Japanese Kana Converter
Turn romaji into hiragana or katakana, kana back into Hepburn romaji, or switch between hiragana and katakana, with an IME-style box that converts as you type. Everything runs in your browser, with no uploads and no sign-up.
IME-style typing
Kana chart (click a kana to insert it)
How to use the Japanese Kana Converter
- Choose a conversion, for example Romaji → Hiragana or Kana → Romaji.
- Type or paste your text on the left; the result appears instantly on the right.
- Fine-tune the options: long vowels as ー, UPPERCASE as katakana, or how ー is written in romaji.
- Type live in the IME-style box: romaji turns into kana as you type, and you can click the chart to insert any kana.
- Copy the result or press Swap to convert it back.
Romaji input cheat sheet
| You want | Type | Result |
|---|---|---|
| し, ち, つ, ふ, じ | shi / si, chi / ti, tsu / tu, fu / hu, ji / zi | し ち つ ふ じ |
| ん before a vowel or y | nn or n' | kin'en → きんえん |
| Small っ | double consonant, tch | kitte → きって, matcha → まっちゃ |
| Yōon (combined sounds) | kya, sha, cha, nyu, ryo, ja | きゃ しゃ ちゃ にゅ りょ じゃ |
| Small kana | x or l + kana: xa, ltu, xyo | ぁ っ ょ |
| Long vowel mark | - | ra-men → らーめん / ラーメン |
| Particle を | wo | を |
| Foreign sounds (katakana) | fa, thi, dhi, va, she, che, je, tsa | ファ ティ ディ ヴァ シェ チェ ジェ ツァ (ti alone gives チ, as in Kunrei) |
| Punctuation | . , ? ! [ ] | 。 、 ？ ！ 「 」 |
Hiragana and katakana: when to use which
Japanese uses three scripts together. Hiragana (ひらがな) writes native words, grammar endings and particles such as は, を and です, and is the first script children learn. Katakana (カタカナ) is used for foreign loanwords (コーヒー, coffee), foreign names, onomatopoeia and emphasis. Kanji (漢字) carry most nouns and verb stems. Both kana scripts have 46 basic characters representing exactly the same sounds, which is why a converter can switch between them one-to-one: か ↔ カ, しゃ ↔ シャ.
The one real difference is length: hiragana spells long vowels with an extra vowel (おかあさん), while katakana normally uses the bar ー (スーパー). When converting katakana to hiragana this tool keeps ー, which is how it is usually written in casual hiragana too.
Hepburn romanization rules
- Special syllables: し = shi, ち = chi, つ = tsu, ふ = fu, じ and ぢ = ji, づ = zu.
- Double consonants: っ doubles the next consonant (きって = kitte), but before ch it becomes t (まっちゃ = matcha).
- Syllabic n: ん is n, with an apostrophe before a vowel or y to avoid ambiguity (しんや = shin'ya, not shinya = しにゃ).
- Long vowels: modified Hepburn writes them with a macron (Tōkyō), but everyday romaji often repeats the vowel or ignores length (Tokyo). Choose the style you need in the Kana → Romaji options.
Frequently asked questions
How do I type ん (n)?
Type n before a consonant (konban → こんばん) or at the end of a word (hon → ほん). Before a vowel or y, type nn or n' so it is not read as na, ni and so on: kin'en → きんえん, shin'ya → しんや. In the live typing box a final n waits for the next letter, just like a real Japanese IME.
How do I write small っ (double consonants)?
Double the consonant: kitte → きって, zasshi → ざっし, gakkou → がっこう. For っち, type tch or cch: matcha → まっちゃ. You can also type xtsu or ltu for a standalone small っ.
How are long vowels handled?
In hiragana, long vowels are written with an extra vowel kana (okaasan → おかあさん, toukyou → とうきょう). In katakana they use the long-vowel mark ー: type - (paatii → パーティー) or a doubled vowel with the long-vowel option on (koohii → コーヒー). Macrons such as ō are understood too.
Hepburn or Kunrei romaji?
Both are accepted as input: shi or si, chi or ti, tsu or tu, fu or hu, ji or zi, sha or sya all work. Kana → romaji output uses Hepburn, the system used in passports, signs and most textbooks.
Can it convert kanji?
No. Kanji need a dictionary because each one can have several readings. This tool converts hiragana and katakana; kanji are left unchanged in the output.
Why does は become ha and not wa?
Without understanding the sentence, a converter cannot tell the particle は (read wa) from the syllable は (ha), so it always writes ha. The same applies to the particles へ (e) and を (o, written wo here).
Is it the same as wanakana?
It follows the same widely used conventions as wanakana and Japanese IMEs (nn, n', x/l for small kana, doubled consonants for っ) but is implemented from scratch, runs entirely in your browser and needs no download.