Learn Hiragana: A complete guide for Part Three
The third and final part of your Hiagana learning guide. Part One can be found here and Part Two here
Freebie!
Grab our handy pdf worksheet to help practice writing Hiragana
Hiragana ha は
は is pronounced like “ha” in the word “hawk”.
は is the subject particular marker. (Note: it is pronounced “wa” instead of “ha” as this particle. わたしはwatashi wa. Eg. I am.)
は is the word for tooth, among other things. The kanji is 歯. The katakana counterpart to は is ハ.
Both the characters look somewhat like H.
How to write Hiragana no の
The Hiragana は is made with 3 strokes.
Start with the left vertical line, slightly curved. Follow with the straight horizontal line.
Intersect this line with another vertical stroke that finishes with a full loop with a tail at its base.
Word samples using Hiragana no の
はね Hane (Feather)
はしる Hashiru (To run)
はな Hana (Flower)
はこ Hako (Box)
はなび Hanabi (Fireworks )
Hiragana Mnemonic Time!
Digging these animated Hiragana Mnemonics? Get mnemonics, quizzes and more for every Hiragana and Katakana character in our apps and flashcards.
Hiragana hi ひ
ひ is pronounced like the word “he”.
ひ is the word for fire and day, among other things. Their kanji are 火 and 日 respectively.
The katakana counterpart to ひ is ヒ.
How to write Hiragana hi ひ
The Hiragana ひ is made with 1 continuous stroke. Start from the left with a short horizontal line going slightly up.
Make a horseshoe shape down vertically and back up to around the same height. Finish with a downwards diagonal curving line.
Word samples using Hiragana hi ひ
ひ Hi (Fire)
ひこうき Hikōki (Aeroplane)
ひる Hiru (Noon)
ひかり Hikari (Light)
ひげ Hige (Moustache)
Hiragana Mnemonic Time!
HE wants a hug! Imagine a friend with outstretched arms in need of a hug.
Hiragana fu ふ
ふ is pronounced like a soft “foo” in “fool”.
Note: there’s no hu sound in native Japanese, but the fu sound is halfway between the English who and foo. Watch the video below or grab the Dr. Moku appt to hear it.
ふ functions as a prefix similar to the english in- or un-. It’s kanji is 不. ふべん= inconvenient.
The katakana counterpart to ふ is フ.
How to write Hiragana fu ふ
The Hiragana ふ is made with 4 strokes.
Start with the short line on top. Follow this with the curving shape in the middle.
Next, the left line. Then the right line.
Word samples using Hiragana fu ふ
ふろ Furo (Bath)
ふうとう Fūtō (Envelope)
ふね Fune (Ship)
ふつう Futsū (Normal)
ふとん Futon (Japanese mattress)
Hiragana Mnemonic Time!
This mnemonic is one our favorites:
Hiragana he へ
へ is pronounced like the word “hay”.
This is another directional and location particle like に but it is less direct than に.
Note: it is pronounced “ey” or like え when used like this rather than “hay”.)
わたしはかいしゃへいきます。
Watashi wa kaisha e ikimasu.
I go to the company.
How to write Hiragana he へ
The Hiragana へ is made with 1 stroke. Start left going up, then going down. The downward part of the stroke is longer.
Word samples using Hiragana he へ
へや Heya (Room)
へん Hen (Area)
へいわ Heiwa (Peace)
へいきん Heikin (Average)
へた Heta (Unskillful)
Mnemonics?
Hiragana ho ほ
ほ is pronounced like the “ ho” in the word “hope”.
ほ is like は with an extra line on top.
The katakana counterpart to ほ is ホ.
How to write Hiragana ho ほ
Start with the left vertical line, slightly curved. Follow with the top straight horizontal line.
Then another close below. Intersect these lines with another vertical stroke, and finish it with a full loop with a tail at its base.
Word samples using Hiragana ho ほ
ほんだな Hondana (Bookshelves)
ほうりつ Hōritsu (Law)
ほんやく Honyaku (Translation)
ほうこう Hōkō (Direction)
ほうせき Hōseki (Gem)
Did somebody say Quiz?
In the Dr. Moku app you get lots of different quiz modes, reading practice and of course; the complete mnemonic system for Hiragana and Katakana.
Hiragana ma ま
ま is pronounced like the “ma” in “homage”.
ま can be used like the English “well” or, when repeated, to tell someone to calm down. The katakana counterpart to ま is マ.
How to write Hiragana ma ま
The Hiragana ま is made with 3 strokes.
Start with the top horizontal line followed by the smaller middle one slightly below it.
Intersect these lines with the vertical stroke, and finish it with a full loop to the left with a tail at it’s base.
Word samples using Hiragana ma ま
まいにち Mainichi (Everyday)
まど Mado (Window)
まんが Manga (Manga)
まつり Matsuri (Festival)
まめ Mame (Legume)
Mnemonics for Hiragana ma ま
“Look MA! Four hands”. He must be a Martian...
Hiragana mi み
み is pronounced like the word “me”.
み is one reading of the kanji 三, which means “three”. Its stand-alone reading is “san”.
It changes to み in some words like “the 3rd day of the month”: みっか or 三日.
The katakana counterpart to み is ミ.
How to write Hiragana mi み
The Hiragana み is made with 2 strokes. Start the first stroke from the top left. Go slightly right, then cut down and left to the bottom of the character. Loop back around and intersect the line around its middle.
Finish the stroke by tapering out from the intersection at a slight downward curve. Now make the 2nd stroke through this curved line. It should be at a similar diagonal curving angle as the vertical part of the first stroke.
Word samples using Hiragana mi み
み Mi (Fruit)
みち Michi (Road)
みみ Mimi (Ear)
みどり Midori (Green)
みなみ Minami (South)
Mnemonics for Hiragana mi み
“Meep Meep!” It’s Roadrunner. Come on, it doesn’t get it any easier than this! And if this mnemonic works for you, you’ll love what we make.
Hiragana mu む
む is pronounced like the “moo” in “movie”.
む is a prefix meaning nothing or un/non.
む is also one reading of the kanji 六, meaning “six”.
The katakana counterpart to む is ム.
How to write Hiragana mu む
The Hiragana む is made with 3 strokes.
Start with the horizontal line. Then the long stroke with the loop in its middle, from top to bottom.
Remember to curve up at the tail end of it. Finish with the small dash on the upper right of the character.
Word samples using Hiragana mu む
むすこ Musuko (Son)
むね Mune (Chest)
むりょう Muryō (Free of charge)
むずかしい Muzukashii (Difficult)
むこう Mukō (Opposite side)
Mnemonics for Hiragana mu む
“Moo!”
"Think of a cow farting mustard gas as he jumps over moon"
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is one of the most memorable and infamous Dr. Moku mnemonics. Hey, we’ve found that the mnemonic devices which rankle (or make you groan!) are the ones that you remember easier.
Hiragana me め
め is pronounced like the “meh” in “makeup”.
Be careful! め me is not to be confused with ぬ nu. And this is where Dr. Moku slides in to save the day, by using our mnemonics, you will never mix them up.
め is the word for “eye”. Its kanji is 眼 or 目.
The katakana counterpart to め is メ.
How to write Hiragana me め
The Hiragana め is made with 2 strokes. Start with the small rightward curving vertical line. Follow with a mirrored leftward curving line that loops around, intersecting with itself once and the first stroke twice.
This stroke ends slightly under and to the right of where the first stroke ended.
Word samples using Hiragana me め
め Me (Eye)
めいれい Meirei (Order)
めんきょ Menkyo (License)
めし Meshi (Meal, food)
めいしょ Meisho (Famous place)
Hiragana me め
も is pronounced like the “mo” in “mocha”.
も replaces other particles to add an “also” meaning to that part of the sentence.
わたしもコーラがすきです。
Watashi mo kōra ga suki desu.
I like Coca-Cola too.
The katakana counterpart to も is モ. and you can see that they look quite similar.
How to write Hiragana me め
The Hiragana も is made with 3 strokes.
Word samples using Hiragana me め
もんだい Mondai (Question, problem)
もくようび Mokuyōbi (Wednesday)
もり Mori (Forest)
もと Moto (Origin, source)
ものがたり Monogatari (Story, tale)
Hiragana ya や
や is pronounced like the “ya” in the word “yak”.
や is another “and'' particle similar in use to と. The difference is it’s less specific and leaves open other unsaid items when making a list.
みせでパンやコーラをかいました。
Mise de pan ya kōra o kaimashita.
I bought bread, Coke, etc in the store.
Learn more about や and other Japanese noun related particles here
How to write Hiragana ya や
The Hiragana や is made with 3 strokes. Start with the horizontal hook-shaped stroke.
Add the small vertical dash through where the stroke began to hook around. Finish with the slanted vertical line.
Hiragana Word samples using ya や
やさい Yasai (Vegetable)
やね Yane (Roof)
やくわり Yakuwari (Role)
やすみ Yasumi (Rest)
やさしい Yasashī (Easy)
Mnemonics to remember Hiragana ya や
Yackety Yak, its a hairy yack
Hiragana yu ゆ
ゆ is pronounced like the word “you” or the letter “U”.
ゆ (yu) is a word on its own meaning ‘hot water’ so you’ll see it on bathhouse doors.
How to write Hiragana yu ゆ
Start with the longer stroke. It’s a vertical line that cuts out right and up at its bottom and then loops back around almost coming full circle.
Then make the second stroke vertically through the middle of the character. Its bottom tail end leaning slightly to the left.
Sample Japanese words using yu ゆ
やさい Yasai (Vegetable)
ゆ Yu (Hot water)
ゆみ Yumi (bow weapon)
ゆき Yuki (Snow)
ゆうびんきょく Yūbinkyoku (Post office)
ゆめ Yume (Dream)
Lets get physical
Get the entire Hiragana and Katakana system in our jam-packed flashcard deck.
Available now on Amazon.com.
Hiragana yo よ
よ is pronounced like the “yo” sound in the word “yoga”
よ is an after-phrase particle used to indicate certainty.
キムチはからいよ。
Kimuchi wa karai yo.
Kimchi is spicy (Said to someone who doesn’t know how spicy it is)
The katakana counterpart to よ is ヨ.
How to write Hiragana yo よ
Start with the longer stroke from the top going vertical. At its bottom, loop around to the left and intersect the vertical line near its base at a slight downward angle.
Continue at this angle until the line is as low as the loop. Now add the short horizontal line connecting to the upper vertical portion of the previous stroke.
Sample Japanese words using yo よ
よる Yoru (Evening)
よさん Yosan (Budget)
ようがん Yōgan (Lava)
よむ Yomu (To read)
よぶ Yobu (To call)
Hiragana ra ら
ら is pronounced like the “ra” in “ramen”.
The Japanese "r" sound is between the English "l" and "r".
Try and make an "r" sound but keep your tongue at the roof of your mouth as you do so.
The katakana counterpart to ら is ラ. They look fairly similar.
How to write Hiragana ra ら
The Hiragana ら is made with 2 strokes. Start with the short dash stroke on top.
Follow with the second stroke vertically 2/3rds to the bottom of the character, then cut out right, curving first upwards then looping back around in a horseshoe shape to the base.
Example Japanese words using ra ら
らいしゅう Raishū (Next week)
らいねん Rainen (Next year)
らいげつ Raigetsu (Next month))
らんぼう Ranbō (Violence
Hiragana ri り
り is pronounced like the “re” in “relief”.
“りりり" is a verbal sound effect for an alarm ringing.
The katakana counterpart to り is リ
How to write Hiragana ri り
The Hiragana ら is made with 2 strokes. Start with the short dash stroke on top.
Follow with the second stroke vertically 2/3rds to the bottom of the character, then cut out right, curving first upwards then looping back around in a horseshoe shape to the base.
Example Japanese words using ri り
りょこう Ryokō (Trip)
りょうり Ryōri (Cooking, food)
りかい Rikai (Understanding)
りえき Rieki (Profit)
Hiragana ru る
る is pronounced like the “rew” in “threw”.
Not to be mixed up with ろ which is “ro”。 Ch-check out our app for the mnemonic memory tricks so you'll forever remember the difference between the two.
"るんるん" or “runrun” is a happy hum in Japanese.
The katakana counterpart to る is ル.
How to write Hiragana ru る
The Hiragana る is made with 1 stroke. Start with the left vertical line from the top. At its bottom, end with a right upward hook.
Now, make the 2nd stroke from the top right at the same height as the previous stroke’s start. Curve inwards towards the center of the character once past the bottom of the previous stroke.
Example Japanese words using ru る
るす Rusu (Absence)
るすばん Rusuban (Care-taking)
るいじ Ruiji (Resemblance)
るいすい Ruisui (Analogy)
るふ Rufu (Circulation)
Hiragana re れ
れ is pronounced like the “rey” in “grey”.
The katakana counterpart to り is リ
How to write Hiragana ri り
First is the straight vertical line. Now, start the 2nd stroke from the top horizontally going right and through the vertical line. Cut back diagonally down until slightly past this stroke’s starting point.
From here, retrace the line up but angled slightly more down. Continue straight out at this angle until past the original starting height of this stroke. At this point, curve sharply down vertically and finally tail off right at the bottom.
Example Japanese words using ri り
れいぞうこ Rēzōko (Refrigerator)
れきし Rekishi (History)
れっしゃ Ressha (Train)
れい Rei (Example)
れんしゅう Renshū (Practice)
Hiragana ro ろ
ろ is pronounced like the word “row”.
Okay, so we have ro ろ and ru る. Two incredibly similar shapes and very similar sounds. Be careful with these ones. In our app, we use a linked story to hep you forever remember which is which.
The katakana counterpart to ろ is ロ.
How to write Hiragana ro ろ
Start from the top horizontally going right, then cut back diagonally down until slightly past the stroke’s starting point.
From here, retrace the line slightly up and then curve out and down from it, looping around in a horseshoe shape.
Example Japanese words using ro ろ
ろんぶん Ronbun (Thesis)
ろうどう Rōdō (Manual labor)
ろく Roku (Six)
ろうか Rōka (Corridor)
ろうじん Rōjin (Practice)
Hiragana wa わ
わ is pronounced like the “wa” in “want”.
わ is an after phrase particle used for emphasis. It’s similar to よ, but more feminine.
すてきなスカートですわ。
Sutekina sukāto desuwa.
It’s a lovely skirt.
The katakana counterpart to わ is ワ.
How to write Hiragana wa わ
The Hiragana わ is made with 2 strokes. 1st is the straight vertical line. Now, start the 2nd stroke from the top horizontal going right and through the vertical line.
Cut back diagonally down until slightly past this stroke’s starting point. From here, retrace the line up but angled slightly more down. Continue straight out at this angle until past the original starting height of this stroke. At this point, begin gently curving downwards and loop halfway back around to the base of the character.
Example Japanese words using wa わ
わたし Watashi (I)
わだい Wadai (Topic)
わらい Warai (Laugh)
Hiragana wo を
を is pronounced “oh” with an almost silent ‘w’ sound at the start.
を is mostly only used as the object particle marker.
わたしはにほんごをべんきょうします。
Watashi wa nihongo wo benkyōshimasu.
I study Japanese.
The katakana counterpart to を is ヲ. However, it’s almost never used. If trying to write a foreign word with a ‘woah’ sound, “ウォ” is generally used instead.
Find more examples about this particle here
How to write Hiragana wo を
The Hiragana を is made with 3 strokes. First is the horizontal line. Then the 2nd is the two part stroke intersecting this line in the middle. Start it from the top going diagonally down to the left side of the character.
Retrace the line halfway up to the first stroke and then curve out and down. Start the 3rd stroke in the middle right of the character, curving down, intersecting the tail end of the 2nd stroke, and then looping back around to make a horseshoe shape.
Hiragana n ん
ん is pronounced like the “n” in “can”.
ん actually looks a bit like the English "n".
Note: ん never starts sentences. It’s the only non-syllabic character and sound in Japanese.
The katakana counterpart to ん is ン.
How to write Hiragana ん
Start from the top with a diagonal line. Retrace half way up this line and then curve out right and downwards.
Once you’ve curved as low as the previous diagonal line, start looping back upwards and finish off around the center right side of the character.
Congratulations!
You've made it through the Hiragana Guide
What next? Try the Dr. Moku app for the complete Mnemonic system, Hiragana Quiz Modes, Reading Practice and More. You can also learn Katakana and Kanji using the same mnemonic memory tricks.