Let’s Learn Japanese: Hiragana Stroke Order & Pronunciation GuideLearning hiragana is the first, essential step on your journey to reading and writing Japanese. This guide explains the stroke order for each character, gives clear pronunciation tips, and provides practical practice methods to help you internalize the syllabary. Whether you’re a complete beginner or revising fundamentals, this article gives the tools to read native materials, pronounce words accurately, and build confidence in writing.
Why start with hiragana?
Hiragana is one of the three writing systems in Japanese (the others are katakana and kanji). It’s used for native Japanese words, grammatical particles, and to show readings of kanji (furigana). Mastering hiragana lets you:
- Read basic sentences and children’s books.
- Write any native Japanese word phonetically.
- Learn correct pronunciation and connect sounds to writing.
Hiragana chart overview
Hiragana consists of 46 basic characters representing vowel and consonant-vowel combinations:
- Vowels: a, i, u, e, o
- K-row: ka, ki, ku, ke, ko
- S-row: sa, shi, su, se, so
- T-row: ta, chi, tsu, te, to
- N-row: na, ni, nu, ne, no
- H-row: ha, hi, fu, he, ho
- M-row: ma, mi, mu, me, mo
- Y-row: ya, yu, yo (only three)
- R-row: ra, ri, ru, re, ro
- W-row: wa, (wi), (we), wo — mainly wa and wo used
- N: the nasal syllable ん
There are also diacritics:
- Dakuten (゛) add a voiced consonant: k→g, s→z, t→d, h→b
- Handakuten (゜) change h→p
And small characters for contractions (e.g., きゃ kya, しゅ shu).
Stroke order principles
Correct stroke order improves writing speed, legibility, and memorization. Key rules:
- Top to bottom.
- Left to right.
- Horizontal before vertical.
- Outside before inside (for enclosed shapes).
- Finish with small details (dots, ticks) last.
Following these principles, characters flow naturally and look balanced.
Stroke order and pronunciation: a practical walk-through
Below are the main hiragana groups with stroke-order descriptions and pronunciation notes. For clarity, each character includes a brief stroke-order summary (not a drawing), common pronunciation pitfalls, and quick practice tips.
Vowels: あ い う え お
- あ (a): Start with a short vertical stroke, then a curved horizontal/diagonal stroke, finish with a looping stroke. Pronounced like ‘a’ in “father.”
- い (i): Two short vertical strokes from top to bottom, the second slightly curved. Pronounced like ‘ee’ in “see.”
- う (u): Small curved stroke then a longer hook. Pronounced like ‘oo’ in “food.”
- え (e): Horizontal strokes left-to-right then a downward hook. Pronounced like ‘e’ in “bed” but slightly tenser.
- お (o): Start with a vertical, then sweeping left-to-right strokes, finish with a loop. Pronounced like ‘o’ in “or” (without strong diphthong).
Practice tip: Say the sound aloud as you write each stroke.
K-row: か き く け こ
- か (ka): Vertical then a curved component. Pronounce like ‘ka’ in “car” (without strong r).
- き (ki): Complex: horizontal, vertical, then two small curves; think of a small “+” plus curl. Pronounce like ‘key.’
- く (ku): Single curved stroke like a small check. Pronounce like ‘koo.’
- け (ke): Horizontal then vertical with an angled hook. Pronounce like ‘keh.’
- こ (ko): Two short horizontal strokes. Pronounce like ‘co’ in “cold.”
Pitfall: き vs. さ shapes — focus on the small hooks and stroke ends.
S-row: さ し す せ そ
- さ (sa): Short strokes finishing with a hooked tail. Pronounce like ‘sa’ in “salsa.”
- し (shi): Single sweeping stroke downward and slightly left. Pronounce ‘shee’ — note this is not ‘si.’
- す (su): A looped shape; often miswritten if strokes are too angular. Pronounce ‘soo.’
- せ (se): Complex: horizontal early, then vertical and a sweeping lower stroke. Pronounce ‘seh.’
- そ (so): Two strokes with a wavy finishing line. Pronounced ‘so.’
Pronunciation note: し = shi (not “si”); practice minimal pairs (さ/し/す).
T-row: た ち つ て と
- た (ta): Short top stroke, vertical with hook, finishing slash. Pronounce like ‘ta’ in “top.”
- ち (chi): Starts like a small つ but with distinct hooks; pronounced ‘chee.’
- つ (tsu): A small curved hook with a flick; pronounced ‘tsu’ — unusual for English; practice words like “tsunami.”
- て (te): Simple with horizontal then vertical hook. Pronounce ‘te’ as in “ten” (short e).
- と (to): Vertical then loop; pronounced ‘to’ as in “told.”
Tip: Distinguish つ and し by stroke direction and ending flick.
N-row: な に ぬ ね の
- な (na): Vertical then sweeping hook with finishing stroke. Pronounce ‘na.’
- に (ni): Two vertical strokes with a small connector. Pronounce ‘nee.’
- ぬ (nu): More complex loop; pronounced ‘nu.’
- ね (ne): Start with a horizontal, then loop and hook; pronounced ‘neh.’
- の (no): Single smooth loop (like an English “no” in cursive). Pronounced ‘no.’
Practice writing ね and の to get loops consistent.
H-row: は ひ ふ へ ほ
- は (ha): Vertical plus a left-to-right stroke and small attached stroke. Pronounce ‘ha.’
- ひ (hi): A single curved stroke with a small finishing flick. Pronounce ‘hee.’
- ふ (fu): Two strokes; has a small loop and an outward flick. Pronounce between ‘fu’ and ‘hu’ — closer to ‘fu’ as in “food” but with light ‘h.’
- へ (he): Simple single angled stroke. Pronounced ‘heh.’
- ほ (ho): More complex with box-like parts and a final longer stroke. Pronounced ‘ho.’
Note: ふ is often romanized ‘fu’ but sounds softer — practice with “fujisan” (Mount Fuji).
M-row: ま み む め も
- ま (ma): Vertical and looping strokes. Pronounce ‘ma.’
- み (mi): Three short strokes: practice rhythm to keep them even. Pronounce ‘mee.’
- む (mu): Curvy, with a small tail; pronounced ‘moo.’
- め (me): Loop then finishing hook; pronounced ‘meh.’
- も (mo): Multiple small strokes; pronounced ‘mo.’
Practice rhythm and spacing for the three-stroke characters like み.
Y-row: や ゆ よ
- や (ya): Two strokes; first horizontal-ish, second larger curve. Pronounce ‘ya.’
- ゆ (yu): Looping vertical then horizontal; pronounced ‘yoo.’
- よ (yo): Three short strokes with a small loop; pronounced ‘yo.’
Y-row combines easily with small ゃ ゅ ょ for contracted sounds (きゃ, きゅ, きょ).
R-row: ら り る れ ろ
- ら (ra): Small curved top then loop; pronounced between ‘ra’ and ‘la’ — Japanese ‘r’ is a flap.
- り (ri): Two short vertical strokes; pronounced ‘ree.’
- る (ru): Loop with a hook; pronounced ‘roo.’
- れ (re): Two strokes: hook and finishing stroke; pronounced ‘reh.’
- ろ (ro): Start with a small loop then a longer stroke; pronounced ‘ro.’
Pronunciation: Japanese r = alveolar tap, somewhere between English r/l/d. Practice with words like “arigatou.”
W-row and syllabic n: わ を ん
- わ (wa): Two strokes; pronounced ‘wa.’
- を (wo): Usually pronounced ‘o’ when used as the object particle. Stroke order: similar to お but with differences in angles.
- ん (n): Single curved stroke; pronounced nasal ‘n’ or ‘ng’ depending on context.
Note: を is mostly grammatical; spoken as /o/.
Diacritics and combinations
- Dakuten (゛): adds voicing: か→が (ga), さ→ざ (za), た→だ (da), は→ば (ba).
- Handakuten (゜): は→ぱ (pa).
- Small ゃ/ゅ/ょ combine with consonant + i sounds: き + ゃ = きゃ (kya).
- Small っ indicates a doubled consonant (geminate), causing a brief pause before the following consonant (e.g., きって kitte).
Practice tip: Write base character, then add diacritic and say both forms aloud to hear the change.
Pronunciation tips & common pitfalls
- Vowels are short and pure — avoid diphthongs common in English.
- し = shi, ち = chi, つ = tsu — memorize these exceptions.
- The Japanese “r” is a light tap — try touching the tip of your tongue briefly to the alveolar ridge.
- Geminate consonants (small っ) create a pause; practice words like “kippu” (ticket).
- ん varies: before b/p/m sounds it can be [m], before k/g it can be [ŋ], otherwise [n].
Practice routines
- Daily 10–15 minute handwriting drills: write each character 10 times while saying its sound.
- Use flashcards (physical or SRS apps) for recognition.
- Read children’s books or manga with furigana to reinforce reading.
- Dictation: listen to simple words and write them in hiragana.
- Copy practice: trace stroke-order animations, then write freehand.
Sample 4-week study plan (concise)
Week 1: Vowels, K, S, T rows — stroke order + pronunciation.
Week 2: N, H, M rows + basic diacritics (dakuten/handakuten).
Week 3: Y, R, W rows, small characters (ゃゅょ), small っ.
Week 4: Mixed reading/writing practice, short texts, dictation, and speed drills.
Tools and resources
- Stroke-order charts and animated stroke apps.
- Spaced repetition flashcards (Anki, Memrise).
- Beginner graded readers and NHK Easy News for practice.
Mastering hiragana lays a strong foundation for Japanese. Focus on correct stroke order, clear pronunciation, and daily repetition — writing and saying each character together locks them into memory and trains both your hand and ear.
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