Hiragana and Katakana Chart Risograph A3 Prints
These hiragana and katakana chart riso prints are ideal not only for those just getting started with learning Japanese, but for anyone who admires the beautiful Japanese syllabary “alphabets.”
Each A3 print features 46 of the basic ‘kana’ characters, pronunciation in ‘romaji’ underneath, and a sample vocabulary word with accompanying illustration. While most kana charts in Japan are targeted towards young children, the slightly retro-style and word choices in these prints are designed with older language learners in mind.
What is hiragana and katakana?
The Japanese reading and writing system is a mixture of three “alphabets”—hiragana, katakana, and iconic kanji characters adopted from Chinese. Hiragana and katakana are “syllabaries”—meaning each character represents a sound or syllable—the building blocks of words. For example, the word ‘kimono’ in Japanese has three syllables: ki-mo-no, and each syllable corresponds to a character on the hiragana chart.
The cursive-style hiragana characters are primarily used for native Japanese vocabulary and grammatical elements, and the more boxy, modern-looking katakana characters are primarily used for loanwords, onomatopoeia, scientific names, and so on. All three writing systems are integral for learning Japanese, and it’s recommended that beginner learners of Japanese start by memorising the hiragana and katakana charts.
Hanging these prints in a convenient area of your home or office will be a great way to keep motivated and prepare you to move on to the next steps of your Japanese journey!
What is a riso print?
These prints use risograph technology, a method of printing developed in Japan in the mid-1980s. It can be described as a mix between screenprinting and photocopying. The risograph process produces prints with extremely vibrant, crisp inks, and sometimes these inks overlap during the printing process to create interesting and unique details.
Product details
Each print is A3 size (297 x 420 mm / 11.7 x 16.5 in) and printed on cream-coloured 175gsm Colorplan paper—the iconic, British-made series from G.F Smith. Colorplan papers are acid-free and FSC Approved. Printed in Nottingham, UK by Dizzy Ink print studio.
Prints are packaged in cello bags with rigid cardboard inserts and shipped in flat mailers.
Delivery times & prices
We ship worldwide. 日本へ国際郵便で送ります。
UK deliveries: 3-4 working days via Royal Mail 1st class
International deliveries available via Royal Mail International Standard Airmail
Prices calculated during checkout
For more information on shipping times for international deliveries, please check the delivery & returns page.
NOTE TO AMERICAN CUSTOMERS:
As of July 1, 2020, international parcel shipping rates to America have increased by over 100%. This has come to a huge shock to many of us small business owners. The United States Postal Service (USPS) has been forced to increase their rates by the US government, and as a result, these increases have been passed on to Royal Mail customers here in the United Kingdom.
This price increase only affects parcel-sized packages, and these A3-size charts can only be shipped in this method. The rates for letter mail and large letter have not changed, so if you cannot justify the shipping cost of these and would still like to order something from my store, I would recommend looking at my pins, patches, and smaller A4 sized-prints. I apologise for the inconvenience, and hope that you understand the changes are beyond my control.
