Hiragana · first row
The five hiragana vowels
あ・い・う・え・お are the five sounds that organize the whole kana chart. Learn this order once and every later row—k, s, t, n, and beyond—has a predictable place.
Five clean vowel beats
Each kana here represents one beat: あ is a, い is i, う is u, え is e, and お is o. Keep each sound steady rather than turning it into an English-style glide.
Japanese rhythm counts these beats, called morae. That is why the vowel row matters for more than memorizing a chart: it establishes how later words are timed.
Use position as a memory cue
When a later kana is hard to recall, ask which vowel column it belongs to. き and し look unrelated, but both sit in the i column and both end in the i sound.
Reference
Hiragana vowel chart
Each reading is one vowel and one beat.
あ is the a in father. Some people spot a capital A hiding in it, which is a decent way to keep hold of it.
い is the ee in see, kept short. Two strokes, a bit like the two parts of a lowercase i.
う is close to the oo in food, but your lips stay relaxed instead of pushing forward.
え is the e in bed. One beat, and it never slides into another vowel the way English e often does.
お is the o in more, cut short. It is easy to mix up with あ, so look for the little tail on the right.
Try it now
Practice the five hiragana vowels
Choose an answer, read the explanation, and finish the short set without leaving this page.