Hiragana chart with stroke order and audio

Where you will see hiragana

• Particles and grammar endings: は, を, に, ます.
• Native words written without kanji, and the readings printed above kanji (furigana).
• Children's books and beginner material, which are written mostly in hiragana.

Stroke order and tips for every character

Numbers mark where each stroke starts, in the order you write them. The tips and example words are the ones the course uses when it introduces each character.

• あa3 strokes

  Tip: like 'a' in 'father'

  Example: あい (love)

• いi2 strokes

  Tip: like 'ee' in 'see'

  Example: いう (to say)

• うu2 strokes

  Tip: like 'oo' in 'food', lips unrounded

  Example: うえ (above)

• えe2 strokes

  Tip: like 'e' in 'bed'

  Example: いえ (house)

• おo3 strokes

  Tip: like 'o' in 'or'

  Example: あおい (blue)

• かka3 strokes

  Tip: like 'ka' in 'car'

  Example: かい (shell)

• きki4 strokes

  Tip: like 'kee' in 'key'

  Example: かき (persimmon)

• くku1 strokes

  Tip: like 'koo' in 'cuckoo'

  Example: きく (to hear)

• けke3 strokes

  Tip: like 'ke' in 'kept'

  Example: いけ (pond)

• こko2 strokes

  Tip: like 'ko' in 'koala'

  Example: こえ (voice)

• さsa3 strokes

  Tip: like 'sa' in 'salsa'

  Example: あさ (morning)

• しshi1 strokes

  Tip: like 'she' in 'sheet'

  Example: うし (cow)

  Pronounced 'shi', not 'si'.

• すsu2 strokes

  Tip: like 'sue' (slightly clipped)

  Example: すし (sushi)

• せse3 strokes

  Tip: like 'se' in 'sell'

• そso1 strokes

  Tip: like 'so' in 'sole'

  Example: そら (sky)

• たta4 strokes

  Tip: like 'ta' in 'taco'

  Example: うた (song)

• ちchi2 strokes

  Tip: like 'chee' in 'cheese'

  Example: くち (mouth)

  Pronounced 'chi', not 'ki'.

• つtsu1 strokes

  Tip: 'ts' as in 'cats' + 'oo'

  Example: つき (moon)

  Closest English: 'tsoo'. Listen and mimic — your mouth learns faster than your eye.

• てte1 strokes

  Tip: like 'te' in 'ten'

• とto2 strokes

  Tip: like 'to' in 'toe'

  Example: とけい (clock)

• なna4 strokes

  Tip: like 'na' in 'nacho'

  Example: なに (what)

• にni3 strokes

  Tip: like 'nee' in 'knee'

  Example: なに (what)

• ぬnu2 strokes

  Tip: like 'noo' (slightly clipped)

• ねne2 strokes

  Tip: like 'ne' in 'net'

  Example: ねこ (cat)

• のno1 strokes

  Tip: like 'no' in 'note'

  Example: きのこ (mushroom)

• はha3 strokes

  Tip: like 'ha' in 'hot'

• ひhi1 strokes

  Tip: like 'hee' in 'heat'

  Example: ひと (person)

• ふfu4 strokes

  Tip: soft 'foo' — almost a whisper

  Example: ふね (boat)

  Top teeth do NOT touch your bottom lip. It's a blown puff, not an English 'f'.

• へhe1 strokes

  Tip: like 'he' in 'help'

• ほho4 strokes

  Tip: like 'ho' in 'hope'

  Example: ほし (star)

• まma3 strokes

  Tip: like 'ma' in 'mama'

  Example: うま (horse)

• みmi2 strokes

  Tip: like 'mee' in 'meet'

• むmu3 strokes

  Tip: like 'moo' (clipped)

• めme2 strokes

  Tip: like 'me' in 'met'

  Example: かめ (turtle)

• もmo3 strokes

  Tip: like 'mo' in 'more'

  Example: もも (peach)

• やya3 strokes

  Tip: like 'ya' in 'yard'

  Example: やま (mountain)

• ゆyu2 strokes

  Tip: like 'you' (clipped)

  Example: ゆき (snow)

• よyo2 strokes

  Tip: like 'yo' in 'yoga'

  Example: よむ (to read)

• らra2 strokes

  Tip: tongue tap — 'la' and 'ra' sit between

  Example: さくら (cherry blossom)

• りri2 strokes

  Tip: like a tapped 'ri' — soft

  Example: りす (squirrel)

• るru1 strokes

  Tip: tapped 'ru' — soft

• れre2 strokes

  Tip: tapped 're' — soft

  Example: これ (this)

• ろro1 strokes

  Tip: tapped 'ro' — soft

  Example: いろ (color)

• わwa2 strokes

  Tip: like 'wa' in 'water'

  Example: かわ (river)

• をo3 strokes

  Tip: object-marker particle (pronounced 'o')

  Example: パン を たべる (I eat bread)

  Spelled with the wa-row glyph but pronounced 'o'. Modern Japanese uses it only as a particle.

• んn1 strokes

  Tip: syllabic 'n' — ends syllables, never starts a word

  Example: ほん (book), にほん (Japan)

  Never word-initial. Sound shifts: 'm' before m/p/b, 'ng' before k/g — picked up by ear.

• がga5 strokes

  Tip: voiced か (ka → ga)

  Example: めがね (megane) = glasses

• ぎgi6 strokes

  Tip: voiced き (ki → gi)

  Example: かぎ (kagi) = key

• ぐgu3 strokes

  Tip: voiced く (ku → gu)

  Example: Same shape as く with two strokes.

• げge5 strokes

  Tip: voiced け (ke → ge)

  Example: げんき (genki) = well/energy

• ごgo4 strokes

  Tip: voiced こ (ko → go)

  Example: ごはん (gohan) = rice/meal

• ざza5 strokes

  Tip: voiced さ (sa → za)

  Example: Same shape as さ with two strokes.

• じji3 strokes

  Tip: voiced し — pronounced 'ji' (not 'zi')

  Example: じかん (jikan) = time

• ずzu4 strokes

  Tip: voiced す (su → zu)

  Example: みず (mizu) = water

• ぜze5 strokes

  Tip: voiced せ (se → ze)

  Example: かぜ (kaze) = wind

• ぞzo3 strokes

  Tip: voiced そ (so → zo)

  Example: ぞう (zou) = elephant

• だda6 strokes

  Tip: voiced た (ta → da)

  Example: からだ (karada) = body

• ぢji4 strokes

• づzu3 strokes

• でde3 strokes

  Tip: voiced て (te → de)

  Example: でんわ (denwa) = phone

• どdo4 strokes

  Tip: voiced と (to → do)

  Example: どあ (doa) = door

• ばba5 strokes

  Tip: voiced は (ha → ba)

  Example: かばん (kaban) = bag

• びbi3 strokes

  Tip: voiced ひ (hi → bi)

  Example: えび (ebi) = shrimp

• ぶbu6 strokes

  Tip: voiced ふ (fu → bu)

  Example: Same shape as ふ with two strokes.

• べbe3 strokes

  Tip: voiced へ (he → be)

  Example: たべる (taberu) = to eat

• ぼbo6 strokes

  Tip: voiced ほ (ho → bo)

  Example: ぼうし (boushi) = hat

• ぱpa4 strokes

  Tip: は + ゜ → 'pa'

  Example: ぱん (pan) = bread (from Portuguese pão)

• ぴpi2 strokes

  Tip: ひ + ゜ → 'pi'

  Example: ぴあの (piano) = piano

• ぷpu5 strokes

  Tip: ふ + ゜ → 'pu'

  Example: Same shape as ふ with a small circle on top-right.

• ぺpe2 strokes

  Tip: へ + ゜ → 'pe'

  Example: ぺん (pen) = pen

• ぽpo5 strokes

  Tip: ほ + ゜ → 'po'

  Example: たんぽぽ (dandelion)

How the course explains it