Japanese Katakana Symbols
All 46 Katakana characters with romaji pronunciation. Click any symbol to copy it instantly.
What are Katakana Symbols?
Katakana (カタカナ) shares the same 46 sounds as Hiragana but uses sharper, more angular shapes. The two scripts are phonetically identical, yet they serve completely different roles in Japanese writing. Where Hiragana handles native Japanese words, Katakana is reserved for words and names that come from outside Japan.
The most common use is for foreign loan words. "Coffee" becomes コーヒー (kōhī), "computer" becomes パソコン (pasokon), and "television" becomes テレビ (terebi). Katakana also handles onomatopoeia, scientific names, and occasionally stylistic emphasis, similar to how English uses italics.
When to Use Katakana
If you spot angular characters on a Japanese menu, product label, or advertisement, it is almost always Katakana for a borrowed word. Foreign names follow the same rule: Michael becomes マイケル, Paris becomes パリ, and so on.
Sound words (onomatopoeia) are another big category. ワンワン is the sound a dog makes, ドキドキ describes a racing heartbeat, and ピカピカ means sparkling or glittering. These expressive words are almost always written in Katakana in manga, novels, and everyday conversation.
Common Katakana Words
These are some of the most common Katakana words you will come across in daily Japanese life:
- コーヒー Kōhī (Coffee)
- パソコン Pasokon (Personal computer)
- テレビ Terebi (Television)
- レストラン Resutoran (Restaurant)
- アイスクリーム Aisu Kurīmu (Ice cream)
How to Use These Katakana Symbols
Click any character above to copy it. Paste it into documents, messages, or anywhere you need Japanese text. All Katakana characters are standard Unicode and work across every modern device and application.