An Introduction to Katakana

Katakana is used for foreign names and words. When spelling your name (like Smith or Brown), using a non-japanese word (like computer or business) or the chinese root for Kanji, you would use Katakana.

The vowel sounds for each character are very short, and each is voiced for the same amount of time. To further assit you in remember these characters I have given each vowel sound a specific color. The colors and sounds are:

• Green for A - as in mop - with little or no rounding of the lips
• Blue for I - as in tree - like a long 'e' sound, only shorter
• Red for U - as in boot - with a slight rounding of the lips
• Purple for E - as in left - with little or no rounding of the lips
• Orange for O - as in tow - like a long 'o' sound, only shorter