Common Japanese Symbols to Copy and Paste

Japanese uses multiple writing systems, so there are many types of symbols and characters you may want to copy and paste. Here are some of the most common and useful Japanese symbols and how to use them.

Hiragana

Hiragana is one of the main Japanese writing systems along with katakana and kanji. It is used for native Japanese words. Hiragana has 46 basic characters. Here are some common hiragana characters and their romanization:

あ (a) い (i) う (u) え (e) お (o)

か (ka) き (ki) く (ku) け (ke) こ (ko)

さ (sa) し (shi) す (su) せ (se) そ (so)

た (ta) ち (chi) つ (tsu) て (te) と (to)

な (na) に (ni) ぬ (nu) ね (ne) の (no)

Hiragana can be typed on Windows and Mac using the Japanese IME keyboard. On mobile, you can install a Japanese keyboard to access hiragana.

Katakana

Katakana is the other main kana system used in Japanese. It is primarily used for foreign loanwords and onomatopoeia. Here are some common katakana characters and readings:

ア (a) イ (i) ウ (u) エ (e) オ (o)

カ (ka) キ (ki) ク (ku) ケ (ke) コ (ko)

サ (sa) シ (shi) ス (su) セ (se) ソ (so)

タ (ta) チ (chi) ツ (tsu) テ (te) ト (to)

ナ (na) ニ (ni) ヌ (nu) ネ (ne) ノ (no)

Katakana can be typed in the same way as hiragana on Japanese keyboards and IME.

Kanji (Chinese Characters)

Kanji are Chinese characters used in the Japanese writing system to convey meaning. There are over 50,000 kanji, but about 2,000 are commonly used. Some examples include:

日 (day, sun) 月 (moon) 人 (person) 山 (mountain) 水 (water) 好 (like, love) 強 (strong) 高 (tall, high) 中 (middle) 小 (small)

Kanji can be typed by handwriting input or selecting from character charts on Japanese IME settings.

Other Common Symbols

Here are some other useful Japanese symbols you may want to copy and paste:

• Punctuation - 。(period) 、(comma) ー (long vowel extension)
• Particles - は (wa) も (mo) を (wo) で (de)
• Numbers - 一 (1) 二 (2) 三 (3)

How to Type Japanese Characters

To access Japanese text on your device:

• Windows - Enable Japanese IME support. Press the Windows key + Spacebar to switch between IME and English inputs.

• Mac - Add the Japanese keyboard in System Preferences. Switch between inputs using Command + Space.

• iPhone/Android - Add a Japanese keyboard in your device's settings/language menu. Switch keyboards with the globe icon.

• Online - Use virtual Japanese keyboard sites. Copy and paste the characters.

With the Japanese keyboard enabled, you can easily access and type hiragana, katakana, kanji, and Japanese symbols for any application. Some translation apps also offer Japanese handwriting recognition. Mastering Japanese text input allows you to immerse yourself in the language.

Copy-Paste Useful Symbols

For quick access, here are some common Japanese symbols you can copy and paste:

Hiragana: あ い う え お

Katakana: ア イ ウ エ オ

Kanji: 日 月 人 山 水 好 強 高 中 小

Particles: は も を で

Numbers: 一 二 三

Punctuation: 。、ー

Now you have some key Japanese symbols at your fingertips to use online, in documents, messaging apps, and anywhere you can paste text. With the powerful Japanese keyboards and IME, you can type the phonetic readings and let the input system convert them to the correct hiragana, katakana, and kanji for you. This makes it easy to start integrating Japanese text into your digital life.