Five Vowels - don't worry about them too much but here are the details
[a] like English [ɑ] (as in "hot") but with your tongue further forward.
[i] like English sharp [i] (as in "seed") but short and with your mouth slightly more opened.
[ɯ] like English [ʊ] (as in "put") but there are three key differences.
Your lips should be less rounded.
Your mouth has to be more closed.
You tongue has to be slightly pulled further back.
[e] like English [ɛ] (as in "get") but with your mouth slightly more closed.
[o] like the first part of English [ɔɪ] (as in "boy") but short and with your mouth slightly more closed.
[i] and [ɯ] in parenthesis - shy vowels that are still there but are just "whispered"
These vowels tend to be "devoiced" between voiceless consonants.
When this happens, you have to say the vowel as if you are whispering them together with the neighboring voiceless consonants.
Pronunciation of n (ん／ン）: that last letter in the hiragana/katakana chart is tricky
It's pronounced as [m] when followed by [m] [b] [p].
It's pronounced as [n] when followed by [n] [t] [d] [s] etc.
It's pronounced as [ŋ] when followed by [k] [g].
Before a vowel → nasal version of the preceding vowel
At the end of the word → [ŋ] after [i] [e] / [ɴ]* after [a] [u] [o]
*[ɴ] is a nasal sound made with the back of the tongue and the uvula closed together (you can put them together when you consciously stop breathing by stopping the airflow from your lungs into the mouth or nose)
Consonants before [i] - they all transform
[i] vowel changes the sound of consonants to be "palatalized".
In order to pronounce these sounds, the front part of your tongue has to be drawn up closer to the "hard palate" (the hard roof of the mouth behind the teeth).
き ki [kʲi] ← [k] + [i]
ぎ gi [gʲi] ← [g] + [i]
し shi [ɕi] ← [ʃ] + [i]
じ ji [dʑi] ← [dz] + [i] (the same as ぢ）*[ʑi] between vowels
ち chi [tɕi] ← [t] + [ʃ] + [i]
ぢ ji [dʑi] ← [z] + [i] (the same as じ）*[ʑi] between vowels
に ni [ɲi] ← [n] + [i]
ひ hi [çʲi] This consonant [ç] is different from [h]. Unlike [h], you have to place the front part of your tongue very close against the "hard palate" (the hard roof of your mouth behind the teeth) and make a sharp hissing sound.
み mi [mʲi] ← [m] + [i]
り ri [ɾʲi] ← [ɾ] + [i]
ぴ pi [pʲi] ← [p] + [i]
び bi [bʲi] ← [b] + [i]
The notorious consonant [ɾ] in ra, ri, ru, re, ro: "voiced dental and alveolar taps and flaps"
This sound is very similar to [d], which is "voiced dental alveolar plosives".
Whereas [d] sound is made by blocking the airflow with the tongue entirely for a moment, [ɾ] is made with the tongue quickly "tapping" the same position.
Others
ず zu ＝づ zu [dʑɯ] at the start of a word and normally [ʑɯ] in between two vowels.
ふ fu [ɸɯ] This sound is somewhat similar to [f], but instead of using the upper front teeth, you have to use the upper and lower lips as if you are lightly blowing on a candle.
わ wa [wa]=[w̜a] Compared to english [w], the lips should be less rounded.