Hiragana · s row
す (su): hiragana stroke order and pronunciation
す is the hiragana for su, the u sound of the s row. It is written with 2 strokes. Its katakana twin is ス (su).
- Romaji
- su
- Strokes
- 2
- Listen
- Play su
How to write す, stroke by stroke
Each frame adds one stroke. The number sits where the stroke starts; strokes run left to right and top to bottom.
- stroke 1
- stroke 2
How to say su
Tip: like 'sue' (slightly clipped)
す in a word
The course introduces す with すし (sushi).
The s row
The s row keeps one consonant and runs through the five vowels, so す differs from its neighbours only in the vowel. Reading the row as a set fixes the pattern:
Course words written with す
6 words from the beginner word lists use す. Each links to the list it belongs to.
- すし寿司sushiSushiFood and drink vocabulary
- たべますtabemasueatFood and drink vocabulary
- のみますnomimasudrinkFood and drink vocabulary
- すみませんsumimasenExcuse meGreetings and polite phrases
- いくらですかikura desu kaHow much is it?Numbers
- おねがいしますonegaishimasuPleaseGreetings and polite phrases
す in a sentence
From the beginner stories, where す turns up in running text rather than on its own.
「すみません。」
"Excuse me." from At the shop
トムは まだです。
Still no Tom. from At the airport
Rules that involve す
Dakuten — the voicing mark
Two small strokes (゛) on a kana voice it: the shape stays the same but your vocal cords buzz. You'll meet 5 of these in the k→g row.
- か → がvoiced k becomes g
- き → ぎvoiced k becomes g
Built from す
With dakuten
- ずzu
The same sound in katakana
Stroke-order data from KanjiVG by Ulrich Apel, licensed CC BY-SA 3.0.
Practice this in Open Lingo
The Open Lingo Japanese course teaches す with tracing practice, a listening drill and spaced review, then uses it in real words within the same lesson.
Keep going
- ChartKatakana chartAll 46 basic katakana plus voiced and yōon combinations, with romaji, stroke-order diagrams, example loanwords and audio.
- Word listGreetings and polite phrasesEssential Japanese greetings and polite phrases for beginners, with hiragana, romaji, meaning and audio, taken from the Open Lingo course.
- Word listNumbersJapanese numbers for beginners: Sino-Japanese いち, に, さん, the native ひとつ, ふたつ counting set, and hundreds, thousands and 万, with audio.
- ToolNumbers 1 to 100 and converterJapanese numbers 0 to 100 in kana, kanji and romaji, a converter up to 999,999, and the rules for 4, 7, 9, sound-changing hundreds and 万.