Step-by-step guide on how to write Hiragana characters

Learning how to write in hiragana is an essential step in mastering the Japanese language. Hiragana, one of the three writing systems in Japanese alongside katakana and kanji, consists of phonetic characters that form the foundation of reading and writing. In this comprehensive guide, we will explore the basics of hiragana writing, pronunciation,

1. Learn the stroke order

Before you start writing hiragana characters, it is important to understand the right stroke order. Each character has a specific order in which the strokes are made, and following this order will help you write fluently and neatly. Take your time to study and practice the stroke order of each character before moving on to the next step.

2. Start with the basic characters

Begin your hiragana journey by learning the basic characters. These are the characters that represent the 5 vowel sounds in Japanese: "a," "i," "u," "e," and "o." These characters are the foundation of the hiragana writing system and will serve as building blocks for more complex characters. Take your time to practice writing these characters repeatedly until you feel comfortable with their form and stroke order.

basic hiragana chart

3. Move on to the additional characters

Once you have mastered the basic characters, you can move on to learning the additional characters. These characters combine the basic characters with consonant sounds to form syllables. You will need to learn characters such as "ka," "sa," "ta," and so on. Again, practice writing these characters repeatedly until you can reproduce them accurately and confidently.

4. Practice writing words and sentences

After becoming familiar with the individual characters, it is time to practice writing words and sentences. Start with simple words and gradually progress to more complex ones. There are many resources available, such as textbooks, online courses, and language exchange apps, that provide practice exercises and sample sentences. Writing words and sentences will help you reinforce your knowledge of hiragana characters and improve your overall writing skills.