(A note on fonts: instead of MS Mincho, the Cinecaption font is used because its bolder lines make it easier to read even in small sizes. So installing this font is necessary if you want to use this file in its current lay-out. If that is not to your liking, then simply selecting all the katakana used here and then selecting MS Mincho for a font should convert them all to the proper MS Mincho katakana. Same thing goes for the occasional Kanji that are mentioned.)

(A note on copyright: none of these mnemonics/associations are based on James Heisig’s book on the Kana, which I do not own and have never read. If any similarities do exist, then they do so without my knowing.)

See https://www.coscom.co.jp/learnjapanese801/install_ime.html for how to allow your keyboard to automatically convert input in romaji into hiragana/katakana and then - when applicable - Kanji.

Katakana mnemonics/associations overview

Mnemonic for k --> g,s --> z, t --> d and h --> b/p

King

Suez

Toward

Hobnop (intentionally misspelled)

(Basically a nonsensical sequence of words that captures the change in consonants mentioned above)

Exceptions:

1. Shi シà ji ジinstead of zi. (usage preferred)

2. Chi チà ji ヂinstead of di.

3. Tsuツ à zu ヅinstead of du.

Illogical Combination Syllables

Short mnemonics for the illogical combination syllables

Shannon^[1] Shuns Shorty                                             Janice Junkie Joplin^[2]

Charlie Churns Chocolate Milk                             

Long mnemonics for the regular katakana in  “alphabetical” order

(Please note: many of the mnemonics listed here link to the correct English spelling of the katakana in question, even though the English pronunciation may be different. So if you’re unsure of how to pronounce a particular katakana, then please don’t assume the keywords given here always sound exactly the same as the katakana do.)

ア-a

The smiling mouth of a shark.

イ-i

The rising tone in “eee” is nicely depicted here.

ウ- u

More or less the “u” in the form of a chalice held upside down with an extra dot at the top with which to hold it.

エ- e

A dead end. Just see this as a side view of a road with the vertical line being a wall that makes this a dead end from both directions. (The similarity to the Kanji for ‘craft’ can be confusing)

オ- o

A snowflake. (Very close to the Kanji for “genius.” Perhaps it took a genius to figure out that no two snowflakes are the same?)

カ-ka

Actually looks like the Kanji for “power”. Imagine a powerful strike with a katana. (Note that the hiragana is almost the same, except for the dash)

キ-ki

The stinger of a mosquito penetrating two layers of skin.

ク-ku (the “u” is pronounced as in French “déjà vu”)

The eager snout of a young pup or cub.

ケ-ke (as in “dog kennel”)

A rather elaborate key.

コ-ko

The bottom half is someone who has been knocked to the ground and is trying to prevent the referee who is standing over him from declaring a technical knock-out or “K.O.”

サ-sa (almost as in “saga”, but with an “a” that sounds more like the “ya!” sometimes used to spur horses on than like the “ah” in “barn”. Or else the way Germans pronounce “Ja”.)

A sailing boat that is sinking vertically with the bow first.

シ-shi

A shmiley.

ス-su (like a French person would pronounce “Superman” with the “u”-sound like in the French “lune” for English “moon”)

A side view of Superman with his cape horizontally flying behind him.

セ-se

The two letters L in sell, with one on its side (perhaps to symbolize buyer and seller meeting halfway to seal the deal?).

ソ-so

Kodos from The Simpsons’ “Kang & Kodos”. (Letters will have to be reversed, but the visual resemblance is simply too good to pass up on, I feel)

タ-ta

A talking dog seen sideways.

チ-chi

Someone’s chin on the bottom right. The straight horizontal is a moustache and the wavy line on top the hairline.

ツ-tsu

Looks and sounds a lot like someone sneezing “a-tsu!”.

テ-te

A waiter carrying a tray.

ト-to

An old-fashioned signpost showing you the direction to go in to reach your destination. (Virtually the same as Heisig’s magic wand, as seen in下).

ナ-na

Naval: partial view of the underbelly of a ship, with the horizontal being the water line.

ニ-ni

Simply Japanese “two”.

ヌ-nu

Almost the same as the Kanji for “&”又 that Heisig translates as “or again”. Since “nu” sounds a lot like “new” (back in the ‘80s there even was a Western pop formation called “Nu Shooz” as a modern way of spelling “New Shoes”) and in company names like “Johnson & Sons” it is always the newer generation that follows the “&” sign.

ネ-ne

The snout of a shark biting through a net. (Consistent with using the image of a shark for ア).

ノ-no

A notch.

ハ-ha

Japanese “eight” or “hachi”. Alternatively two hairs.

ヒ-hi

Someone waving with one arm (diagonal) and saying “hi” at the same time. (There is a more historically disturbing mnemonic possible linking the raising of an arm at this angle and the letters “hi”, but I don’t dare list it here…)

フ-fu/hu

A mouth smiling at something funny. Think of the logo of the Rolling Stones (minus the tongue).

ヘ-he

A happy eyebrow or h.e. is the shape of an eyebrow above an eye that is smiling warmly.

ホ-ho

A little holy cross high up on a mountain top. (“Little” because the Kanji for “little” 小 basically looks like the lower part of this katakana.)

マ-ma

Side view of a mackerel.

ミ-mi

Three lines with one in the middle.

ム-mu

Side view of an arm that is lifting a weight in order to grow more muscular. (Virtually the same as Heisig’s “elbow” primitive, which in turn is a side view of自).

メ-me

A medieval form of punishment was being quartered (remember the execution at the end of Braveheart?). This involved horses being tied to each of a person’s limbs who would then be torn to pieces if the horses were strong enough. This katakana could be seen as the victim hanging in the air as all his limbs are being stretched by the horses.

モ-mo

Side view of someone with thick eyebrows (top horizontal) and a moustache (middle horizontal). Fairly close to the mirror image of チ(chi).

ヤ-ya

A dog in a sitting position (tail and hind legs on the right) keeping his yapper shut.

ユ-yu

The periscope of a submarine peering over the water’s surface. Since submarines were often called U-boats in World War 2, this links form to pronunciation. (This katakana is basically Heisig’s “key” primitive, as seen in決 “decide”.)

ヨ-yo

The mirror image of rapper Eminem’s symbol, and since rappers tend to say “yo” a lot…

ラ-ra

The eye of the Egyptian Sun God Ra.

リ-ri

Picture this as a Greek y and then imagine “rice” spelled as “ryce” in some old English novel.

ル-ru

Since this is fairly close to Heisig’s “human legs” primitive (as seen in 四) it’s not that big a stretch to see the human legs running here. (Or race walking, perhaps, since the legs do not bend at the knees).

レ-re

People tend to recoil from the image of the scythe, closely related as the image is to the symbol for Death: the Grim Reaper.

ロ-ro

Going around and around. (Also more or less the Kanji for “mouth”)

ワ-wa

Since フor “fu” is already linked to “funny”, the “wa” may as well be seen as an exact rendition of someone being surprised by a funny joke and then “laughing out loud”. The corner of the mouth is drawn back to underline the intensity of the laughter.

ヲ-(w)o

After the naval mnemonic for ナor “na”, the ヲcan stand for a boat onto which you are welcomed aboard.

ン-n/m

No matter which way you slice it, this one is awfully close to ソ or “so”. Still, since ソwas linked to the alien Kodos from The Simpsons based on a visual resemblance, it makes sense to let this one be his partner Kang. How to keep them apart? Perhaps the inversion of “o” and “s” to get from Kodos’ name to the katakana can also be applied to the order in which they are normally named on the show: normally it’s “Kang and Kodos” from left to right, but here Kodos appears before Kang, so it also makes sense to reverse the position of the diagonals. So Kang’s diagonal in ンappears on the right instead of the left. And vice versa for Kodos. Since the ン appears last in the katakana table, it should not be hard to remember that ソcame earlier.