HIRAGANA · CHARACTER GUIDE
へ (he, e) in hiragana
The syllable he in hiragana is へ. As the particle meaning “to” or “toward,” it is read e.
On this page
How へ is written, and why it is not く.
The full model: one stroke.
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Memory hook: Picture a henhouse roof: a short side up to the peak and a long side down. Make your own · All 46 hiragana mnemonics
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WRITE IT
How to write へ: stroke order
Is へ the same as the katakana ヘ? Almost: the katakana ヘ, also read he, is one stroke too and looks nearly the same, even in print. The kana around it tell you which one you are reading.
Shape: Wide and low, about twice as wide as tall: a short climb to a point left of center, then a long, straight slope down to the lower right.
In this model, the stroke stops. 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.
One strokeEnding: Stop とめ
One continuous stroke. Starts far left, a little above the horizontal center line. A short line up to the right, at about 45 degrees, to a point left of the vertical center line; turn there without lifting the pen, keeping the point slightly rounded, as in the model (some teachers make it sharper). Then a long, straight line down to the right, about twice as long as the climb, crossing both center lines and ending far right with a firm stop, lower than where you began.
One mistake to avoid: stroke 1
- Watch for
- The point sits on the vertical center line, so the two sides come out about the same length, like a tent.
- Fix
- Turn before you reach the vertical center line, then make the slope down about twice as long as the climb, as in the model.
Stroke diagrams adapted from KanjiVG, © Ulrich Apel and contributors, CC BY-SA 3.0. License and attribution.
READ IT
Read へ in print and in words.
へ in handwriting and three typefaces
Handwriting model Textbook style Print, plain (gothic) Print, serif (mincho)
In every typeface へ points up, with a short climb on the left and a long slope on the right. Copy the handwriting model.
Find へ inside a word.
- へたhetabad at; poor atThe opposite is じょうず (jouzu), good at.. Up to the H row
- へえheeoh, really?; wowSaid like the he of “hen”, held for two beats, when something surprises or interests you.. Up to the H row
- へやheyaroom
- たいへんtaihentough; hard workIt can also mean “very”: たいへん おいしい (taihen oishii), very tasty.
“Up to the H row” marks a word written only with kana from the vowels to the H row of the chart, so you can read it if you learn the chart in order.
へえ is always written in kana; in everyday writing へた is 下手, へや 部屋 and たいへん 大変. The others are in hiragana here for reading practice.
へ as a particle, read e
- にほんへ いきます。 nihon e ikimasu “I’m going to Japan.”
- うちへ かえります。 uchi e kaerimasu “I’m going home.”
The spaces in this page’s sentences only help you read; ordinary Japanese has none.
TELL THEM APART
へ or く?
Look for the point: へ points up and opens downward, with a short climb on the left and a long slope on the right; く points left and opens to the right, its two halves about the same length. へ is wide and low, く tall and narrow.
A quick check
Four models, handwritten and printed: is each one へ or く? 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
Two readings: he, and e as a particle.
As a particle: After a place or a direction, へ marks where someone is going, like “to” or “toward,” as in the sentences above. It is read e. With verbs of going and coming, に (ni) can mark the destination too: にほんに いきます (nihon ni ikimasu).
Sound: For a rough vowel cue for へ, use the e in “hen”. English he has an ee vowel, a rough cue for ひ instead. English comparisons do not reproduce the Japanese consonants exactly.
Same sound: The particle へ sounds the same as え (e), but it is still written へ: にほんへ (nihon e), not にほんえ. Outside the particle, へ is read he, as in へや (heya), room.
Typing: Type he for the particle too; typing e gives え.
Open the guide for え (e), the same soundOpen the guide for に (ni), which can also mean “to”The particles は, へ and を, on the dakuten and small-kana page
MARKED FORMS: DAKUTEN AND HANDAKUTEN
べ (be) and ぺ (pe): へ with dakuten, and with a small circle.
べ (be): へ with dakuten
Two short marks, called dakuten, change he to be. They sit at the upper right, above the long slope; write them last, the left one first.
Type be.
- べんり benri · convenient; handy
- かべ kabe · wall
ぺ (pe): へ with a small circle
A small circle in the same place, called handakuten, changes he to pe; write it last, in one stroke. ぺ is rare in hiragana: it shows up in sound words such as ぺらぺら, and after ん, as in かんぺき. Many words with pe are loanwords, written in katakana.
Type pe.
- ぺらぺら perapera · fluent (in a language)
- かんぺき kanpeki · perfect
YOUR NEXT STEP
Practice へ with く.
A short round of へ and く, the shapes this page compares.
Practice the whole H row: は ひ ふ へ ほIt includes は, ひ, ふ and ほ, which this page does not teach.
Learn へ with its group in lesson 6 · 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)
- syoka-koyoblog (penmanship): へ
- syoka-koyoblog (penmanship): katakana ヘ
- z-shogei calligraphy school: へ, ほ and ま
- Matsumoto Shoeido calligraphy school: へ
- Matsumoto Shoeido calligraphy school: へ
- Matsumoto Shoeido calligraphy school: dakuten
- Matsumoto Shoeido calligraphy school: handakuten
- Japanese-Lesson.com: は ひ ふ へ ほ
- ryohkei.com: へ, べ and ぺ
- にほんご教師ピック (Nihongo Kyoshi Pick): hiragana writing chart, へ and く
- University of Texas, JOSHU: similar-hiragana quiz (へ and く)
- Tofugu: katakana ヘ beside hiragana へ
- 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
へ · he
The syllable he in hiragana is へ. As the particle meaning “to” or “toward,” it is read e.
Write it, stroke by stroke.
- Starts far left; a short climb to a point, then a long slope down-right. — stop (とめ)
Watch for: The point sits on the vertical center line, so the two sides come out about the same length, like a tent. Fix: Turn before you reach the vertical center line, then make the slope down about twice as long as the climb, 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/he/
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
- へ he
Example words
- たいへん tough; hard work
- へや room
- へえ oh, really?; wow
- かべ wall
- へた bad at; poor at