Katakana · s row

サ (sa): katakana stroke order and pronunciation

サ is the katakana for sa, the a sound of the s row. It is written with 3 strokes. Its hiragana twin is さ (sa).

サ
123
Romaji
sa
Strokes
3
Listen
Play sa

How to write サ, stroke by stroke

Each frame adds one stroke. The number sits where the stroke starts; strokes run left to right and top to bottom.

  1. 1stroke 1
  2. 12stroke 2
  3. 123stroke 3

How to say sa

Tip: like 'sa' in 'saw'

さ squared off — one extra stroke.

サ in a word

The course introduces サ with サッカー (soccer).

The s row

The s row keeps one consonant and runs through the five vowels, so サ differs from its neighbours only in the vowel. Reading the row as a set fixes the pattern:

  • サ saサッカー (soccer)
  • シ shiジュース (juice)
  • ス suジュース (juice)
  • セ seセーター (sweater)
  • ソ soソース (sauce)

With dakuten

  • ザza

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 サ with tracing practice, a listening drill and spaced review, then uses it in real words within the same lesson.

Practice this in Open Lingo

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