: all 46 + dakuten, handakuten and yōon

Download PDFA4 PDF · 1 page · 123 KB Download imagePNG · 1240×1754 px · 287 KB

Free, no sign-up. Share it with your study group.

Updated Oct 31, 2026

The sheet

Hiragana chart

The same content as the PDF. Use the switches to hide parts and test yourself; tap a hidden cell to reveal it.

All 46 basic hiragana, 25 with dakuten and handakuten, 33 yōon. Romaji in Hepburn.

Self-check

Red: ぢ and づ sound the same as じ and ず, and are rare.

Basic hiragana (gojūon)

あaいiうuえeおoかkaきkiくkuけkeこkoさsaしshiすsuせseそsoたtaちchiつtsuてteとtoなnaにniぬnuねneのnoはhaひhiふfuへheほhoまmaみmiむmuめmeもmoやyaゆyuよyoらraりriるruれreろroわwaをwoんn

Look-alikes to drill

さ・ち・きsa · chi · ki
ぬ・めnu · me
ね・れ・わne · re · wa
る・ろru · ro
は・ほha · ho
い・りi · ri
こ・にko · ni
う・つu · tsu

Dakuten ゛ and handakuten ゜

がgaぎgiぐguげgeごgoざzaじjiずzuぜzeぞzoだdaぢjiづzuでdeどdoばbaびbiぶbuべbeぼboぱpaぴpiぷpuぺpeぽpo

Yōon: contracted sounds

きゃkyaきゅkyuきょkyoしゃshaしゅshuしょshoちゃchaちゅchuちょchoにゃnyaにゅnyuにょnyoひゃhyaひゅhyuひょhyoみゃmyaみゅmyuみょmyoりゃryaりゅryuりょryoぎゃgyaぎゅgyuぎょgyoじゃjaじゅjuじょjoびゃbyaびゅbyuびょbyoぴゃpyaぴゅpyuぴょpyo

Reading tips

Small っ doubles the next consonant: きって (kitte, stamp), がっこう (gakkō, school).
Long vowels: おかあさん (okāsan), おとうさん (otōsan). おう and えい usually sound long: せんせい.
As particles, は is read wa, へ is read e and を is read o.
ん is a sound of its own: せんせい is sen-sei, not se-nse-i.

How to use it

How to use the hiragana chart for the JFT-Basic

Learn it row by row
Say each row out loud: あいうえお, かきくけこ, さしすせそ. Hide the romaji once you can read a row without it.
Drill the look-alikes
Most reading mistakes are look-alikes like さ and ち, or ぬ and め. The chart lists the sets worth drilling.
Then read whole words
The Script and Vocabulary section asks you to read words, not single letters. Practise on the readings in the kanji list and the vocabulary list.
Test yourself every day
Use the switches above the sheet to hide the romaji, then take the kana quiz until you score 100%.

Test yourself

Free toolHiragana and katakana quizTen questions a round, with the look-alikes you mix up coming back first.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Keep going

Step 1 · 15 minutes

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