Hiragana あ–そ: the vowels and the K and S rows

Hiragana is the first Japanese script every learner needs. It is used in almost every sentence: for grammar endings, small words like particles, and many everyday words. There are 46 basic hiragana. In this lesson you will learn the first 15 and read your first real Japanese words.

How hiragana works

Each hiragana stands for a whole syllable, such as ka or so, not a single letter. The chart is arranged in rows by consonant and in columns by vowel, always in the same order: a, i, u, e, o. Once you know the five vowels, every other row follows the same pattern: k + a = ka, k + i = ki, and so on.

Japanese vowels are short and clear. Say a as in “father”, i as in “machine”, u like the “oo” in “food” but shorter and with relaxed lips, e as in “get”, and o as in “note” but short, without gliding into a “w” sound.

row	a	i	u	e	o
vowels	あ a	い i	う u	え e	お o
k	か ka	き ki	く ku	け ke	こ ko
s	さ sa	し shi	す su	せ se	そ so

The vowels: あ い う え お

• あ (a) — 3 strokes: a short horizontal line, a vertical line that bends slightly, then a big loop that crosses the vertical line and swings out to the right.
• い (i) — 2 strokes: a longer left stroke with a small flick at the bottom, then a shorter right stroke.
• う (u) — 2 strokes: a short dash on top, then a curve that goes right and sweeps down.
• え (e) — 2 strokes: a short dash on top, then a zigzag that ends with a small wave at the bottom right.
• お (o) — 3 strokes: a horizontal line, a vertical line that curls into a loop and swings out to the right, then a small dash at the top right.

The K row: か き く け こ

• か (ka) — 3 strokes: a line that goes right and then down with a small hook, a slanted stroke on the left that crosses it, then a short dash on the right.
• き (ki) — 4 strokes: two horizontal lines, a slanted line that crosses both, then a separate curve at the bottom. Some printed fonts show it as 3 strokes, because they join the last two; in handwriting they stay apart.
• く (ku) — 1 stroke, like a “less than” sign <.
• け (ke) — 3 strokes: a vertical line on the left, a horizontal line on the right, then a long vertical line that crosses it and curves at the bottom.
• こ (ko) — 2 strokes: two short horizontal lines. The top one ends with a tiny hook, the bottom one curves up at the end.

The S row: さ し す せ そ

• さ (sa) — 3 strokes: a horizontal line, a slanted line that crosses it, then a separate curve at the bottom. Some printed fonts show it as 2 strokes.
• し (shi) — 1 stroke: straight down, then curving up to the right like a fish hook. In Hepburn romaji it is written shi, not “si”.
• す (su) — 2 strokes: a horizontal line, then a vertical line that makes a small loop in the middle and sweeps down to the left.
• せ (se) — 3 strokes: a horizontal line, a short vertical line on the right that ends with a small hook, then a longer vertical line on the left that curves to the right at the bottom.
• そ (so) — 1 stroke: a small zigzag at the top, then down and a long sweep to the right. Some printed fonts show it as 2 strokes, and some people also write it that way; both are accepted.

Stroke order tips

• Write from top to bottom and from left to right.
• When a horizontal and a vertical line cross, the horizontal line usually comes first.
• Notice how each stroke ends: some stop firmly, some flick, some sweep away. These small details make your hiragana look natural.
• Practise in squares. Each character should fill its square evenly — not too small, not leaning.

Similar-looking characters

• き (ki) and さ (sa): き has two horizontal lines, さ has one.
• い (i) and こ (ko): い is two strokes side by side, こ is two strokes one above the other.
• あ (a) and お (o): both have a loop, but お has an extra small dash at the top right and no slanted cross line.
• け (ke) and こ (ko): け has a vertical line on the left; こ has none.

Common mistakes

• Joining the bottom curve of き or さ to the line above it. Printed fonts often do this, but in handwriting keep a small gap.
• Writing し as “si”. This site uses Hepburn romaji, so it is shi.
• Saying う with round, pushed-out lips like English “oo”. Keep your lips relaxed.
• Stressing one syllable like in English. In Japanese each character gets the same length: すし is two equal beats, su-shi, and the u is often very soft.

Long vowels: when two vowels sit next to each other they are both pronounced. おおきい (ōkii, big) has a long “o”. In romaji we show a long “o” with a line on top: ō.

How to practise

• Read the chart aloud row by row, then column by column.
• Write each character 5–10 times on the worksheet while saying its sound.
• In the vocabulary below, use “Show romaji” to hide the romaji and read the hiragana on its own.
• Take the quiz today, then again tomorrow without looking at the chart.