How to use

Rakukana is the fifty-sounds chart as an instrument you chant: sound first, then shape. Here is how each part works.

The chart

Tap a kana to hear it. With a keyboard, use the arrow keys to move and Enter to select. Below the table you can make Hiragana or Katakana the main script (the other stays as a faint shadow) and turn Romaji on or off.

Look-alikes

Compare easily-confused kana side by side, and press Play both to see their stroke order in sync — the hand movement is what tells them apart.

Build a word

Tap kana to spell a word, then check its meaning with an image search or a dictionary. If your browser has a Japanese voice, you can also read it aloud.