Katakana Reading Practice

Revised 2nd Edition! Many Japanese learners find that their ability to read Katakana lags far behind their Hiragana. The main reason is that we just don't get as much exposure to Katakana. This is a deck of 1000 cards designed to give you the exposure you need to read Katakana with speed and confidence. The cards focus on foreign loanwords and proper names--lots of English, but also a selection of German, Dutch, French, Portugese, Chinese, and more. There is a healthy dose of wasei-eigo--"English" terms invented in Japan, like 'salaryman'--and you will also find cards illustrating other common uses of Katakana, such as onomatopoeia ("sound effects" words), company and brand names, names of animals, and so on. All of the Katakana are represented, and what I take to be the most common "extensions" to Katakana used to represent foreign sounds like 'v.' In addition to reading practice, I think these cards will help you develop a sense for how the Japanese "ear" hears and transcribes foreign sounds. I assembled this deck from a variety of sources, including my own vocabulary decks, Wikipedia articles, word frequency lists, and Anne Matsumoto Stewart's book "All About Katakana," (out of print, but available used for a very reasonable price). Making this deck really helped me to read Katakana with speed and accuracy--I hope it will do the same for you. If this deck is beneficial in your studies, would you please take the time to rate it and possibly leave a comment? It means a lot!