Katakana Test: Check Your Katakana Flashcards Progress
Three quick katakana quizzes, from the basic 46 to extended sounds and loanwords, with a guide for anything you miss.
Think you know your katakana? Find out in a few minutes. These three quizzes test everything you've practised with your katakana flashcards, from the basic 46 to extended sounds and loanwords.
Each quiz takes a couple of minutes, and after each one you'll find a link to the guide for anything you missed.
What Does This Katakana Test Cover?
| Quiz | Covers | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The 46 basic characters, especially look-alikes | シ (shi) |
| 2 | Dakuten, the long dash, small ッ (tsu) and kanji look-alikes | ビール (biiru, beer) |
| 3 | Combinations, extended sounds and loanwords | パーティー (paatii, party) |
Do them in order. If the first quiz is a struggle, practise a bit more with your flashcards before trying the next one.
Why Test Yourself at All?
Every time you pull an answer out of memory, you make it stronger. That's why flashcards work, and it's why a quick test is worth your time.
A test also shows you where your gaps are. Most learners know most characters well, and a small handful cause nearly every mistake. Once you know which, you can fix them in a few days.
How Should You Take the Test?
- Cover the romaji. If you can see the answer, you're not testing yourself.
- Say each answer out loud before you click.
- Don't rush. Look for the detail that matters: the long stroke, the dots, the dash.
Quiz 1: Can You Read the Basic 46?
Most mistakes here are look-alikes, like シ (shi) and ツ (tsu), so the quiz is full of them.
Missed some? Katakana Look-Alikes shows what tells each pair apart.
Still learning the rows? Follow the 5-day plan.
Quiz 2: Do You Know the Marks?
Dakuten, the long dash and the small ッ (tsu), plus one kanji twin. These marks are small, so look closely.
Missed some? See Katakana Long Vowels and Small Tsu and katakana that look like kanji.
Quiz 3: Can You Handle Extended Sounds and Loanwords?
Missed some? Each topic has its own guide:
- Extended Katakana for ファ (fa), ティ (ti) and the rest.
- Wasei-Eigo for words like コンセント (konsento).
- Typing Katakana for thi, dhi and who.
Bonus: Can You Read These Words?
One word for each skill. Read it, say it, then press play to check.
| Word | Meaning | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| ホテル (hoteru) | hotel | Basic characters |
| ソース (soosu) | sauce | Look-alike ソ (so) |
| テレビ (terebi) | TV | Dakuten |
| ケーキ (keeki) | cake | Long dash |
| カップ (kappu) | cup | Small ッ (tsu) |
| シャツ (shatsu) | shirt | Combination |
| フォーク (fooku) | fork | Extended sound |
| マンション (manshon) | flat, condominium | Wasei-eigo |
What Should You Do With Your Results?
| Your score | Next step |
|---|---|
| All right | Move on to JLPT N5 words, or more loanword reading. |
| One or two wrong | Read the guide for that topic, then drill the rows in the flashcards. |
| Three or more wrong | Go back a step: run that set of rows in the flashcards for a few days, then retake the quiz. |
How Do Katakana Flashcards Help You Fix Mistakes?
A quiz tells you what you don't know; flashcards fix it. In the katakana flashcards, tick only the rows with the characters you missed and run short rounds.
The ones you get wrong keep coming back until you get them right, and your accuracy is tracked. Retake the quiz once a round feels easy.
- Take all three quizzes and note what you missed.
- Read the guide for each topic you missed.
- Drill just those rows in the flashcards for three days.
- Read ten loanwords a day with those characters.
- Retake the quizzes at the end of the week.
How Long Until You Pass All Three?
If you know hiragana and follow a daily plan, many learners pass Quiz 1 within a week of katakana flashcards. Quiz 2 follows a few days later.
Quiz 3 takes longest, because extended sounds and loanwords need reading practice. Give it another week or two of reading.
What Does Passing Mean?
Passing all three means you can read katakana: every basic character, the marks that change sounds, and the extended sounds in loanwords. That's enough to read menus, signs and packaging in Japan.
It doesn't mean you know every loanword. That comes with reading, a few words at a time. But from here on, every new katakana word is one you can sound out on your own.
What Mistakes Do People Make When Testing Themselves?
- Testing in chart order. Shuffle, like a real test.
- Guessing fast to finish. Slow down and check the details.
- Only testing characters. Reading loanwords is the real goal.
- Getting discouraged. A few wrong answers are useful. They show you exactly what to practise.
What Comes After Katakana?
- Read more loanwords: Katakana Reading Practice and English to Katakana.
- Write your name: Your Name in Katakana.
- Start on vocabulary: if you got through all three quizzes, you're ready for the katakana words in JLPT N5. Try the JLPT N5 flashcards.
Where Can You Practise for Free?
The katakana flashcards on JLPTCARDS.com are free for the basic and dakuten sets. The combination and extended sets are part of Premium.
Prefer paper? Print the free printable katakana flashcards.
Practise the Most-Missed Characters
Tap a card to flip it.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if I've learned katakana?
If you can read every character in a shuffled round without hesitating, and sound out loanwords, you've got it. These three quizzes check both.
What score should I aim for?
Every question right. One or two misses just tell you which guide to read next.
Can I retake the quizzes?
Yes. Reload the page to reset them, and retake them after a few days of practice to see how you've improved.
What's the most common katakana mistake?
Mixing up シ (shi) and ツ (tsu), or ソ (so) and ン (n). Check the direction of the long stroke.
What should I study after katakana?
JLPT N5 vocabulary. It mixes hiragana, katakana and kanji, so both scripts get plenty of practice.
What if I keep failing the same quiz?
Go back one step. Drill the rows from that quiz in the flashcards every day for three days, read the guide again, then retake it.
Keep Your Katakana Sharp
Passed all three? Well done: you can now read katakana, which is a real milestone. Keep it sharp with a quick round of katakana flashcards a few times a week while you move on to vocabulary.
New to katakana? Start with Katakana Flashcards: How to Learn Katakana Fast, or open the free katakana flashcards on JLPTCARDS.com and begin with the ア (a) row.