Vowel Row

Katakana 1

Chapter 2 · The Vowel Row: E O

🌿 Completing the Vowels — エ と オ

Two characters to go and the vowel row is done. Today you'll learn エ (e) and オ (o), see all five vowels with their hiragana twins, and read your first real katakana word. Romaji is shown for everything.

✨ Your Next Two Characters — エ オ

Remember: Japanese vowels are short, clean and steady, with no gliding.

エ
e
like the "e" in bed ("eh")
3 strokes · stroke order ▸
Memory hook: an elevator shaft: a top floor, a bottom floor and the pole between them. Hiragana twin: え.
オ
o
like the "o" in more, but short ("oh")
3 strokes · stroke order ▸
Memory hook: an oar leaning on a post: a long shaft with a blade. Hiragana twin: お.
エ Is a Chinese Character in Disguise エ looks almost identical to the kanji 工 (kō, "craft, work"), and that is where it comes from: katakana were made by taking a piece of a kanji. You can't confuse them for long, because the kanji appears inside ordinary Japanese text and the katakana inside loanwords, but it is a useful clue that katakana shapes are simplified bits of kanji.

🔤 The Complete Vowel Row — 母音

KatakanaHiragana twinRomaji
a
i
u
e
o

Say the row in order, a-i-u-e-o, until it feels natural. Every other katakana in the course is built on one of these five vowel sounds.

📖 Read It — Your First Katakana Word

Only one common loanword fits the five vowels, so the rest of the list is sound drills. From Chapter 3 the word lists grow fast.

#CharactersRomajiEnglishNote
1eaairfrom English air; you'll see it in エアコン (air conditioner) later
2ae(drill)a sound drill: "ah-eh"
3ei(drill)a drill: "eh-ee"
4ue(drill)a drill: "oo-eh"
5oa(drill)a drill: "oh-ah"
6aoi(drill)a three-beat drill
7oiu(drill)a three-beat drill
Katakana Words Sound Like English… Sort Of エア is "air", but notice that Japanese has no "r" at the end of a syllable and no gliding "ay" sound, so the word is bent into two clean beats: e-a. This is the secret of katakana: the foreign word is re-spelled with Japanese sounds. When you can't recognise a word at first, say it out loud in a Japanese accent: the English often pops out.

✍️ Try It Yourself — れんしゅう

Say each answer out loud first, then click to check.

1. Which sound does make, and which does make?

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エ = e ("eh"); オ = o ("oh").

2. Say the five katakana vowels in order:

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a · i · u · e · o

3. Match each hiragana to its katakana twin: え, お.

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え→エ · お→オ

4. Read aloud and translate:

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ea: air.

5. Read aloud: · ·

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ae · ue · aoi

6. Write in katakana: ea · oa · aoi (check the stroke order).

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· ·

Coming Up in Chapter 3 The first consonant row: カ キ ク (ka, ki, ku). You'll also meet the long-vowel mark ー, which katakana uses constantly, and read キー (key) and カー (car).