Hiragana- Main alphabet for the Japanese language
Katakana- mainly used for foreign words such as foreign names and words that have been borrowed from other languages
*Note: Japanese read from right to left.
Here are some links on to better understand the alphabet:
http://www.freejapaneselessons.com/lesson01.cfm
http://www.freejapaneselessons.com/lesson02.cfm
