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HIRAGANA · CHARACTER GUIDE

け (ke) in hiragana

Ke in hiragana is け. Its long right stroke ends with no loop, which tells it apart from は.

Reading
ke
Type
ke
Katakana
ケ
Strokes
3
With dakuten
げ ge
Audio
see listening section
On this page

How け is written, and why it is not は.

The full model: 3 strokes, numbered in order.

start end

Not to be confused with
は · haIts right stroke ends in a loop.

Memory hook: Picture kelp seaweed beside a post: one long stalk crosses a short bar and drifts down to the left, with no loop. Make your own · All 46 hiragana mnemonics

More hiragana activities

WRITE IT

How to write け: stroke order

Shape: Taller than wide, in two parts: a shorter line on the left, and a bigger cross on the right whose long stroke sweeps down to the left.

In this model, stroke 1 ends in a hook, stroke 2 stops and stroke 3 sweeps. 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, near the top, a little lower than stroke 3 will start. Down with a slight curve to well below the middle, then a flick up toward stroke 2.

  2. Stroke 2Stop とめ

    Starts on the vertical center line, above the horizontal one and lower than the top of stroke 1. A line rising gently to the right, ending far right.

  3. Stroke 3Sweep はらい

    Starts right of the vertical center line, near the top, higher than stroke 1. Straight down through stroke 2, most of the way, curving to the left only near the bottom, and ending lower than stroke 1.

One mistake to avoid: stroke 3

Watch for
Stroke 3 starts curving to the left too early.
Fix
Come straight down past stroke 2, most of the way, and curve left only near the bottom, as in the model.
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 け in print and in words.

け in handwriting and three typefaces

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

In every typeface け’s long right stroke ends with no loop. Copy the handwriting model.

Find け inside a word.

  • ikepondUp to the K row
  • tokeiclock; watch
  • keisatsupolice; police station
  • keshigomueraser

“Up to the K row” marks a word written only with kana from the vowels to the K row of the chart, so you can read it if you learn the chart in order.

In everyday writing these words use kanji (いけ is 池, とけい 時計, けいさつ 警察), and けしごむ is usually 消しゴム, with ゴム in katakana; here they are in hiragana for reading practice.

Read more words with け

TELL THEM APART

け or は?

け · keThe long right stroke ends with no loop.
は · haIts right stroke ends in a loop.

Look at the bottom of the long right stroke: け sweeps away with no loop, and は ends in one.

Open the guide for ha (は)

A quick check

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

WITH DAKUTEN

げ (ge): け with dakuten.

け · ke
げ · ge

Two short marks, called dakuten, change ke to ge. They go in the upper right corner, beside the top of the long right stroke; write them last, the left one first.

Type ge.

  • genki · healthy; energetic; well As in おげんきですか (ogenki desu ka), “Are you well?”, said to someone you have not seen for a while.
  • omiyage · souvenir; gift from a trip

Practice ke and ge together

All the marked forms, and small kana

YOUR NEXT STEP

Practice け with は.

A short round of け and は, the shapes this page compares.

Practice け and はFlip them as flash cards

Practice the whole K row: か き く け こIt includes か, き, く and こ, which this page does not teach.

Learn け with its group in lesson 2 · 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

け · ke

Ke in hiragana is け. Its long right stroke ends with no loop, which tells it apart from は.

Writing model
1
2
3

Write it, stroke by stroke.

  1. Starts far left, near the top; down with a slight curve, then flicks up. — hook (はね)
  2. Starts on the center line, above the middle; a line rising gently right. — stop (とめ)
  3. Starts top right, higher than stroke 1; straight down, then sweeps left. — sweep (はらい)

Watch for: Stroke 3 starts curving to the left too early. Fix: Come straight down past stroke 2, most of the way, and curve left only near the bottom, as in the model.

いけ · ike · pondとけい · tokei · clock; watchけいさつ · keisatsu · police; police station

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/ke/

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

  • け ke

Example words

  • いけ pond
  • けいさつ police; police stationSound hint (draft): Commonly sounds like けーさつ. Keep the kana spelling けいさつ; sustain each long vowel for two beats.
  • とけい clock; watchSound hint (draft): Commonly sounds like とけー. Keep the kana spelling とけい; sustain each long vowel for two beats.
  • けしごむ eraser