HIRAGANA · CHARACTER GUIDE
え (e) in hiragana
E in hiragana is え. The particle e (to, toward) is written へ, not え.
- Reading
- e
- Type
e- Katakana
- エ
- Strokes
- 2
- Audio
- see listening section
On this page
How え is written, and how its ending differs from ん.
The full model: 2 strokes, numbered in order.
start end
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Memory hook: Picture a small exit sign above a zigzag path that runs along the bottom to the right. Make your own · All 46 hiragana mnemonics
More hiragana activities
WRITE IT
How to write え: stroke order
Shape: Taller than wide, roughly a triangle: a short mark on top, a sharp zigzag through the middle, and a flat base running to the right.
In this model, stroke 2 stops. Sources differ on how stroke 1 ends, so no ending is marked: copy the model. Japanese schools name three kinds of ending: Ending: Stop とめ, Ending: Hook はね, Ending: Sweep はらい. Textbooks and teachers differ on some.
Stroke 1
Starts left of the vertical center line, near the top. A short line slanting gently down to the right, across the center line; at its end, turn back a little toward the lower left, as in the model.
Stroke 2Ending: Stop とめ
Starts left of the vertical center line, a little above the horizontal one. A short line rising to the right; a sharp turn, then a long diagonal down to the lower left. Turn sharply and go back up over the diagonal to a little below the center; then curve over, come straight down, and run straight across the bottom to the right, ending far right.
One mistake to avoid: stroke 2
- Watch for
- The last part curves up to the right, like the end of ん.
- Fix
- Come straight down, then run straight across the bottom to the right and stop low, as in the model.
Stroke diagrams adapted from KanjiVG, © Ulrich Apel and contributors, CC BY-SA 3.0. License and attribution.
READ IT
Read え in print and in words.
え in handwriting and three typefaces
Handwriting model Textbook style Print, plain (gothic) Print, serif (mincho)
In every typeface え keeps its short mark on top and a base that runs straight across. Copy the handwriting model.
Find え inside a word.
- えepicture; drawing. Vowels only
- ええeeyesA few words write a long e, said e for two beats, as ええ, like おねえさん (oneesan, older sister); most use えい, as in えいが (eiga).. Vowels only
- まえmaefront; before
- えいがeigamovieえい may be said as e for two beats (ē-ga) or as e-i; either way it is written えい.
“Vowels only” marks a word written only with the five vowels, あ い う え お.
ええ is always written in hiragana; in everyday writing え is 絵, まえ 前 and えいが 映画. The others are in hiragana here for reading practice.
TELL THEM APART
え or ん?
Look at the top and at the end: え has a short mark on top and finishes with a flat line along the bottom; ん has no mark, and its end curves up to the right.
A quick check
Four models, handwritten and printed: is each one え or ん? Only your first answer to each model counts. The models are pictures; each one is described in words after you answer.
This check changed in another tab. It now shows your latest answers.
Which reading matches this model?
Check finished.
A short practice with pictures of the shapes. It does not test pronunciation, listening or long-term recall.
SOUND AND SPELLING
Same sound as the particle へ.
Same sound: The particle へ, meaning to or toward, is read e, the same sound as え, but it is written へ: in えきへ いきます (eki e ikimasu), “I go to the station,” the first e is え and the second is the particle へ. Everywhere else, へ is read he, as in へや (heya), room.
Typing: Type e for え; for the particle へ, type he.
The spaces in this page’s sentences only help you read; ordinary Japanese has none.
Open the guide for へ (he), read e as a particleゑ (we), an old kana read e today
YOUR NEXT STEP
Practice え with ん.
A short round of え and ん, the shapes this page compares.
Practice all five vowels: あ い う え おIt includes あ, い, う and お, which this page does not teach.
Learn え with its group in lesson 1 · Try it on the hiragana keyboard
Sources, artwork and review status
Teaching content on this page is a draft: a Japanese educator has not reviewed it yet. Generated pronunciation audio is available in the listening section.
Stroke models and drawings: KanjiVG, © Ulrich Apel and contributors, CC BY-SA 3.0. License and attribution.
Two typefaces are served from this site: Klee One and Noto Serif JP (SIL Open Font License). The gothic sample uses this device’s own font.
- Japan Foundation: MARUGOTO-NO-KOTOBA vocabulary (readings and meanings)
- Jisho.org (JMdict): readings and common spellings
- Agency for Cultural Affairs: Modern Kana Usage, particle rules (へ) and words written with えい
- Agency for Cultural Affairs: Modern Kana Usage, long vowels (ええ)
- syoka-koyoblog (penmanship): え
- z-shogei calligraphy school: い, う and え
- Matsumoto Shoeido calligraphy school: え
- Matsumoto Shoeido calligraphy school: え
- Matsumoto Shoeido calligraphy school: ん (its end against the bottom of え)
- 100tenkids: え in a square with center lines
- Japanese-Lesson.com: あ い う え お
- Japanese-Lesson.com: わ を ん (unlike え, ん ends going up)
- ryohkei.com: え
- Mozc (open-source Google Japanese Input): romaji table
- Japan Foundation’s Irodori kana materials (spelling reference)
Draft teaching content · Japanese educator review pending · Approved generated audio is available in the listening section; romaji is a reading aid, not a pronunciation guide.
minimachi · HIRAGANA CHARACTER CARD
え · e
E in hiragana is え. The particle e (to, toward) is written へ, not え.
Write it, stroke by stroke.
- Starts near the top, left of center; a short slant right, then back.
- Starts left, above the middle; zigzag down-left, back up, down, then right. — stop (とめ)
Sources differ on how stroke 1 ends, so no ending is marked: copy the model.
Watch for: The last part curves up to the right, like the end of ん. Fix: Come straight down, then run straight across the bottom to the right and stop low, as in the model.
Trace, copy, then cover the model and write from memory.
Stroke model: KanjiVG, © Ulrich Apel and contributors · CC BY-SA 3.0 · kanjivg.tagaini.net · license: creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
Draft teaching content; Japanese educator review pending. Generated audio: see full guide.
Full guide and sources: minimachi.com/hiragana/e/
Listen to the sounds and examples on this page
Generated speech: Google Cloud Text-to-Speech. Checked by a native Japanese speaker. Audio is available only for items with a Listen button. Listen plays at normal speed; Slow gives more listening time at the original pitch. Sound hints are drafts pending educator review.
Kana sounds
- え e
Example words
- まえ front; before
- えいが movieSound hint (draft): Commonly sounds like えーが. Keep the kana spelling えいが; sustain each long vowel for two beats.
- え picture; drawing
- ええ yes