What is Hiragana, and how does the drill work?
Hiragana is the core Japanese syllabary: 46 base characters plus their voiced forms (が, ぱ…) and combinations (きゃ, しゃ…), used to write native Japanese words and all of the grammar that glues sentences together. It is the very first thing every Japanese learner masters — once you can read hiragana, textbooks, graded stories and furigana readings all open up.
Start on the Chart tab and tick the character groups you want to practice (the classic order: vowels first, then the k-row, s-row and so on). Then switch to Practice: a character appears, you type its romanized sound — ka, shi, kyo — and the drill advances the moment you get it right. Miss one and you see the answer immediately; the same character comes back a few cards later until it sticks.
Tick the groups you want to practice, then switch to Practice.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to learn hiragana?
Faster than you think. Most learners can recognize all 46 base characters after a few hours of focused drilling spread over several days, and are solid on the voiced forms and combination characters within one to two weeks. Short daily sessions beat one long cram: do a few rounds of the drill each day and let the miss-repetition do the work.
Which romanization does the drill accept?
Hepburn is the primary system (shi, chi, tsu, fu, ji), because it best matches English spelling habits. Common Kunrei-shiki and keyboard-input alternates are accepted too — si for し, ti for ち, tu for つ, hu for ふ, zi for じ, sya for しゃ — plus nn for ん, matching how you type it with a Japanese IME.
Should I learn stroke order too?
Yes — writing each character by hand (with the correct stroke order) noticeably speeds up recognition and is worth doing alongside this drill. This tool focuses on the reading direction: seeing a character and recalling its sound instantly, which is the skill you use every second while reading. Stroke-order practice is not part of the drill.
Does the drill save my progress?
Your character-group selection is saved in your browser (no account needed), so the drill opens where you left off. The session stats — seen, correct, accuracy, streak — deliberately reset each visit: the drill is about instant recall today, not long-term statistics.