Each character drawn as a little picture — see the shape, remember the sound.
a — apple あ a — an apple (a)
i — eels い i — two eels (ii)
u — bird う u — a bird saying “ooh”
e — bird え e — an exotic bird (e)
o — “Oh!” お o — a golf ball on a tee: “Oh!”
ka — mosquito か ka — a mosquito (蚊 = ka)
ku — beak く ku — a bird's beak (cuckoo)
ko — coins こ ko — two coins
sa — sardine さ sa — a sardine (sa)
shi — fish hook し shi — a fish hook (she)
su — nest す su — a bird's nest (巣 = su)
se — mouth せ se — a mouth saying “seh”
so — sewing そ so — zigzag sewing thread (so)
ta — ta-da! た ta — ta-da! — a star
chi — cherries ち chi — cherries (chi)
tsu — tsunami つ tsu — a tsunami wave
te — hand て te — a hand (手 = te)
to — toe と to — a toe with a toenail (to)
na — knot な na — a knot (na)
ni — knee に ni — a bent knee (ni)
nu — noodles ぬ nu — noodles in a bowl
ne — cat ね ne — a cat (neko = ne)
ha — house は ha — a house . Ha!
hi — smile ひ hi — a big smile : hee!
fu — Fuji ふ fu — Mount Fuji
ho — house ほ ho — a house with an antenna. Ho!
ma — magic ま ma — a magic wand (ma-gic)
mi — music note み mi — a music note (do re MI)
mu — cow む mu — a cow : moo! (mu)
me — eye め me — an eye . 目 = me
mo — fish hook も mo — a fish hook : catch mo(re)
yu — fish ゆ yu — a fish (yu)
ra — rabbit ら ra — a rabbit (ra)
ri — reeds り ri — reeds by a river (ri)
ru — route る ru — a looping route (ru)
re — running れ re — a person running (re-lay)
ro — road ろ ro — a winding road (ro)
wa — swan わ wa — a swan on water (wa)
wo — “whoa!” を wo — “whoa!” — tossing over the shoulder
n — n ん n n — just like the letter n