Hiragana vs katakana: the difference in 2 minutes
Hiragana and katakana are Japan's two syllabaries. They represent the exact same sounds (46 base syllables each) but are not interchangeable. Before diving into real Japanese, you need to know which one to use, when, and why.
Same sound, opposite usage
Hiragana for native Japanese, katakana for foreign. Same phonetic character, completely different context.
Grammar particles (は, が, を), verb endings and words without a kanji form are hiragana. Loanwords (コーヒー, パン), foreign names (ジョン), onomatopoeia and emphasized terms go in katakana.
Tell them apart at a glance
あ ね ま (hiragana)
Curves, connected strokes, organic shapes. If it looks rounded and flowing, it's hiragana.
ア ネ マ (katakana)
Right angles, separate strokes, geometric shapes. If it looks angular and sharp, it's katakana.
Where they come from
Both syllabaries come from kanji, but through two different paths. Hiragana was born in the 9th century from cursive simplifications of Chinese characters, hence the round curves. Katakana, from the same era, are angular fragments extracted from kanji by Buddhist monks to annotate texts.
The classic traps
Some katakana look extremely similar: シ (shi) and ツ (tsu), ソ (so) and ン (n), リ (ri) and ル (ru). The trick: look at the direction and angle of the last stroke.
Where to start
Always start with hiragana. It's what you'll see first in any Japanese sentence. Once hiragana is automatic (~1 to 2 weeks), move to katakana. They'll take less time: the process is the same and your brain is already wired to map sound → shape.