Katakana Look-Alikes: Fix シ vs ツ With Katakana Flashcards
Tell シ from ツ and ソ from ン: the katakana look-alikes, the katakana that look like kanji, and how to drill each pair with flashcards.
シ (shi) or ツ (tsu)? ソ (so) or ン (n)? These pairs trip up almost everyone learning katakana.
The good news: each one has a single giveaway, and katakana flashcards are the quickest way to learn it.
This guide covers every common look-alike, plus the katakana that look like kanji, such as カ (ka) and 力 (chikara).
Why Do Some Katakana Look So Similar?
Katakana is made of just a few straight strokes. With so few pieces, some characters end up nearly the same, arranged slightly differently.
There are only about ten pairs to worry about. Learn them once and they stop catching you out.
Which Katakana Look Alike? The Quick Table
The five pairs that cause the most trouble. Press play to hear each one.
| Character | Looks like | How to tell them apart |
|---|---|---|
| シ (shi) | ツ (tsu) | シ (shi): short strokes on the left, long stroke sweeps up. ツ (tsu): short strokes on top, long stroke falls. |
| ソ (so) | ン (n) | ソ (so): short stroke on top, falls. ン (n): short stroke on the left, sweeps up. |
| ク (ku) | ケ (ke) | ケ (ke) has a middle stroke that sticks out. |
| フ (fu) | ラ (ra) | ラ (ra) has a separate line across the top. |
| ス (su) | ヌ (nu) | ヌ (nu) has an extra stroke cutting across. |
How Do You Tell Each Pair Apart?
シ (shi) and ツ (tsu)
The most famous pair. Look at where the short strokes sit and which way the long stroke goes.
ソ (so) and ン (n)
The same rule with one short stroke instead of two. Write each one slowly a few times and the direction becomes obvious.
ク (ku), ケ (ke) and タ (ta)
All three start with the same corner. Check what happens in the middle.
ウ (u), ワ (wa), フ (fu) and ラ (ra)
Four characters built on the same hook. Check the top, then the left side.
Five more pairs
Which Katakana Look Like Kanji?
A few katakana look almost exactly like simple kanji. カ (ka) and 力 (chikara, power) differ by a hair. ロ (ro) and 口 (kuchi, mouth) can look identical.
In each pair below, the first is katakana and the second is kanji. Press play to hear both.
| Japanese | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|
カ | ka | katakana ka, as in カメラ (camera) |
力 | chikara / ryoku | kanji: power, strength, as in 電力 (electric power) |
ロ | ro | katakana ro, as in ロビー (lobby) |
口 | kuchi / guchi | kanji: mouth, opening, as in 出口 (exit) |
エ | e | katakana e, as in エアコン (air conditioner) |
工 | kou | kanji: craft, construction, as in 工事 (construction work) |
ニ | ni | katakana ni, as in テニス (tennis) |
二 | ni | kanji: two, as in 二人 (two people) |
ハ | ha | katakana ha, as in ハム (ham) |
八 | hachi | kanji: eight, as in 八月 (August) |
タ | ta | katakana ta, as in タクシー (taxi) |
夕 | yuu | kanji: evening, as in 夕方 (evening) |
オ | o | katakana o, as in オレンジ (orange) |
才 | sai | kanji: years old (in ages), as in 5才 |
How do you know which one you're reading?
- Look at the neighbours. Katakana sits with other katakana, like ロビー (robii, lobby). Kanji sits with other kanji, like 出口 (deguchi, exit).
- A long dash or small ッ (tsu) means katakana. カード (kaado, card) can only be katakana.
- A number in front often means kanji. 5才 (go sai) means five years old.
| Japanese | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|
出口 | deguchi | exit: 口 with another kanji, so it's the kanji |
ロビー | robii | lobby: ロ next to other katakana, so it's katakana |
電力 | denryoku | electric power: 力 after a kanji |
カード | kaado | card: カ before more katakana |
工事中 | koujichuu | under construction: a common sign |
エレベーター | erebeetaa | lift, elevator: エ at the start of a loanword |
How Do Katakana Flashcards Fix Look-Alikes?
Flashcards show you characters one at a time, shuffled, so you can't guess from position. Every mix-up shows up straight away.
- Drill one pair at a time. In the katakana flashcards, tick only the rows with the pair, like the サ (sa) row for シ (shi) and the タ (ta) row for ツ (tsu).
- Say the difference out loud. "Sweeps up, shi. Falls down, tsu."
- Run rounds until you get through clean. Missed characters keep coming back.
- Mix them back in with a round of every row.
- Day 1: シ (shi) and ツ (tsu).
- Day 2: ソ (so) and ン (n).
- Day 3: ク (ku), ケ (ke) and タ (ta).
- Day 4: ウ (u), ワ (wa), フ (fu) and ラ (ra).
- Day 5: the rest, then a round of every row.
- Each day: write each character three times, saying its sound.
What Mistakes Make Look-Alikes Worse?
- Writing too fast. In handwriting, the direction of the long stroke is the whole difference. Slow down.
- Drilling in chart order. You learn the position, not the shape. Shuffle.
- Learning one twin without the other. Drill pairs together.
- Panicking about kanji twins. Context almost always tells you. Read the whole word.
How Long Does It Take to Fix Them?
About a week, one pair a day. Most learners find two or three pairs cause nearly all their mistakes, so focus there first.
After that, reading real words keeps them sharp. A loanword like シャツ (shatsu, shirt) uses シ (shi) and ツ (tsu) side by side, which is perfect practice.
What Should You Learn Next?
- The long vowel mark and small ッ (tsu): Katakana Long Vowels and Small Tsu.
- Reading loanwords: Katakana Reading Practice.
- Hiragana has its own pairs: Hiragana Look-Alikes.
Where Can You Practise for Free?
The katakana flashcards on JLPTCARDS.com are free for the basic and dakuten sets, and every look-alike here is in the free rows. Your accuracy is tracked, so you can see which pairs still catch you out. The katakana chart shows every character in its row.
Practise the Look-Alikes
Each card shows the telling detail on the back. Tap to flip.
Frequently asked questions
How do you tell シ (shi) and ツ (tsu) apart?
Look at the long stroke. In シ (shi) it sweeps up from the bottom left. In ツ (tsu) it falls down from the top right.
How do you tell ソ (so) and ン (n) apart?
Same trick. ソ (so) has its short stroke on top and the long stroke falls. ン (n) has its short stroke on the left and the long stroke sweeps up.
Is カ (ka) the same as the kanji 力 (chikara)?
They look almost identical. カ (ka) is katakana; 力 (chikara) is a kanji meaning power. The characters around it tell you which one it is.
Why does katakana have so many look-alikes?
It's built from a few short, straight strokes, so some characters end up nearly the same. There are only about ten pairs to learn.
What's the fastest way to fix look-alike mistakes?
Drill each pair on its own in your katakana flashcards, saying the difference out loud, until you get a clean round. Then mix them back in.
Fix the Look-Alikes This Week
About ten pairs cause most katakana mistakes, and each has one giveaway. Drill a pair a day with katakana flashcards and they'll stop slowing you down.
Open the free katakana flashcards on JLPTCARDS.com and start with シ (shi) and ツ (tsu).