Katakana (カタカナ) is one of the three Japanese writing systems, alongside hiragana and kanji. While hiragana handles native Japanese words and grammar, katakana plays a different role — it's the script Japan uses for foreign loanwords, foreign names, scientific terms, and emphasis (like italics in English).
If you're typing in Japanese and need to write loanwords like コンピューター (computer), Western names like ジョン (John), or food names like カレー (curry), you need katakana — and you need it without going through the pain of installing a full Japanese IME.
Here's how to type katakana online instantly, with all 46 characters plus dakuten and handakuten, in any browser.
What Makes Katakana Different
Hiragana and katakana represent exactly the same 46 sounds (mora). The difference is purely visual and contextual: hiragana characters are rounded and flowing (あ, い, う), while katakana characters are angular and sharp (ア, イ, ウ). Same sound, different look, different use case.
Katakana shows up in modern Japanese writing constantly. Open any Japanese magazine, menu, or web page and you'll see katakana on every page — anywhere there's a loanword, a brand name, an emphasized term, or onomatopoeia (the words for sound effects).
Type Katakana Instantly
AnyKeyboard's katakana keyboard loads the full JIS katakana layout in your browser. No IME installation, no system language pack, no Japanese keyboard required — just open the page and click.
1. Open the keyboard: Visit the katakana keyboard page. The complete カタカナ layout loads immediately.
2. Type characters: Click any katakana character to add it to your text. All 46 base characters are arranged in the standard gojūon (五十音) order, the same order used in Japanese dictionaries.
3. Add voicing marks: Use the dakuten (゛) and handakuten (゜) keys to turn unvoiced sounds into their voiced or aspirated forms — カ becomes ガ, ハ becomes パ.
4. Copy and paste: One click copies your katakana text, ready to paste into anything — Word, Gmail, Discord, LINE, social media, language apps.
The Complete 46 Katakana Characters
The katakana syllabary follows the gojūon order:
• A row: ア (a), イ (i), ウ (u), エ (e), オ (o) • K row: カ (ka), キ (ki), ク (ku), ケ (ke), コ (ko) • S row: サ (sa), シ (shi), ス (su), セ (se), ソ (so) • T row: タ (ta), チ (chi), ツ (tsu), テ (te), ト (to) • N row: ナ (na), ニ (ni), ヌ (nu), ネ (ne), ノ (no) • H row: ハ (ha), ヒ (hi), フ (fu), ヘ (he), ホ (ho) • M row: マ (ma), ミ (mi), ム (mu), メ (me), モ (mo) • Y row: ヤ (ya), ユ (yu), ヨ (yo) • R row: ラ (ra), リ (ri), ル (ru), レ (re), ロ (ro) • W row: ワ (wa), ヲ (wo), and the special syllabic ン (n)
Dakuten and Handakuten — Voicing Marks
Dakuten (゛, also called nigori) is a small mark that turns an unvoiced sound into its voiced equivalent. K becomes G, S becomes Z, T becomes D, H becomes B. So カ (ka) + ゛ = ガ (ga). This is essential for typing words like ガラス (glass), ジュース (juice), and ボタン (button).
Handakuten (゜, also called maru) is used only with the H row to make the P sound. ハ (ha) + ゜ = パ (pa). You'll need this for words like パン (bread), ペン (pen), and プリン (pudding).
When Katakana Is the Right Choice
Use katakana for:
• Loanwords from English and other languages — コンピューター (computer), アイスクリーム (ice cream), インターネット (internet) • Foreign personal names — ジョン (John), マリア (Maria), アレックス (Alex) • Foreign place names — ニューヨーク (New York), ロンドン (London), パリ (Paris) • Scientific and technical terms — particularly biology, physics, and chemistry vocabulary • Onomatopoeia — ドキドキ (heartbeat), キラキラ (sparkly), ザーザー (heavy rain) • Emphasis — used like italics, to make a Japanese word stand out • Brand and product names — especially in advertising
Katakana vs Hiragana — When to Use Which
If you're new to Japanese, the rule is straightforward: hiragana for Japanese-origin words and grammar particles, katakana for foreign-origin words and emphasis, kanji for Chinese-origin words and most nouns and verb stems. Modern Japanese mixes all three constantly. A single sentence often contains characters from all three systems.
If you need both hiragana and katakana on the same screen, switch to the Japanese Kana keyboard — it includes both syllabaries side by side. For romaji-to-Japanese input (typing 'su' to get す), the Japanese Romaji keyboard handles that.
Katakana on Mobile
The keyboard works in any mobile browser. Tap the katakana characters you need, hit copy, paste into LINE, Discord, Instagram, or any language-learning app like WaniKani, Duolingo, or Anki. No IME app to install, no Japanese language pack to add.
Private and Free
Everything runs in your browser — no data sent to a server, no account required. Works across all operating systems and devices.
Try the katakana keyboard now and start typing カタカナ in seconds.