Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

katakana

/ˌkætəˈkɑːnə/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.33 in modern English

Syllables
katakana
IPA
/ˌkætəˈkɑːnə/
16
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
1
Syllables
4
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A Japanese syllabary used when writing words borrowed from foreign languages other than Chinese, specific names of plants and animals and other jargon, onomatopoeia, or to emphasize a word or phrase. Also used to write the Ainu language.

Uncountable

noun

A character thereof.

Countable; Uncountable

name

Alternative letter-case form of katakana.

Etymology

From Japanese 片(かた)仮(か)名(な) (katakana).

Origin

Word Breakdown

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˌkætəˈkɑːnə/
  • British English: /ˌkætəˈkænə/

Usage

Inflected Forms

katakanas (plural) katagana (alternative, archaic)

Frequently Paired Words

hentaigana hiragana man'yōgana

Rhymes With

anna indiana louisiana hannah diana banana ghana ana pro-ana savannah nana havana

Questions

How do you pronounce katakana?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˌkætəˈkɑːnə/.
What does katakana mean?
A Japanese syllabary used when writing words borrowed from foreign languages other than Chinese, specific names of plants and animals and other jargon, onomatopoeia, or to emphasize a word or phrase. Also used to write the Ainu language.
Where does katakana come from?
It is traced to Japanese.

How to pronounce katakana

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “katakana”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˌkætəˈkɑːnə/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “katakana”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “katakana” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.