Learn the kana.

Most people can read every hiragana within a week of real practice, and both kana inside two or three. Not "studied for years" — read. This page takes you from zero to reading, one small level at a time: see each character drawn, drill it until it's automatic, and test out when it sticks. No account, nothing saved, nothing to sign up for — this is practice, not homework.

New?Start with Hiragana, Level 1 →

Been here before, or already know some? Take the placement drill and skip ahead.

Hiragana

Level 1 — The vowels
Level 2 — The K-row
Level 3 — The S-row
Level 4 — The T-row
Level 5 — The N-row
Level 6 — The H-row
Level 7 — The M-row
Level 8 — Y, R, W — and n
Level 9 — The full sweep
Every hiragana, shuffled, no rows to lean on. This is the whole skill.
Level 10 — Dakuten and handakuten
Level 11 — The small kana
Level 12 — The lookalikes
Three sets of near-twins. Stop squinting — each set has one tell, and the drill shows it to you every time you miss.

Katakana

Level 1 — The vowels
Level 2 — The K-row
Level 3 — The S-row
Level 4 — The T-row
Level 5 — The N-row
Level 6 — The H-row
Level 7 — The M-row
Level 8 — Y, R, W — and n
Level 9 — The full sweep
Every katakana, shuffled, no rows to lean on. This is the whole skill.
Level 10 — Dakuten and handakuten
Level 11 — The small kana
Level 12 — The lookalikes
Three sets of near-twins. Stop squinting — each set has one tell, and the drill shows it to you every time you miss.
The final boss
Both scripts, one deck. Clear this and you read kana.

Stroke-order data from KanjiVG (kanjivg.tagaini.net), CC BY-SA 3.0.