Kanji to hiragana converter
Paste Japanese text and get it back written entirely in hiragana.
Japanese text
私は毎朝、図書館で日本語を勉強します。Hiragana
Short answer
To convert kanji to hiragana, paste your Japanese text into the box above. The converter replaces every kanji with its reading and turns katakana into hiragana, so the whole text is in kana. It runs in your browser, so it is free and has no daily limit. This also works for Japanese to hiragana.
Kanji to hiragana or furigana?
Both show readings. They answer different needs.
| Need | Kanji to hiragana | Furigana converter |
|---|---|---|
| Result | Only kana, kanji removed | Kanji kept with small kana above |
| Good for | Pronunciation, typing practice, text for young readers | Reading real text while learning kanji |
| Katakana words | Converted to hiragana | Left as written |
| Output | Plain text | HTML ruby, brackets or hiragana |
How to convert Japanese text to hiragana
- Paste your text. Put the Japanese text in the input box. Mixed kanji, hiragana and katakana are all fine.
- Let the dictionary load. The first run downloads about 17 MB of dictionary data and caches it in your browser.
- Read the output. The converted text appears as you type. Latin letters, numbers and punctuation stay as they were.
- Copy. Press Copy hiragana to put the result on the clipboard.
Why a conversion can be wrong
Kanji often have more than one reading, and the correct one depends on the word. 今日 is usually きょう, but it is read こんにち in 今日は (こんにちは), and 人気 can be にんき or ひとけ. The converter uses a dictionary and word boundaries to guess, and it is right most of the time, but it cannot see context beyond the word.
Names are the weakest spot. A surname written 小林 may be こばやし or おばやし, and the dictionary only knows common ones. Check names by hand.
Sound changes you will see
Compound words often voice their second part, a change called rendaku. 手紙 is てがみ, not てかみ, and 花火 is はなび, not はなひ. The dictionary stores these readings for known words. If a new compound shows an unvoiced reading, the dictionary probably did not know it.
Particles are written as they are spelled. は stays は even though it is pronounced wa. For pronunciation in Latin letters, use the Japanese to romaji page, which handles the particle sounds.
Keeping the kanji
If you want to see both, use the furigana converter. To get text out of a picture first, use the screenshot scan.
Frequently asked questions
Does it convert katakana too?
Yes. Katakana is converted to hiragana, so the output is all hiragana. If you want katakana left alone, use the furigana converter instead. Loanwords such as コーヒー become こーひー, with the long vowel mark kept as it is.
Is my text sent anywhere?
No. This tool runs in your browser with a dictionary stored there. The text you type is not uploaded. The only download is the dictionary, which your browser caches after the first visit, and your text never leaves the page.
Can I convert Japanese to hiragana for a whole article?
Yes, paste it in sections if it is very long. There is no daily limit, though very large pastes can feel slow on older phones.
Why are some readings wrong?
The tool picks readings word by word and cannot read context or know every name. Wrong readings are most common with names, rare words and kanji with several readings.
What happens to numbers and English words?
They are left unchanged. Only Japanese characters are converted. Punctuation, spaces and line breaks are also kept, so the layout of your text stays the same after conversion.
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