How many hiragana and katakana are there?

Each syllabary has 46 basic characters. Counting dakuten, handakuten and contracted sounds, each reaches about 104 sounds.

Should you learn hiragana before katakana?

Yes, in almost every curriculum. Hiragana carry the grammar and appear in every sentence, while katakana mostly show up in loan words.

KanjiYome

Katakana chart

All 46 basic katakana, their dakuten and handakuten variants and the contracted sounds, with romaji. Katakana write loan words, onomatopoeia and scientific names: it is the second script, and it is read exactly like hiragana.

The 46 basic sounds

アa	イi	ウu	エe	オo
カka	キki	クku	ケke	コko
サsa	シshi	スsu	セse	ソso
タta	チchi	ツtsu	テte	トto
ナna	ニni	ヌnu	ネne	ノno
ハha	ヒhi	フfu	ヘhe	ホho
マma	ミmi	ムmu	メme	モmo
ヤya		ユyu		ヨyo
ラra	リri	ルru	レre	ロro
ワwa				ヲwo
ンn

Dakuten and handakuten

ガga	ギgi	グgu	ゲge	ゴgo
ザza	ジji	ズzu	ゼze	ゾzo
ダda	ヂji	ヅzu	デde	ドdo
バba	ビbi	ブbu	ベbe	ボbo
パpa	ピpi	プpu	ペpe	ポpo

Contracted sounds (yōon)

キャkya	キュkyu	キョkyo
シャsha	シュshu	ショsho
チャcha	チュchu	チョcho
ニャnya	ニュnyu	ニョnyo
ヒャhya	ヒュhyu	ヒョhyo
ミャmya	ミュmyu	ミョmyo
リャrya	リュryu	リョryo
ギャgya	ギュgyu	ギョgyo
ジャja	ジュju	ジョjo
ビャbya	ビュbyu	ビョbyo
ピャpya	ピュpyu	ピョpyo

Japanese uses three scripts at once: hiragana for grammar and native words, katakana for loan words, and kanji for meaning roots. Reading kana is therefore not enough to read a real sentence, and that is exactly the wall KanjiYome removes by putting the reading above every kanji.

See the hiragana chart

After kana, kanji

KanjiYome puts furigana and a dictionary on any Japanese text, offline, so you can read before you know everything.