Writing System — Japanese learning articles

Hiragana, katakana and kanji — everything you need to master Japanese writing.

Japanese writing consists of three systems, and the learning order matters: first hiragana, then katakana, and finally kanji. The articles here guide you through this path — from stroke order to multiple readings — with practical examples and the most common mistakes. If you're just starting, it's best to begin with the hiragana article before moving on.

If you're learning Japanese characters, the most common question is how long it takes to master the hiragana and katakana charts, and when to start kanji. In my experience, kana can definitely be learned in three to five weeks with twenty minutes a day, if writing is also part of the practice — recognition alone isn't enough. Kanji comes next, always learned through words: memorizing isolated characters fades out for most learners within two months. The articles here provide the rules of stroke order, the logic of kun and on readings, the meanings of the most common radicals, and the mistakes typically made by Hungarian learners. If you're looking for a structured order, the first two stages of the Japanese learning path are exactly about this.