Learning hiragana is the first step to learning Japanese. By learning all three lessons in order, you will learn the basics of Japanese pronunciation.
In hiragana there are 5 vowels:
あ (a), い (i), う (u), え (e), お (o).
The rest of the characters are consonant-vowel combinations. For example:
か (ka), き (ki), く (ku), け (ke), こ (ko).
The character ん (n) is a special case. It is the only consonant that can stand alone.
Moreover learning the correct stroke order is essential if you want to be able to write and even read handwritten Japanese. While it might seem like a small detail, proper stroke order improves your writing speed and ensures your handwriting is easy to read.
Below is a complete table of all 46 basic hiragana characters. The table is organized so that each row represents a different consonant sound, while each column represents a vowel. Click or tap on the characters in the table to see the stroke order video and hear the pronunciation.