The ''gojūon'' contains all the basic kana, but it does not include
The ''gojūon'' order is the prevalent system for collating Japanese in Japan. For example, dictionaries are ordered using this method. Other systems used are the iroha ordering, and, for kanji, the radical ordering.
The gojūon is an ancient invention. The ordering of the consonants in the goūon originates from the consonant order of Sanskrit. The earliest example of a gojūon-style layout dates from the period 1004-1028. In contrast, the earliest example of the alternative iroha ordering is from 1079.
Roy Andrew Miller, in The Japanese Language, page 128, states
:The Indic order of listing phonemes as found in the arrangement of this so-called 'siddha-m.' script, as well as in all the Indic writing systems, arranges the consonants in the following order: k, kh, g, gh, n~, c, ch, j, jh, t., t.h, d., d.h, n., t, th, d, dh, p, ph, b, bh, m, y, r, l, v, s', s., s, and h. ... Here the juxtaposition of modern 'h', Old Japanese 'F', with Indic 'p' is interesting and significant; the only other point which needs particular comment is the location of modern Japanese 's' following 'k'. This is easily understood since modern Japanese 's' goes back to the Old Japanese affricate phoneme /ts/ which had an allophone before Old Japanese /a, u. o, o
This table uses the vertical system of Japanese writing, and should be read from the right to the left. In each entry, the top entry is the hiragana, the second entry is the corresponding katakana, the third entry is the Hepburn romanization of the kana, and the fourth entry is the pronunciation written in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). Please see phonology for more details on the individual sounds.
| /N/ | /w/ | /r/ | /y/ | /m/ | /h/ | /n/ | /t/ | /s/ | /k/ | ø | |
| rowspan=5 v|ん、ン {{IPA|N}} {{IPA|m}} {{IPA|n}} {{IPA|ŋ}} {{IPA|ã}} {{IPA|ĩ}} {{IPA|ɯ̃}} {{IPA|ẽ}} {{IPA|õ}} |
わ ワ ''wa'' {{IPA|ɰa}} |
ら ラ ''ra'' {{IPA|ɾa}} |
や ヤ ''ya'' {{IPA|ja}} |
ま マ ''ma'' {{IPA|ma}} |
は ハ ''ha'' {{IPA|ha}} |
な ナ ''na'' {{IPA|na}} |
た タ ''ta'' {{IPA|ta}} |
さ サ ''sa'' {{IPA|sa}} |
か カ ''ka'' {{IPA|ka}} |
あ ア ''a'' {{IPA|a}} |
/a/ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ゐ1 ヰ ''wi'' {{IPA|i}} |
り リ ''ri'' {{IPA|ɾʲi}} |
み ミ ''mi'' {{IPA|mʲi}} |
ひ ヒ ''hi'' {{IPA|çi}} |
に ニ ''ni'' {{IPA|nʲi}} |
ち チ ''chi'' {{IPA|ʨi}} |
し シ ''shi'' {{IPA|ɕi}} |
き キ ''ki'' {{IPA|kʲi}} |
い イ ''i'' {{IPA|i}} |
/i/ | ||
| る ル ''ru'' {{IPA|ɾɯ}} |
ゆ ユ ''yu'' {{IPA|jɯ}} |
む ム ''mu'' {{IPA|mɯ}} |
ふ フ ''fu'' {{IPA|ɸɯ}} |
ぬ ヌ ''nu'' {{IPA|nɯ}} |
つ ツ ''tsu'' {{IPA|ʦɯ̈}} |
す ス ''su'' {{IPA|sɯ̈}} |
く ク ''ku'' {{IPA|kɯ}} |
う ウ ''u'' {{IPA|ɯ}} |
/u/ | ||
| ゑ1 ヱ ''we'' {{IPA|e}} |
れ レ ''re'' {{IPA|ɾe}} |
め メ ''me'' {{IPA|me}} |
へ ヘ ''he'' {{IPA|he}} |
ね ネ ''ne'' {{IPA|ne}} |
て テ ''te'' {{IPA|te}} |
せ セ ''se'' {{IPA|se}} |
け ケ ''ke'' {{IPA|ke}} |
え エ ''e'' {{IPA|e}} |
/e/ | ||
| を ヲ ''wo'' {{IPA|o}} |
ろ ロ ''ro'' {{IPA|ɾo}} |
よ ヨ ''yo'' {{IPA|jo}} |
も モ ''mo'' {{IPA|mo}} |
ほ ホ ''ho'' {{IPA|ho}} |
の ノ ''no'' {{IPA|no}} |
と ト ''to'' {{IPA|to}} |
そ ソ ''so'' {{IPA|so}} |
こ コ ''ko'' {{IPA|ko}} |
お オ ''o'' {{IPA|o}} |
/o/ |
1 These kana are no longer in common use.
In the ordering based on the gojuon, smaller versions of kana are treated in the same way as full size versions:
Voiced versions of the kana (those with a dakuten) are placed after the kana, and classified under their unvoiced versions. Thus, for example, :すすき すずき すずしい すすむ (susuki, suzuki, suzushii, susumu).
In order to remember the gojuon, various mnemonics have been devised. For example, :'''''A'''h, '''K'''ana '''S'''ymbols: '''T'''ake '''N'''ote '''H'''ow '''M'''any '''Y'''ou '''R'''ead '''W'''ell.'' and :'''''K'''ana '''S'''igns, '''T'''hink '''N'''ow '''H'''ow '''M'''uch '''Y'''ou '''R'''eally '''W'''ant'' (to learn them).
The first letters in these phrases give the ordering of the non-voiced initial sounds.
For vowel ordering, the vowel sounds in the following English phrase may be used as a mnemonic: :'''''A'''h, w'''e''' s'''oo'''n g'''e'''t '''o'''ld.''
The vowel sounds in the English words approximate the Japanese vowels: a, i, u, e, o.