Katakana · m row
ム (mu): katakana stroke order and pronunciation
ム is the katakana for mu, the u sound of the m row. It is written with 2 strokes. Its hiragana twin is む (mu).
- Romaji
- mu
- Strokes
- 2
- Listen
- Play mu
How to write ム, 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 mu
Tip: like 'moo' in 'moon'
A closed tent flap — mouth shut, 'mmm'.
ム in a word
The course introduces ム with ゲーム (game).
The m row
The m row keeps one consonant and runs through the five vowels, so ム differs from its neighbours only in the vowel. Reading the row as a set fixes the pattern:
ム in a sentence
From the beginner stories, where ム turns up in running text rather than on its own.
トムは まだです。
Still no Tom. from At the airport
トムは まだ きません。
Tom hasn't come yet. from At the airport
Built from ム
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 ム with tracing practice, a listening drill and spaced review, then uses it in real words within the same lesson.
Keep going
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- Word listGreetings and polite phrasesEssential Japanese greetings and polite phrases for beginners, with hiragana, romaji, meaning and audio, taken from the Open Lingo course.
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