Lesson 5: Katakana カタカナ

Katakana is one of the three writing systems in the Japanese language. It is primarily used for foreign words, proper nouns, scientific and technical terms, and specialized expressions such as music. Katakana characters have a distinct angular shape compared to the more curvilinear Hiragana characters.

Both Katakana and Hiragana represent the same sounds, just in different scripts. For example, the sound “た” is represented as both “タ” in Katakana and “た” in Hiragana. So, while the scripts may look different, they represent the same sound. This dual script system allows for flexibility in writing and helps distinguish different types of words in written Japanese.

The main uses of Katakana are:

1. Foreign Words and Loanwords:

コンピュータ (konpyūta) – computer
レストラン (resutoran) – restaurant
チョコレート (chokorēto) – chocolate

2. Names of Foreign People and Places:

マイケル・ジャクソン (maikeru jakuson) – Michael Jackson
パリ (pari) – Paris
シドニー (shidonī) – Sydney

3. Scientific and Technical Terminology:

ソフトウェア (sofutowea) – software
ロボット (robotto) – robot
ワクチン (wakuchin) – vaccination

4. Onomatopoeia and Emphasis:

ギュッと (gyutto) – tightly (onomatopoeia for a tight squeeze)
キラキラ (kirakira) – sparkling (onomatopoeia for sparkling lights)

5. Brands and Product Names:

ソニー (sonī) – Sony
コカ・コーラ (koka kōra) – Coca-Cola
アップル (appuru) – Apple

6. Comics and Animation:

ピカチュウ (pikachū) – Pikachu (from Pokémon)
ドラゴンボール (doragon Bōru) – Dragon Ball (anime/manga series)
スパイ・ファミリー(supai familī) – Spy family (anime/manga series)