Learn Hiragana & Katakana — Kana Grinder

How Kana Grinder works

Kana Grinder is a free game to learn to read Japanese hiragana and katakana, no account needed. Your progress is saved in your browser, and with your account if you sign in.

Flashcards with mnemonics

Flip through the kana at your own pace. Each one comes with a picture and a short phrase linking its shape to its sound, and you can hear how it is pronounced. In the Today session the picture only comes back after a mistake: a review is a real recall.

Timed sprints

Race the clock: pick the right romaji among four choices, type it yourself, or pick the kana you hear. Look-alike kana such as シ and ツ or ね and れ are mixed on purpose, and the ones you miss come back more often. You race your own record first; the public leaderboard is one click away.

A guided path, row by row

Learn the kana in textbook order, one row per station: the vowels あ い う え お first, then か to こ, and so on up to わ を ん, then the voiced sounds (が, ぱ…) and the combinations (きゃ, しょ…). Hiragana and katakana each have their own line. A station unlocks the next once you read its set accurately and quickly enough in one sprint; every other mode stays open at any time.

Stroke order, then writing from memory

Watch every kana being written stroke by stroke, at the speed you choose, then write it yourself with your finger or mouse: each stroke is checked in order, and after two tries the expected stroke is shown.

A chart that shows your progress

Every answer colors the gojūon chart: a kana warms up as you master it, so you see at a glance what is left — and the ones you miss come back more often.

With an account

Everything works without an account. With a free account, your progress follows you from your phone to your computer, and you can put your sprint score on the public leaderboard.

A short session every day

The Today tab builds your session for you: the kana due for review come back just before you would forget them, at longer and longer intervals, and a few new kana are shown, then asked. Each kana is asked in turn by sight, by ear and by writing it from memory; look-alike kana are drilled side by side, and once their kana are learnt you read real words met in Japan: えき, コンビニ, レシート…