@matrix Kata is shit compared to hira it's true, which is annoying because you get a lot more practice with hira, but kata is actually more useful: The more uncommon a word, the more chance they just use the English word instead, so being able to read three kata words in a paragraph will usually tell you 90% of its meaning, and since they're English words, you already know them, you just have to get used to katakana being katakana.

And then occasionally the kata word isn't English and you just get assfucked instead.

For these specific things:
シツ -> overlay hira しつ on them, and see which matches better: The first two strokes run perpendicular to the early part of the hira stroke, and the third stroke just continues on from there.
ソン -> just memorise ン because it's ん, and then when you see it is different to that, it must be ソ
ウワフ -> You'll just get used to it after a while

Actually the most annoying katas are ムマ and ケクタ.