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HIRAGANA · CHARACTER GUIDE

く (ku) in hiragana

Ku in hiragana is く, one stroke that points left and opens to the right, unlike へ.

Reading
ku
Type
ku
Katakana
ク
Strokes
1
With dakuten
ぐ gu
Audio
see listening section
On this page

How く is written, and why it is not へ.

The full model: one stroke.

start end

Not to be confused with
へ · heIts point is at the top: it opens downward, like a roof.

Memory hook: Picture a cooing dove, its beak wide open to the right. Make your own · All 46 hiragana mnemonics

More hiragana activities

WRITE IT

How to write く: stroke order

Is く one stroke or two? One. You may pause at the point, but turn back down to the right without lifting the pen.

Shape: Tall and narrow: one stroke bent into a point on the left, its upper and lower halves about the same length.

In this model, the stroke 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. One strokeStop とめ

    One continuous stroke. Starts right of the vertical center line, near the top. A straight line down to the left, to a sharp point left of center at about the horizontal center line; without lifting the pen, turn and go down to the right, curving slightly, to near the bottom, ending a little right of where you began.

One mistake to avoid: stroke 1

Watch for
The stroke finishes left of where it began, so く leans and drifts to the left.
Fix
Start right of the vertical center line, and end a little right of your starting point, 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 く in print and in words.

く in handwriting and three typefaces

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

In every typeface く points left and opens to the right. Copy the handwriting model.

Find く inside a word.

  • kakuto writeUp to the K row
  • gaikokuforeign country
  • kuroblack
  • fukuclothes

“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 (かく is 書く, がいこく 外国, くろ 黒, ふく 服); here they are in hiragana for reading practice.

Read more words with く

TELL THEM APART

く or へ?

く · kuOne stroke with its point on the left: it opens to the right.
へ · heIts point is at the top: it opens downward, like a roof.

Look for the point: く points left and opens to the right; へ points up and opens downward, with a short climb on the left and a long slope on the right.

Open the guide for he (へ)

A quick check

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

WITH DAKUTEN

ぐ (gu): く with dakuten.

く · ku
ぐ · gu

Two short marks, called dakuten, change ku to gu. They sit to the right of the upper half of the stroke, a little below its start; write them last, the left one first.

Type gu.

  • iriguchi · entrance Built from いり (iri, going in) and くち (kuchi, mouth; opening): inside the word, its く becomes ぐ.
  • oyogu · to swim

Practice ku and gu together

All the marked forms, and small kana

YOUR NEXT STEP

Practice く with へ.

A short round of く and へ, the shapes this page compares.

Practice く and へFlip them as flash cards

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

Learn く 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

く · ku

Ku in hiragana is く, one stroke that points left and opens to the right, unlike へ.

Writing model

Write it, stroke by stroke.

  1. Starts right of center, near the top; down-left to a point, down-right. — stop (とめ)

Watch for: The stroke finishes left of where it began, so く leans and drifts to the left. Fix: Start right of the vertical center line, and end a little right of your starting point, as in the model.

かく · kaku · to writeがいこく · gaikoku · foreign countryくろ · kuro · black

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/ku/

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

  • く ku

Example words

  • くろ black
  • がいこく foreign country
  • かく to write
  • ふく clothes