Isn't learning both at once too much?

No: they are the same 46 sounds. You don't learn twice as much, just two shapes for each sound. With 15 to 20 minutes a day, two weeks is enough to recognise them.

Should I start with hiragana?

No need. The most efficient way is to go row by row in both scripts at once. If you already know hiragana, catch up on katakana by going through the chart row by row.

They come right after. As soon as you read kana without hesitating, start with the N5 kanji and their words.

Learn hiragana and katakana at the same time: a 2-week method

Hiragana and katakana write exactly the same sounds, in the same order. Rather than learning one and then the other, learn each sound with its two shapes: you do the work once, and you avoid the classic trap of learners who read hiragana well but stumble over katakana for months.

Updated 5 October 2026

Why both at once

Same sound, same place in the chart: か and カ read “ka”, き and キ “ki”. You learn the sound once, then two shapes.
Many pairs look alike: か / カ, き / キ, へ / ヘ, り / リ, も / モ, せ / セ, や / ヤ. Seeing them together makes them stick faster.
Katakana are everywhere from day one: menus, names, words borrowed from English (コーヒー, テレビ, カメラ). Putting them off means stalling on simple sentences.
Tests naturally mix both: exactly what real Japanese text does.

The 46 basic sounds, side by side

Each row reads in the order a, i, u, e, o. Learn one row per session, in both scripts.

Sounds	Hiragana	Katakana
a i u e o	あ い う え お	ア イ ウ エ オ
ka ki ku ke ko	か き く け こ	カ キ ク ケ コ
sa shi su se so	さ し す せ そ	サ シ ス セ ソ
ta chi tsu te to	た ち つ て と	タ チ ツ テ ト
na ni nu ne no	な に ぬ ね の	ナ ニ ヌ ネ ノ
ha hi fu he ho	は ひ ふ へ ほ	ハ ヒ フ ヘ ホ
ma mi mu me mo	ま み む め も	マ ミ ム メ モ
ya yu yo	や ゆ よ	ヤ ユ ヨ
ra ri ru re ro	ら り る れ ろ	ラ リ ル レ ロ
wa wo	わ を	ワ ヲ
n	ん	ン

The 14-day plan

15 to 20 minutes a day is enough. Each day: the new row in both scripts, then a test mixing everything seen so far.

Days 1-2: the vowels (あ / ア …) and the K row (か / カ …).
Days 3-4: the S and T rows. Watch out: し / シ shi, ち / チ chi, つ / ツ tsu.
Days 5-6: the N and H rows (ふ / フ reads fu).
Days 7-8: the M, Y and R rows.
Day 9: わ / ワ, を / ヲ, ん / ン, then a review of the whole chart both ways.
Days 10-11: dakuten and handakuten (が / ガ, ぱ / パ …).
Days 12-13: combinations (きゃ / キャ …), the small っ / ッ and katakana's long-vowel bar ー.
Day 14: read real words in both scripts, without romaji.

A typical session

2 minutes: today's reviews (what the app brings back before you forget it).
5 minutes: the new row, in hiragana and katakana, with a picture for each character.
5 minutes: write each new character once or twice, in stroke order.
5 minutes: a test mixing both scripts (see the character → recall the sound).

Mix-ups to watch

In katakana: シ (shi) / ツ (tsu), ソ (so) / ン (n), ク / ケ / タ, ウ / ワ / フ.
In hiragana: さ / ち, ね / れ / わ, る / ろ, は / ほ, ぬ / め.
Across scripts: へ and ヘ are almost identical, り and リ very close: that helps rather than hurts.

Words to practise

A few common words, to read without looking at the transcription:

Hiragana: さくら (sakura, cherry tree), ねこ (neko, cat), すし (sushi), ありがとう (arigatō, thank you).
Katakana: コーヒー (kōhī, coffee), テレビ (terebi, TV), パン (pan, bread), カメラ (kamera, camera).
Both in one sentence: コーヒーをのみます (kōhī o nomimasu, I drink coffee).

Practise

FAQ

Isn't learning both at once too much?: No: they are the same 46 sounds. You don't learn twice as much, just two shapes for each sound. With 15 to 20 minutes a day, two weeks is enough to recognise them.
Should I start with hiragana?: No need. The most efficient way is to go row by row in both scripts at once. If you already know hiragana, catch up on katakana by going through the chart row by row.
What about kanji?: They come right after. As soon as you read kana without hesitating, start with the N5 kanji and their words.

Remember them for good

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