Katakana drag and drop and Hiragana drag and drop

Based on the game by Swoon Digital

For teachers: start directly with Hiragana drag-n-drop or Katakana drag-n-drop. These classroom shortcuts skip the selection screen and open a ready-to-play game.

Practice the Japanese syllabic scripts, Hiragana and Katakana, by matching kana to their places on the grid. Choose the characters you want to move and the script you want to match them with. Romaji is also available for both sets.

This recreation takes its visual reference from Dr Lingua’s Kana Bento. Its matching activity makes it easy to practice recognising characters and remembering their sounds.

How to play Kana Bento

Choose a script in the left column for your movable characters, then choose a script in the right column for the grid. Press Start practice to begin. The default pairing uses Hiragana tiles and a Romaji grid.

The top of the game contains the target grid. Below it, you’ll find your shuffled characters on a wooden tray. Drag a character onto its matching square. On a touch screen, you can also tap a tile and then tap its destination. Use the green checks to choose which groups to practice.

Try different combinations as your recognition improves. You can match two scripts together, or choose the same script for both sides while learning the positions. For example:

• Match Hiragana tiles to Romaji
• Match Katakana tiles to Romaji
• Match Katakana tiles to Hiragana

Practice a few groups at a time, then add more as you become comfortable. Each new round shuffles the tiles, giving you a fresh opportunity to recall the characters.

Have fun!