Katakana · m row
マ (ma): katakana stroke order and pronunciation
マ is the katakana for ma, the a sound of the m row. It is written with 2 strokes. Its hiragana twin is ま (ma).
マ
- Romaji
- ma
- Strokes
- 2
- Listen
- Play ma
How to write マ, 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 ma
Tip: like 'ma' in 'mama'
A flag folded sharply down.
マ in a word
The course introduces マ with マッチ (match).
The m row
The m row keeps one consonant and runs through the five vowels, so マ differs from its neighbours only in the vowel. Reading the row as a set fixes the pattern:
Built from マ
The same sound in hiragana
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 マ with tracing practice, a listening drill and spaced review, then uses it in real words within the same lesson.
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