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Kanji written in kana, with spaces between words.

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カ

Katakana 1: the same sounds in sharper shapes

All 46 basic katakana, and what they're used for.
要点The idea
Katakana has the same sounds as hiragana in sharper shapes, and it's used for foreign words, foreign names, sound effects and emphasis.
aiueo
—ア aイ iウ uエ eオ o
kカ kaキ kiク kuケ keコ ko
sサ saシ shiス suセ seソ so
tタ taチ chiツ tsuテ teト to
nナ naニ niヌ nuネ neノ no
hハ haヒ hiフ fuヘ heホ ho
mマ maミ miム muメ meモ mo
yヤ yaユ yuヨ yo
rラ raリ riル ruレ reロ ro
wワ waヲ o
nン n
Dakuten ゛ and handakuten ゜, small ャ ュ ョ and small ッ work exactly as in hiragana: ガ ga, パ pa, キャ kya, and ッ doubles the next consonant.
カメラkameracameraカ is か without its small third stroke.
アメリカamerikaAmericaリ is almost the same as り.
メモmemomemo, noteモ is close to も.
ヘルメットherumettohelmetヘ and へ are practically identical.
Aパンpanbread
Bペンpenpen
One vowel changes the word: pa → pe. The circle and the dots work exactly as in hiragana.

確認Check yourself

Drill katakanaPick a katakana deck — rows open as you learn them.