Hiragana quiz Take this quiz to test your hiragana knowledge. Start the quiz
Hiragana is the alphabet of the Japanese language and an essential building block in learning and understanding Japanese. We’re here to test your skills—for each question, choose the correct pronunciation for each displayed hiragana letter.
If you are ready to take this challenge, press “Start Quiz”.
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The link has been copied! Start Quiz 1. Name this hiragana character: う.
- IN
- I
- AND
- ON
Not! This hiragana character is “u”. 2. Name this hiragana character: か.
- To
- Ke
- Ki
- With
Not! This hiragana character is “ka”. 3. Name this hiragana character: す.
- are
- Shi
- Se
- not
Not! This hiragana character is “su”. 4. Name this hiragana character: け.
- Ke
- not
- He
- Ku
Not! This hiragana character is “ke”. 5. Name this hiragana character: こ.
- Who
- Ki
- Chi
- Ri
Not! This hiragana character is “ko”. 6. Name this hiragana character: ら.
- Ra
- Ri
- Again
- Well
Not! This hiragana character is “ra”. 7. Name this hiragana character: ぬ.
- not
- Tsu
- Not
- Nor
Not! This hiragana character is “nu”. 8. Name this hiragana character: ほ.
- Ho
- Mo
- Hi
- Ha
Not! This hiragana character is “ho”. 9. Name this hiragana character: て.
- You
- This
- To
- not
Not! This hiragana character is “te”. 10. Name this hiragana character: お.
- ON
- E
- I
- AND
Not! This hiragana character is “o.” 11. Name this hiragana character: は.
- Ha
- Hi
- Phew
- that
Not! This hiragana character is “ha”. 12. Name this hiragana character: み.
- Me
- Me
- Mo
- Shi
Not! This hiragana character is “we”. 13. Name this hiragana character: る.
- Ru
- Ro
- Again
- Zu
Not! This hiragana character is “ru”. 14. Name this hiragana character: と.
- To
- Tsu
- This
- Go
Not! This hiragana character is “for”. 15. Name this hiragana character: な.
- On
- Nor
- not
- him
Not! This hiragana character is “na”. 16. Name this hiragana character: わ.
- Wow
- Wow
- N
- V
Not! This hiragana character is “wa”. 17. Name this hiragana character: よ.
- Yo
- Yu
- that
- Not
Not! This hiragana character is “yo”. 18. Name this hiragana character: れ.
- Again
- Ri
- Ra
- Ge
Not! This hiragana character is “re”. 19. Name this hiragana character: ざ.
- For
- Zu
- Ji
- Poo
Not! This hiragana character is “for”. 20. Name this hiragana character: べ.
- Be
- Zo
- Bi
- Bo
Not! This hiragana character is “be”. 21. Name this hiragana character: じ.
- Ji
- Ze
- Zu
- Him
Not! This hiragana character is “ji”. 22. Name this hiragana character: ぐ.
- Gu
- Go
- Ro
- Dzu
Not! This hiragana character is “gu”. 23. Name this hiragana character: ぽ.
- Per
- Pi
- Poo
- Dji
Not! This hiragana character is “po”. 24. Name this hiragana character: づ.
- Dzu
- Well
- make
- Wow
Not! This hiragana character is “dzu”. 25. Name this hiragana character: ぶ.
- Boo
- Bi
- Well
- Per year
Not! This hiragana character is “bu”. 26. Name this hiragana character: ぎゃ.
- Gya
- Kya
- Pya
- Gyu
Not! This hiragana character is “gya”. 27. Name this hiragana character: ぴょ.
- Pyo
- Myo
- Ryo
- Pew
Not! This hiragana character is “pyo”. 28. Name this hiragana character: みゅ.
- Myu
- Byu
- Ju
- Mya
Not! This hiragana character is “myu”. 29. Name this hiragana character: ひゅ.
- Huh
- Nyu
- Shu
- Hyo
Not! This hiragana character is “hyu”. 30. Name this hiragana character: にゃ.
- Nya
- Mya
- Cha
- Nyu
Not! This hiragana character is “nya”. Start the quiz
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When you think of English (among other languages), you probably think of the alphabet: a single alphabet of 26 letters that allows speakers to form, spell, and pronounce words. In Japanese, the closest equivalent to the English alphabet would be hiragana. Let’s break it down further:
Japanese letters
Japanese technically has 4 alphabets/letters—but hiragana is the most important to learn first, as it represents all the different sounds that can be authentically produced in Japanese. Once you’ve mastered hiragana, it will be much easier to dive into other Japanese alphabets, such as katakana and kanji.
- Hiragana: The basic Japanese alphabet representing all the different sounds that can be made in the Japanese language.
- katakana: The Japanese alphabet used to spell/mark foreign words. It has the same sounds as hiragana, but uses a different writing system.
- Kanji: A Japanese alphabet written in Chinese characters, which helps form all kinds of words within the Japanese language.
- Pilgrims: English transcription of Japanese words.
How many hiragana letters are there?
There are 46 basic letters in the basic hiragana alphabet. Some visualizations categorize the hiragana alphabet, with the vertical axis representing the basic vowel sound (a, i, u, e, o) and the horizontal axis representing the basic consonant sound (k, s, t, n, h, m, y , r , w, n).
This is just a starting point though. The hiragana alphabet can produce over 100 different unique sounds thanks to dakuten, handakuten and combinations.
- Dakuten: A mark resembling quotation marks (“) placed next to a hiragana letter, changing the original pronunciation to the sound ag, z, d, b or j.
- Handakuten: A mark resembling a degree sign (°) placed next to a hiragana letter changes the original pronunciation to the ap sound.
- Combinations: The process of combining the primary letter of hiragana with the sound ya (ゃ), yu (ゅ) or yo (ょ), creating a new one.
Key | and | I | in | e | on |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Vowels | あ | い | う | え | お |
K | か | き | く | け | こ |
WITH | さ | し | す | せ | そ |
T | た | ち | つ | て | と |
N | な | に | ぬ | ね | の |
H | は | ひ | ふ | へ | ほ |
M | ま | み | む | め | も |
Y | や | ゆ | よ | ||
R | ら | り | る | れ | ろ |
Sound | Hiragana alphabet |
---|---|
wa | わ |
ouch | を |
n | ん |
c | ゔ |
Key | Mr | z | d | b | p |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
MR | が | ぎ | ぐ | げ | ご |
Z | ざ | じ | ず | ぜ | ぞ |
D | だ | ぢ | づ | で | ど |
B | ば | び | ぶ | べ | ぼ |
P | ぱ | ぴ | ぷ | ぺ | ぽ |
Key | that | Yu | Yo |
---|---|---|---|
Ki | きゃ | きゅ | きょ |
Gi | ぎゃ | ぎゅ | ぎょ |
Shi | しゃ | しゅ | しょ |
Ji | じゃ | じゅ | じょ |
Yi | ぢゃ | ぢゅ | ぢょ |
Chi | ちゃ | ちゅ | ちょ |
Nor | にゃ | にゅ | にょ |
Hi | ひゃ | ひゅ | ひょ |
Bi | びゃ | びゅ | びょ |
Pi | ぴゃ | ぴゅ | ぴょ |
Me | みゃ | みゅ | みょ |
Ri | りゃ | りゅ | りょ |
Do you want to brush up on your hiragana writing skills or learn more about Japanese alphabets in general? Check:
- https://www.nhk.or.jp/lesson/en/letters/hiragana.html
- https://www.szfki.hu/~akiss/others/hiragana_table.pdf
- https://cotohajime.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Hiragana-and-Katakana-booklet.pdf
- http://japanese-lesson.com/characters/katakana/pdf/katakana_table.pdf
Categories: How to
Source: HIS Education