The complete katakana script consists of 48 characters, not counting functional and diacritic marks: 5 nucleus vowels 42 core or body (onset-nucleus) syllabograms, consisting of nine consonants in combination with each of the five vowels, of which three possible combinations (yi, ye, wu) are not canonical 1 coda consonant These are conceived as a 5×10 grid (gojūon, 五十音, literally "fifty sounds"),