Flash Card Hiragana: 7 Powerful Tricks To Finally Remember Every Character Fast – Even If You’ve Failed Before

Stop Struggling With Hiragana – Flashcards Make It So Much Easier

If you’re trying to learn hiragana and it just won’t stick… you’re not the problem.

Your method is.

Hiragana is perfect for flashcards: small set, clear symbols, and super repetitive. And if you pair it with a good app, you can honestly lock the whole alphabet into your brain way faster than you think.

That’s where Flashrecall comes in:

👉 Flashrecall – Study Flashcards on iPhone & iPad)

It’s a fast, modern flashcard app that:

• Uses built‑in spaced repetition (auto reminders, no manual scheduling)
• Has active recall baked in (so you actually test yourself)
• Lets you chat with your flashcards if you’re unsure about something
• Works great for languages like Japanese, plus exams, school, uni, medicine, business, whatever

Let’s walk through how to actually use flash cards to master hiragana without burning out.

Why Flashcards Are Perfect For Learning Hiragana

Hiragana is basically:

• 46 basic characters
• A few extra sounds with diacritics (like が, ぎ, ぐ…)
• Some combos (like きゃ, きゅ, きょ)

That’s it. Small, repeatable, and super visual = flashcard heaven.

Flashcards work so well for hiragana because they force:

• Active recall – “What sound is this?” instead of just staring at a chart
• Spaced repetition – You review hard characters more often, easy ones less
• Tiny chunks – You don’t need to “study Japanese”, you just do 5–10 cards

With Flashrecall, you don’t even have to manage the schedule. The app:

• Automatically decides when to show each card again
• Sends study reminders so you don’t forget to review
• Works offline, so you can practice on the train, in line, whatever

Step 1: Decide What Kind Of Hiragana Flashcards You Want

You’ve got a few options, and you can mix them:

1. Standard Reading Cards (Most Important)

• Front: あ
• Back: “a”

Do this for all 46 basic characters first. These are your core.

In Flashrecall you can:

• Create these manually in seconds
• Or paste in a hiragana chart and let Flashrecall auto-generate cards from text or images

2. Reverse Cards (For Writing Practice)

• Front: “a”
• Back: あ

These are great if you also want to write hiragana by hand.

You can:

• Add a second card for each one in Flashrecall with reversed front/back
• Or use a prompt like:

> “Create flashcards that show the romaji on the front and the hiragana on the back for all basic hiragana.”

Flashrecall can generate these for you from a typed prompt.

3. Word-Based Cards (To Learn In Context)

Instead of just single characters:

• Front: ねこ
• Back: “neko – cat”

This helps your brain see hiragana in real words, not just floating symbols.

You can:

• Grab sentences or vocab lists from a PDF or website
• Drop them into Flashrecall (it can make cards from text, PDFs, or images)
• Study both reading and vocab at the same time

Step 2: Use Spaced Repetition So You Don’t Forget Everything

The biggest mistake with hiragana flashcards?

Cramming them for an hour… then not touching them for a week.

Your brain works better with short, repeated sessions.

How Spaced Repetition Helps

Spaced repetition = reviewing right before you forget.

In Flashrecall, this is built in:

• Every time you review a card, you mark how easy or hard it was
• The app schedules the next review automatically
• Hard cards (like ぬ, め, ぬ vs ね vs れ) show up more often
• Easy ones (like あ, い, う) gradually spread out

You don’t have to think about “when” to study what.

You just open the app and do the due cards. Done.

And if you’re forgetful (same), Flashrecall’s study reminders nudge you:

> “Hey, you’ve got 12 hiragana cards due today.”

2–5 minutes a day is honestly enough if you’re consistent.

Step 3: Build Your First Hiragana Deck In Flashrecall (Super Fast)

Here’s a simple way to get started:

Option A: Make Cards Manually (Good For Beginners)

1. Open Flashrecall on your iPhone or iPad

2. Create a new deck: “Hiragana – Basic”

3. Add cards like:

• Front: あ | Back: “a”
• Front: い | Back: “i”
• Front: う | Back: “u”

4. Do 10–15 characters first, not all 46 in one go

Option B: Generate Cards From A Chart (Fast & Lazy-Friendly)

If you have a hiragana chart:

• Take a photo or screenshot
• Import it into Flashrecall
• Use the “make flashcards from image” feature to pull out text and create cards

Or copy a hiragana list from a website, paste it into the app, and let Flashrecall split it into cards for you. It can create flashcards from:

• Images
• Text
• PDFs
• YouTube links
• Typed prompts
• Audio

Free to start, so you can test what works for you without overthinking it:

👉 Download Flashrecall on the App Store)

Step 4: Use Active Recall The Right Way

Active recall just means: look, think, then check.

When a card pops up:

1. Hide the answer with your hand or just look away for a second

2. Say the sound out loud (or at least in your head)

3. Flip the card

4. Mark how well you knew it

In Flashrecall, this is super quick:

• Tap to show the answer
• Tap again to rate it (easy / medium / hard / forgot)

That rating feeds the spaced repetition engine, so your future reviews are perfectly timed.

Step 5: Fix The Tricky Hiragana That Always Confuse You

Everyone has a few characters that just refuse to stick.

Typical troublemakers: ぬ / め / ね / れ / わ / れ / ろ / る

Use Silly Associations (They Work)

Example:

• ぬ – looks like a noodle in a bowl → “nu”
• め – kind of like an eye (目 / me) → “me”
• ね – looks like a sleeping person with a pillow → “ne” (like “napping”)
• れ – like a broken ‘L’ → “re”

In Flashrecall, you can:

• Add these mnemonics into the back of the card
• Or write them as a hint so you see them when you’re stuck

If you’re unsure, you can literally chat with your flashcard:

• Ask the card to explain the difference between れ and ね
• Get extra explanations, examples, or memory tricks right inside the app

It’s like having a tiny tutor living inside your deck.

Step 6: Mix Hiragana With Real Japanese As Soon As Possible

Once you know most of the basic characters, don’t just drill them in isolation forever. Start using them in words.

Easy Ways To Do This

• Add cards like:
• Front: たべる
• Back: “taberu – to eat”
• Or:
• Front: “to drink”
• Back: のむ (nomu)

You can:

• Take a beginner Japanese PDF or textbook
• Import pages into Flashrecall
• Auto-generate cards from the text or PDF
• Then let spaced repetition handle the rest

This way you’re learning:

• Hiragana
• Vocabulary
• Reading practice

all at once.

Step 7: Make It Stupidly Easy To Be Consistent

Consistency beats intensity every time.

A few tips:

1. Do Micro-Sessions

• 2–5 minutes in the morning
• 2–5 minutes at night
• Bonus: anytime you’re waiting in line or on the bus

Because Flashrecall works offline, you can study literally anywhere.

2. Let The App Do The Remembering For You

Turn on study reminders in Flashrecall:

• Daily reminder at a time you actually check your phone
• Or multiple light nudges throughout the day

You just respond to the reminder, knock out your due cards, and move on with your life.

3. Keep Decks Simple

Don’t create 20 different decks with 5 cards each.

Start with:

• “Hiragana – Basic”
• “Hiragana – Words”

You can always add more later.

Why Use Flashrecall Instead Of Random Flashcard Apps?

There are a bunch of flashcard tools out there, but for learning hiragana specifically, Flashrecall hits a sweet spot:

• Fast & modern – Clean interface, no clunky menus
• Free to start – You can build full hiragana decks without paying
• Spaced repetition built in – You don’t have to configure anything
• Active recall by default – Designed for testing, not passive review
• Create cards from almost anything – Images, PDFs, YouTube, text, audio, or manual
• Chat with your flashcards – Get explanations, examples, or clarifications right inside the app
• Works offline – Perfect for commuting or bad Wi‑Fi
• Great for everything beyond hiragana – Kanji, vocab, JLPT, school exams, uni courses, medicine, business terms, you name it
• iPhone & iPad support – Study on whichever device is in your hand

If you’re serious about actually remembering hiragana instead of just staring at charts, using a tool built around active recall + spaced repetition is honestly a cheat code.

A Simple 7-Day Hiragana Plan With Flashrecall

You can tweak this, but here’s a realistic outline:

• Add 15–20 basic hiragana characters
• Do 2–3 review sessions (2–5 minutes each)

• Add the rest of the basic set
• Keep reviewing daily with spaced repetition
• Start adding mnemonics to the ones you keep forgetting

• Add a few simple words (ねこ, いぬ, さかな, etc.)
• Mix reading practice with character drilling

• Test yourself: can you read a full hiragana chart?
• Add reverse cards (romaji → hiragana) for writing practice if you want

All of this is totally doable in Flashrecall with just a few minutes a day.

Ready To Make Hiragana Finally Stick?

You don’t need a complicated system.

You just need:

• Good hiragana flashcards
• Spaced repetition
• Tiny daily sessions

Flashrecall wraps all of that into one simple app you’ll actually use.

Grab it here, build your first hiragana deck today, and in a week you’ll be surprised how much you can read:

👉 Download Flashrecall – Study Flashcards on the App Store)

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Anki good for studying?

Anki is powerful but requires manual card creation and has a steep learning curve. Flashrecall offers AI-powered card generation from your notes, images, PDFs, and videos, making it faster and easier to create effective flashcards.

What's the fastest way to create flashcards?

Manually typing cards works but takes time. Many students now use AI generators that turn notes into flashcards instantly. Flashrecall does this automatically from text, images, or PDFs.

How do I start spaced repetition?

You can manually schedule your reviews, but most people use apps that automate this. Flashrecall uses built-in spaced repetition so you review cards at the perfect time.

What is active recall and how does it work?

Active recall is the process of actively retrieving information from memory rather than passively reviewing it. Flashrecall forces proper active recall by making you think before revealing answers, then uses spaced repetition to optimize your review schedule.

Related Articles

• Katakana Flash Cards: 7 Powerful Tricks To Finally Remember Every Character Fast – Even If You’ve Failed Before
• Hiragana Katakana Flash Cards: 7 Powerful Tricks To Master Japanese Fast (Most Learners Miss #3) – Learn kana quicker, remember it longer, and actually enjoy studying with smart flashcards.
• Greek Alphabet Flash Cards: 7 Powerful Tricks To Finally Remember Every Letter Fast – Stop Forgetting Alpha, Beta, Gamma And Learn Them For Good