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HIRAGANA · CHARACTER GUIDE

い (i) in hiragana

The letter i in hiragana is い. Its long stroke is on the left; in り, it is on the right.

Reading
i
Type
i
Katakana
イ
Strokes
2
Audio
see listening section
On this page

How い is written, and why it is not り.

The full model: 2 strokes, numbered in order.

start end

Not to be confused with
り · riIts right stroke is the long one, curving left at the bottom.

Memory hook: Picture two eels side by side, the left one longer than the right. Make your own · All 46 hiragana mnemonics

More hiragana activities

WRITE IT

How to write い: stroke order

Shape: Wider than tall: a long, gently curved line on the left with a flick at its foot, a short curve on the right, and a wide gap between them.

In this model, stroke 1 ends in a hook and stroke 2 stops. Japanese schools name three kinds of ending: Stop とめ, Hook はね, Sweep はらい. Textbooks and teachers differ on some.

  1. Stroke 1Hook はね

    Starts far left of the vertical center line, well above the horizontal one. Down in a gentle curve, bowing a little to the left, to well below the middle; then a short flick up toward the start of stroke 2.

  2. Stroke 2Stop とめ

    Starts right of the vertical center line, above the horizontal one, a little lower than the top of stroke 1 (some models start the two level). A short curve down to the right, ending far right, about level with the tip of the flick and well above the foot of stroke 1.

One mistake to avoid: strokes 1 and 2

Watch for
Stroke 2 runs as long as stroke 1 and drops straight down, so い looks like り.
Fix
Keep stroke 2 short and slanting down to the right: stop it about level with the tip of the flick, as in the model.
Done wrong, it can look like り (ri).
Practice writingMake a writing sheetSee it on the stroke-order chart

Stroke diagrams adapted from KanjiVG, © Ulrich Apel and contributors, CC BY-SA 3.0. License and attribution.

READ IT

Read い in print and in words.

い in handwriting and three typefaces

  • Handwriting model
  • Textbook style
  • Print, plain (gothic)
  • Print, serif (mincho)

In every typeface い keeps a longer left stroke and a short right one. Copy the handwriting model.

Find い inside a word.

  • iienoAlso a polite reply to thanks: “not at all.”Vowels only
  • iigood; niceThe two い make a long i: say i for two beats.Vowels only
  • iehouse; homeVowels only
  • irocolor

“Vowels only” marks a word written only with the five vowels, あ い う え お.

いいえ is always written in hiragana, and いい usually is; in everyday writing いえ is 家 and いろ 色. The others are in hiragana here for reading practice.

Read more words with い

TELL THEM APART

い or り?

い · iThe left stroke is the longer one; the right one is short.
り · riIts right stroke is the long one, curving left at the bottom.

Both have a flick at the foot of the left stroke, so look at the lengths: in い the left stroke is the longer one, the right one is short, and the gap between them is wide; in り the right stroke is the long one, reaching far below the left one and curving left at the bottom.

Open the guide for ri (り)

A quick check

Four models, handwritten and printed: is each one い or り? Only your first answer to each model counts.

SOUND AND SPELLING

A long i, and an old kana read i.

Sound: A long i lasts two beats, and it is written with an added い: いい (ii), good, and おにいさん (oniisan), older brother.

Same sound: The old kana ゐ (wi) is read i today. Since 1946, standard spelling has written い in its place.

ゐ (wi), an old kana read i today

YOUR NEXT STEP

Practice い with り.

A short round of い and り, the shapes this page compares.

Practice い and りFlip them as flash cards

Practice all five vowels: あ い う え おIt includes あ, う, え and お, which this page does not teach.

Learn い 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.

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

い · i

The letter i in hiragana is い. Its long stroke is on the left; in り, it is on the right.

Writing model
1
2

Write it, stroke by stroke.

  1. Starts far left, high up; down in a gentle curve, then flicks up. — hook (はね)
  2. Starts right of center, a little lower; a short curve down to the right. — stop (とめ)

Watch for: Stroke 2 runs as long as stroke 1 and drops straight down, so い looks like り. Fix: Keep stroke 2 short and slanting down to the right: stop it about level with the tip of the flick, as in the model.

いいえ · iie · noいい · ii · good; niceいえ · ie · house; home

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/i/

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

  • い i

Example words

  • いえ house
  • いい good
  • いいえ no
  • いろ color