Kana that look alike, and how to tell them apart
Most kana mix-ups come from a small set of pairs. Learn these on purpose and you'll avoid the mistakes almost every beginner makes.
Tap any character for its own page and audio. To drill them, quiz yourself on the kana quiz.
さ (sa) vs ち (chi)
Near mirror images. The bottom curve of さ (sa) bulges left, like a c; the curve of ち (chi) bulges right, like a 5.
き (ki) vs さ (sa)
き (ki) has two cross strokes, さ (sa) has one. Think of a key with two teeth.
あ (a) vs お (o)
あ (a) has a vertical stroke crossing the loop; お (o) has a separate dot at the top right.
い (i) vs り (ri)
い (i) is two short, side-by-side strokes; り (ri) has a long right stroke that hangs down.
は (ha) vs ほ (ho) vs け (ke)
All share a left stroke. は (ha) has one cross bar, ほ (ho) has two and a closed top, け (ke) has a straight right side.
ぬ (nu) vs め (me)
Both look like noodles. ぬ (nu) ends in a little loop; め (me) doesn't.
ね (ne) vs れ (re) vs わ (wa)
Same left stroke. ね (ne) ends in a loop, れ (re) kicks out to the right, わ (wa) curves round.
る (ru) vs ろ (ro)
る (ru) has a loop at the bottom; ろ (ro) is open.
シ (shi) vs ツ (tsu)
シ (shi): two dots stacked on the left, the long stroke rises from the bottom. ツ (tsu): two dots side by side on top, the long stroke falls from the top.
ソ (so) vs ン (n)
The same rule. ソ (so): the long stroke falls from the top. ン (n): it sweeps up from the bottom.
ク (ku) vs ケ (ke) vs タ (ta)
ク (ku) is the base. ケ (ke) adds a long cross bar that sticks out. タ (ta) adds a short stroke inside.
ウ (u) vs ワ (wa) vs フ (fu)
ウ (u) has a dot and a short stroke on top; ワ (wa) has only the short stroke; フ (fu) has neither.
チ (chi) vs テ (te)
チ (chi) has a sloped top stroke and a long downstroke through the bar; テ (te) has a flat top and the downstroke starts below the bar.
コ (ko) vs ユ (yu)
Both open on the left. In ユ (yu) the bottom stroke is longer and sticks out past the right side; コ (ko) is a neat box.
ス (su) vs ヌ (nu)
ヌ (nu) is ス (su) with an extra short stroke crossing it.
ア (a) vs マ (ma)
ア (a) has a hanging stroke down the middle; マ (ma) ends in a short dot-like stroke.
ル (ru) vs レ (re)
ル (ru) is two strokes; レ (re) is one.
Twins across the two scripts
Some katakana are nearly identical to their hiragana partners, so they're easy to learn together:か カ, き キ, せ セ,へ ヘ, り リ and も モ.
Questions learners ask
How do you tell シ (shi) from ツ (tsu)?
Look at the dots and the long stroke. In シ the dots are stacked on the left and the long stroke rises from the bottom left. In ツ the dots are side by side on top and the long stroke falls from the top right.
How do you tell ソ (so) from ン (n)?
The same way as シ and ツ. In ソ the long stroke falls downward from the top; in ン it sweeps upward from the bottom.