Use Kana stroke order to read useful Japanese words and sentences. Some words are written in kana here for practice even when kanji is common.

The idea

Follow a stroke-order chart for each character. Many strokes go from top to bottom and left to right, but this is a guide, not a universal rule. For あ, write the horizontal stroke, the vertical stroke and then the curved stroke; ア has two strokes, while ウ has three.

Patterns to compare
KanaStrokes
あ3
い2
う2
ア2
イ2
ウ3

Examples

  • あさ、犬いぬと歩あるきます。I walk with my dog in the morning.
  • いぬは小ちいさいです。The dog is small.
  • うみへ行いきます。I go to the sea.
  • アイスを食たべます。I eat ice cream.
  • イタリアへ行いきます。I go to Italy.
  • ウクレレを弾ひきます。I play the ukulele.

Read-aloud uses a synthetic Japanese voice available on your device. Voice quality and availability vary; it does not assess your pronunciation.

Watch out

Stroke count is not enough to establish order. A printed font can join or separate strokes differently from handwriting, so consult a writing chart.

Try it yourself

  1. Which kana has three strokes? あ ／ い.

    Show answer or example answer

    あ

    Compare the strokes: あ：3；い：2.

  2. Which kana has two strokes? イ ／ ウ.

    Show answer or example answer

    イ

    Compare the strokes: イ：2；ウ：3.

  3. Which kana begins with a horizontal stroke? ア ／ イ.

    Show answer or example answer

    ア

    ア begins with a horizontal stroke; イ begins with a diagonal stroke.

Use it today

Cover the chart, read two examples aloud and write one target word from memory. Compare its spelling and timing with the original.