Japanese is a notoriously difficult language to learn, particularly for those only used to the Latin alphabet. There are also three different types of writing systems to grapple with: Katakana, Kanji and Hiragana. The eloquent squiggles and stripes might appear alien, but one of these Japanese writing systems , Katakana, is essentially phonetic.

To make it a bit easier to learn, British design consultancy johnson banks has developed a typographic style that incorporates both English language and Japanese script – which they call Phonetikana. They have created a typography incorporating phonetic sounds with the Katakana letterforms.

As such, it makes it a little easier to remember what each of the 48 characters in Katakana script sound like.

Check out some of the examples below and see what you think. Sayōnara!

Image credit: johnson banks

Image credit: johnson banks

Image credit: johnson banks