Katakana · k row
キ (ki): katakana stroke order and pronunciation
キ is the katakana for ki, the i sound of the k row. It is written with 3 strokes. Its hiragana twin is き (ki).
- Romaji
- ki
- Strokes
- 3
- Listen
- Play ki
How to write キ, 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
- stroke 3
How to say ki
Tip: like 'kee' in 'key'
き minus the bottom curve. Same sound, sharper suit.
キ in a word
The course introduces キ with ケーキ (cake).
The k row
The k row keeps one consonant and runs through the five vowels, so キ differs from its neighbours only in the vowel. Reading the row as a set fixes the pattern:
Course words written with キ
One word from the beginner word lists use キ. Each links to the list it belongs to.
- ケーキkeekicakeFood and drink vocabulary
Built from キ
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 キ with tracing practice, a listening drill and spaced review, then uses it in real words within the same lesson.
Keep going
- ChartHiragana chartAll 46 basic hiragana plus dakuten and yōon combinations, each with romaji, stroke-order diagram, a pronunciation tip 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.