Recognise ハ ヒ フ ヘ ホ in everyday words. Read the sentences aloud, then use the chart to connect each sign with its sound.

The idea

ハ ヒ フ ヘ ホ are read ha, hi, fu, he, ho in Hepburn romanization. Their hiragana counterparts are は ひ ふ へ ほ. Each full-size sign represents one mora; the chart pairs both scripts with the same readings.

Patterns to compare
KatakanaHiraganaReading (Hepburn)
ハはha
ヒひhi
フふfu
ヘへhe
ホほho

Examples

  • ハンカチを買かいます。I buy a handkerchief.
  • ホットコーヒーを飲のみます。I drink hot coffee.
  • ヘルメットをかぶります。I put on a helmet.
  • ソファに座すわります。I sit on the sofa.
  • ナイフを使つかいます。I use a knife.
  • ホテルは駅えきの近ちかくです。The hotel is near the station.

Read-aloud uses a synthetic Japanese voice available on your device. Voice quality and availability vary; it does not assess your pronunciation.

Watch out

フ is written fu in Hepburn, not hu. Katakana ヘ and hiragana へ look alike, but are different characters.

Try it yourself

  1. Write the katakana counterpart of ふ.

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    フ

    フ and ふ represent the same sound, fu; the katakana form is フ.

  2. Fill the blank with one katakana character: ＿ルメット (herumetto).

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    ヘ

    ヘ represents he and completes ヘルメット, read herumetto.

  3. Fill the blank with one katakana character: ＿ットコーヒー (hotto kōhī).

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    ホ

    ホ represents ho and completes ホットコーヒー, read hotto kōhī.

Use it today

Cover the chart, read two example sentences aloud and write the target kana from memory. Then check the forms and sounds against the chart.