I have learned the Hiragana syllabollary.  Now it is time to learn the Katakana.  There is a one to one correspondence between the Katakana and Hiragana.  So, this does not involve learning any new sounds.  Hiragana is used for Japanese words, so it made sense to learn that first.  Katakana is for foreign words and emphesis.

There are several Katakana characters that are extremely similar.  Consider the following:

ã‚· – shi

ツ – tsu

 

ソ – so

ン – n

There is a subtle difference in the slant of the bottom line and the shorter lines at the top.  It is very easy to comfuse these.

There are two characters that look almost like their Hiragana equivalent.

Romaji: ri

Hiragana:　　り

Katakana:　リ

–and–

Romaji: he

Hiragana:　　へ

Katakana:　　ヘ