Complete Katakana Workbook

Table of Contents
1. Introduction .2

1. How to use the Complete Katakana workbook

2. Katakana at a glance

3. Katakana writing tips
2. Katakana Chart 4
3. Katakana writing worksheet ..5

1. 46 basic Katakana

2. Ch-on (long vowel)

3. Daku-on (Voiced and Semi-voiced Varieties) Part1

4. Soku-on (double consonants)

5. Daku-on Part2

6. Y-on (small ya yu yo with contracted sound)

7. Small vowels for Katakana
4. More practice on Katakana ..27

1. Writing Katakana

2. Reading Katakana

3. Dictation

4. Quizzes

5. Japanese Signboard Photos
5. Katakana Flash Cards appendix
6. Katakana Flash Card Video appendix
Chapters with this mark have accompanying videos.
Chapters with this mark have accompanying audio.
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1. Introduction
1-1. How to use the Complete Katakana Workbook
orkbook
This Complete Katakana Workbook covers all you need for Katakana
self-study. With this workbook and accompanied step-by-step video
instruction, youll be able to read and write Katakana and get a good sense of
how loanwords are pronounced in Japanese. At the same time, youll also
learn over 100 Katakana words and expressions throughout this workbook.
With the knowledge of Katakana you gain from this workbook, youll be able
to begin reading words everywhere around you in Japan in signs and
advertisements, as well as in manga (comic), magazines and other media.
To make the most of your study, I recommend you go through each
lesson in the same order as this workbook.

Step 1 Print out this Katakana Workbook.

Step 2 Look at the Katakana Chart (p4) and grasp the total picture of
Katakana

Step 3 Watch the tutorial videos and practise writing and pronouncing each
Katakana letter. Do exercise accordingly.

Sept 4 Play with Flashcards and watch Flashcard videos every day.

1-2. Katakana at a glance

Basically, Katakana and Hiragana charts are correspondent each other.
There are 46 basic Katakana, 25 Daku-on, 33 contracted sounds and some
special combinations of Katakana to describe foreign words.
Japanese also use Kanji, or Chinese characters, so that any Japanese text
usually contains all three scripts.
Kanji, Hiragana, and Katakana each have different roles in Japanese. The
role of Katakana is primarily to transcribe loanwords (words borrowed from
other languages) including foreign name. For example, (pronounce
kamera) for camera, (pronounce rajio) for radio, and

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(pronounce tomu for Tom.)

Katakana is also used to write onomatopoeic words. For example,
(pronounce ton-ton) to represent a knocking door sound and
(pronounce doki-doki) to represent a fast heart beat. Katakana is sometimes
used for emphasis, similar to the way bold or italics are used in English. If
you look a Japanese comic book, you can easily find lots of them.

1-3. Katakana writing tips

Stroke order is extremely important for writing well-balanced Katakana. For
example, Japanese differentiate the character of (/n/)and (/so/). The
second stroke of is from down to up, whereas the second stroke of is up
to down.
Basically, all Japanese writing (Hiragana, Katakana and Kanji) write the
horizontal stroke first, then the vertical stroke if two lines are crossed. Of
course, there are some exceptions though.
Compared to Hiragana, Katakana doesnt require many curves. Mostly
Katakana is with straight lines or sharp lines.
Its important to pay attention to the direction and termination of each
stroke. In this workbook, youll see the following marks for each stroke end.
 to stop the stroke
 to release the pen pressure
 to hook
The Roman alphabet to help you to read Katana in this book is same as you
type on a computer and, its not necessary same as its pronunciation. In that
case, its clearly indicated each time.
* To type Katakana on a computer, either chose Katakana from IME or press
F7 after typing Hiragana on a computer.
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2. Katakana Chart

Basic 46 Katakana
Y-on

DakuDaku-on

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3. Katakana writing worksheet

3-1. 46 basic Katakana

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ka

ki

ku

ke

ko

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sa

shi

su

se

so

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3-2. Ch
Ch-on (Long
(Long vowel)
vowel) in Katakana
Katakana expression for long vowel uses .
Example: (*pronounce: keeki) cake
Lets practise writing Katakana! (Trace first, then copy)

keeki : cake

akua : aqua

aisu (*pronounce ais devoiced vowel-): ice

soosu : sauce

ookee : okay

kisu (*pronounce kis devoiced vowel-) : kiss

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ta

chi

tsu

te

to

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Let
Lets practice writing Katakana words!

tai : Thai

tesuto (*pronounce testo devoiced vowel-): test

suutsu : suit

kaato : cart

seetaa : sweater

suteeki (*pronounce steeki devoiced vowel-): steak

sutaato (*pronounce staato devoiced vowel-): start

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3-3. DakuDaku-on in Katakana (Part1)

(Part1)
Please check following daku-on:
Lets practise!

ka

ki

ku

ke

ko

ga

gi

gu

ge

go
Please note:
and

sa

shi

su

se

so

are

the

same

pronunciation, ji. However, to

type on a computer, ji or zi for
and di for .

za

ji

zu

ze

zo
Please note:
and

ta

chi

tsu

te

to

are

the

same

pronunciation, zu. However, to

type on a computer, zu for and
du for .

da

ji

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zu

de

do

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Let
Lets practise writing Katakana words!

gaido : guide

doa : door

kaado : card

deeto : date

geeto : gate

gia : gear

daatsu : darts (dart)

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na

ni

nu

ne

no

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3-. SokuSoku-on in Katakana (double consonants)

consonants)
Soku-on is expressed as small in Katakana.
Let
Lets practise writing Katakana words!

nitto : knit

soketto : socket

Nooto : note

Nano : nano

Kitto katto : kit kat

Nugaa : nougat

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ha

hi

fu

he

ho

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3-5. DakuDaku-on in Katakana (Part2)

Please check following daku-on: , and han-dakuon (half dakuon):

Let
Lets practis
practise!

ha

hi

fu

he

ho

ba

bi

bu

be

bo

pa

pi

pu

pe

po

Let
Lets practise writing Katakana words!

baasudee : birthday

piinattu ; peanuts

biichibooi : beach boy
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ma

mi

mu

me

mo

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Let
Lets practis
practise writing Katakana words!

memo : memo

messeeji : message

Masutaa : master

middonaito : midnight

muudo : mood

anime : anime

massaaji : massage

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ya

yu

yo

Let
Lets practis
practise writing Katakana words!

yoga : yoga

yuutopia : utopia

yaado : yard

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3-6. Y
Y-on (small ya yu yo with contracted sound)
Small ,
,
and
are added to i-column
of Katakana
Hiragana (left
(left in
in the
the red
red circle).
circle).

(kya)

(kyu)
(kyu)

(kyo)
(kyo)

(sha) (shu)
(sha)
(shu) (sho)
(sho)
(cha)
(cha)

(chu)
(chu) (cho)
(cho)

(nya)
(nya)

(nyu)
(nyu)

(nyo)
(nyo)

(hya)
(hya)

(hyu)
(hyu)

(hyo)
(hyo)

(mya)
(mya) (myu)
(myu) (myo)
(myo)
(rya)
(rya)

(ryu)
(ryu)

(ryo)
(ryo)

(gya)
(gya)

(gyu)
(gyu)

(gyo)
(gyo)

(ja)
(ja)

(ju)
(ju)

(jo)
(jo)

(bya)
(bya)

(byu)
(byu)

(byo)
(byo)

(pya)
(pya)

(pyu)
(pyu)

(pyo)
(pyo)

Although each of this contracted sound is composed of two characters (one

big and one small), it represents only one beat, just like a single
hiragana/katakana character.

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Let
Lets practise
practise writing YooYoo-on in Katakana!
kya

kyu

kyo

sha

shu

sho

cha

chu

cho

nya

nyu

nyo

hya

hyu

hyo

Make sure to write them small, in the bottom

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mya

myu

myo

rya

ryu

ryo

gya

gyu

gyo

ja

ju

jo

bya

byu

byo

pya

pyu

pyo

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ra

ri

ru

re

ro

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wa

wo

Please compare the following similarsimilar-looking Katakana.

: so / n
tsu / shi
: ku / wa
: u / wa
: su / nu
: chi / te
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24

3-7. Small vowels & special characters for Katakana

In order to express closely to the original foreign words, there are small
vowelswhich do not exist in Hiragana
These small vowels appear in a form of combination of certain regularsized
characters. Varieties are as you see below.

tsa
fa

wi

ti *
fi

di *

we
she
che
tse

fe
je

tu *

wo *

tso

fo

du *

Their sound rule is the same as Yoo-on. (Combination of a regular-sized

character + a small-sized character, that requires only one beat of sound)
Example::

fooku : fork
famirii : family
sherii : sherry

tifanii : Tiffany
dizunii : Disney
kafe : cafe

1.

4.

2.

5.

3.

6.

Type on a computer
To type a small vowel on a computer, type x before the vowel.
Example:

a:

xa

To type above characters with asterisk (*) require special typing. (when you
type on a computer)
: who or u xo : to xu
: thi or ti xi
: do xu
: dhi or de xi

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Other special characters

va

vi

vu

ve

vo

dyu (type dhu)

Example:

vaiorin: violin also acceptable

vanira: vanilla also acceptable
vkaru: vocal also acceptable
dyuetto: duet

Let
Lets practise writing special Katakana words!

th : tea

Chn : chain

Jenif : Jennifer

Finrando : Finland

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4. More practice on Katakana

4-1. Writing Katakana

(food)

raisu : rice

sutki : stake

mtobru : meat ball

rmen : ramen (noodle)

supageth : spaghetti

foagura : foie gras (*French word)

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(drink)

wt : water =

miruku : milk (= )

jsu : juice

bru : beer

wain : wine

vokka : vodka

burand : brandy

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4-2. Reading Katakana

Listen attached audio (mp3) and repeat the word.
(Country name and city name)

Country name

Pronunciation

English

kanada
amerika

Canada
America

nyuu yooku
shikago
hawai
atoranta

New York
Chicago
Hawaii
Atlanta

rosanzerusu

Los Angels

igirisu

Great Britain

rondon
sukottorando
airurando
aisurando

London
Scotland
Ireland
Iceland

oranda
berugii
doitsu
furansu
supein
itaria

Holland
Belgium
Germany
France
Spain
Italy

19.

indo

India

20.
21.
22.
23.

indoneshia
shingapooru
mareeshia
oosutoraria
nyuujiirando

Indonesia
Singapore
Malaysia
Australia
New Zealand

mekishiko
burajiru
chiri

Mexico
Brazil
Chile

aruzenchin

Argentina

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.

14.
15.
16.
17.
18.

24.
25.
26.
27.
28.

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4-3. Dictation
Listen the audio and write down what you hear in Katakana.
Please pause the audio if necessary.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
*Answer is on page 37

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4-4. Quizzes
1. for Daily life and business
Write the following words in romaji, then connect its English word with a line.

1.

( konsaato

golf

fashion

date

camera

concert

party

tennis

data

video

system

E mail

cancel

fax

schedule

shopping

or konsto
2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15. E

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31

Write the following roomaji words in Katakana, then connect its English
word with a line.

sofa

file

glass

4. suicchi

switch

5. gurasu

TV

6. shatsu

air-con

7. sofaa

fork

8. nekutai

shirts

9. terebi

spoon

10. seetaa

wine

11. orenji juusu (

heater

12. eakon

necktie

13. hiitaa

beer

14. wain

sweater

15. biiru

orange juice

1. fairu

2. fooku

3. supuun

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32

1.

(computer terms)

Choose the each meaning of Katakana word from the right column.
1.
2.

(
(

() Enter key

)
(

3.

() Mouse

() Control key

4.

() Paste

5.

() Icon

6.
7.

() Document
() Copy

8.

() Space key

9.

() Click

10.

() Start

2. In a department Store
Write down following store/items in Katakana

Rooftop:
Bia gaaden (beer garden)
5F:
Resutoran (restaurant)
4F :
Terebi (TV) / sutereo (stereo) / kamera (camaera)
3F :
Menzu koonaa (Mens corner)
2F :
Rediisu koonaa (ladies corner)
1F :
Hando baggu (hand bag) / nekkuresu (necklace)
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3. Coffee shop menu

Q1: Choose the menu from the right column.
1.

) 190

2.

) 240

3.

) 260

4.

5.
6.

() Spaghetti Neapolitan
() Coffee

) 180

() Darjeeling tea

) 120

7.

) 210

8.

) 180

9.

() Ice coffee

) 250
(

() Cappuccino

() Sandwich

11.
(

) 760

13.

) 540

() Milk tea

) 230

10.
12.

() Ice lemon tea

) 850
(

) 800

() Cafe latte
() Ice tea
() Spaghetti meat sauce
() Green tea
() Curry rice

Q2: Write answer in Katakana.

1. What is your favorite drink?

2. What is your favorite food?

3. Which drink is the cheapest?

4. Which drink is the most expensive?

5. Which food is the most expensive?

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34

Write Hiragana for following Katakana, and vice versa

1.

18.

2.

19.

3.

20.

4.

21.

5.

22.

6.

23.

7.

24.

8.

25.

9.

26.

10.

27.

11.

28.

12.

29.

13.

30.

14.

31.

15.

32.

16.

33.

17.

34.

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35

Write following roomaji sentences in Hiragana and Katakana

e.g. Sumisu san wa kinoo suupaa e ikimashita.
(Mr. Smith went to a super market yesterday.)

1. Karee raisu to koohii wo kudasai. (Curry rice and coffee, please.)

2. Kore wa konsaato no chiketto desu.

3. Watashi wa amerikajin desu.

(This is a concert ticket)

(Im an American)

4. Makudonarudo wa doko desu ka? (Where is the Macdonalds )

5. Sutaabakkusu de kapuchiino wo nomimashita.

(I drank cappuccino at star bucks)

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36

(Answer for the questions)

p30

p31

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

1.

Konsaato, concert

2.

Paatii, party

3.

Shopping, shopping

4.

Fasshon, fashion

5.

Deeto, date

6.

Tenisu, tennis

7.

Gorufu, golf

8.

Kamera, camera

9.

Bideo, video

10. Sukejuuru, schedule

11. Kyanseru, cancel
12. Deeta, data
13. Shisutemu, system
14. Fakkusu, fax
15. E meeru, e mail

P32
1.

. File

2.

, fork.

3.

spoon

4.

switch

16.

5.

glass

17.

6.

shirts

7.

sofa

18.

8.

necktie

19.

9.

TV

20.

10. sweater
11. orange juice
12. air-con
13. heater
14. wine
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15.

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37

p33

P35

1. Computer terms

18.

2. In a department store
Rooftop:
5F
4F / /
3F
2F
1F /

19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.

P34

26.
27.
28.

3. Coffee shop menu

29.

Q1
1.
2.
3.

30.
31.
32.
33.
34.

4.
5.
6.
7.

8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

6.
7.
8.
9.

10.
11.
12.
13.
14.

15.
16.
17.

Q2
1 & 2 :Answer will vary
3.
4.
5.

P37
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
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38

4-5. Japanese Signboard Photos

Lets learn from real Japanese signboards and advertisements!
Guess what theyre saying!

What
What you see above:

sesame potato

fresh

dressing

melon

orange

extra

juice

special

custard pudding

wine

mix

beer

curry rice

(little bit spicy)

Its tasty!

chuuhai
(a kind of liquor)

plastic bottle

mineral water

dessert menu

vanilla

Kokurikos crepe

salad

C oronaminC

drink corner

(products name)

sandwich

cake

soft drink

cheese

Udon, soba

choco (chocolate)

caf au lait

drink

noodle

chocolate
coffee
McDonalds hamburger
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39

What you see above

charge

(famous

franchised coffee shop)

baby chair
manner mode

tel. card

Carl (product name)

view plaza

hot

Thank you for every time.

burn injury

coin locker

caution

Thank you for always.

hand bag

bag

Welcome (at shop, restaurant)

toilet
Karaoke

can, bottle

plastic bottle

Japan rent-a-car
Copyright

Powder corner (room)

etiquette booth

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(silent mode)

elevator
information

Lion King

ski

snow board

ski run

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40

Did you find following Japanese words?

rent-a-car

spectacles
flower shop
caf & bakery
caf & beer

bookstore (= )

music store

centre plaza

tobacco (cigarette)
Mine drug (drug store)

Did
Did you find followings?

ice coffee

winnaa

glass wine

oolong tea

bottle wine

apple juice

whipped cream

float (cold drink

lemon squash

cream soda

with ice cream on top)

sundae

koora coke

parfait

Copyright

cocoa

grape fruits

koohiii -coffee served with

served with cookie

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Non-alcohol beer

whisky

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41