HIRAGANA · CHARACTER GUIDE
も (mo) in hiragana
Mo in hiragana is も: two bars across one long stroke that curves up, with no loop.
- Reading
- mo
- Type
mo- Katakana
- モ
- Strokes
- 3
- Audio
- see listening section
On this page
How も is written, and why it is not し or ま.
The full model: 3 strokes, numbered in order.
start end
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Memory hook: Picture a fishing line crossed by two short sticks, curving up at the bottom. Make your own · All 46 hiragana mnemonics
More hiragana activities
WRITE IT
How to write も: stroke order
Shape: Taller than wide: one long stroke that curves round at the bottom and rises to the right, crossed by two short bars.
In this model, strokes 2 and 3 stop. 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 just left of the vertical center line, near the top. Down, leaning slightly left, to near the bottom; curve round, just right of the center line, and rise to the right, ending a little below the middle with the tip turned slightly in.
Stroke 2Ending: Stop とめ
Starts far left of the vertical center line, well above the horizontal one. A short bar to the right, nearly level, crossing stroke 1 and ending right of center.
Stroke 3Ending: Stop とめ
Starts far left of the vertical center line, at the horizontal one, below the start of stroke 2. A second bar, a little shorter, crossing stroke 1 and ending right of center.
One mistake to avoid: stroke 1
- Watch for
- Writing the two bars first, as in ま or the katakana モ (mo).
- Fix
- Write the long stroke first, from above where the top bar goes, down and round; then the two bars, the top one first, as in the model.
Stroke diagrams adapted from KanjiVG, © Ulrich Apel and contributors, CC BY-SA 3.0. License and attribution.
READ IT
Read も in print and in words.
も in handwriting and three typefaces
Handwriting model Textbook style Print, plain (gothic) Print, serif (mincho)
In the serif (mincho) typeface the two bars are joined by a curve on the left, which can look like a loop; in handwriting they are two separate strokes, written after the long stroke. Copy the handwriting model.
Find も inside a word.
- ももmomopeach. Up to the M row
- くもkumocloudAnother くも, the spider, is often written in katakana: クモ.. Up to the M row
- にもつnimotsuluggage; bags. Up to the M row
- いもうとimouto(my) younger sisterThe う makes the o long: said i-mō-to.. Up to the M row
“Up to the M row” marks a word written only with kana from the vowels to the M row of the chart, so you can read it if you learn the chart in order.
In everyday writing these words use kanji (もも is 桃, くも 雲, にもつ 荷物, いもうと 妹); here they are in hiragana for reading practice.
も as a particle: “also”, “too”
- わたしも がくせいです。 watashi mo gakusei desu “I’m a student too.”
- これも おいしいです。 kore mo oishii desu “This is delicious too.”
The spaces in this page’s sentences only help you read; ordinary Japanese has none.
TELL THEM APART
も, し or ま?
Count the bars, then look at the bottom: も has two bars across its long stroke, which curves round and rises with no loop; し has no bars at all, and ま’s long stroke loops at the bottom. (Katakana モ (mo) looks close too, but it is written bars first, and its upright starts at the top bar.)
Open the guide for shi (し)Open the guide for ma (ま)
A quick check
Four models, handwritten and printed: も, し or ま? 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
The particle も: “also”, “too”.
As a particle: After a word, も adds “also” or “too”, as in the sentences above. It goes in place of は (wa), not after it: わたしは (watashi wa) becomes わたしも (watashi mo), never わたしはも (watashi wa mo); on its own, わたしも (watashi mo) means “me too”. It is read mo, just as it is written.
YOUR NEXT STEP
Practice も with し and ま.
A short round of も, し and ま, the shapes this page compares.
Practice the whole M row: ま み む め もIt includes み, む and め, which this page does not teach.
Learn も with its group in lesson 7 · 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
- syoka-koyoblog (penmanship): も
- z-shogei calligraphy school: も, や and ゆ
- Matsumoto Shoeido calligraphy school: も
- Matsumoto Shoeido calligraphy school: も
- Japanese-Lesson.com: ま み む め も
- ryohkei.com: も
- Wakuwaku Kyozai (special-education worksheets): look-alike hiragana, も and し
- Mametsubu Work (children’s worksheets): look-alike hiragana (れもん and れしん)
- STUDY HACKER こどもまなび☆ラボ: look-alike kana, し and も
- print-kids.net (children’s worksheets): look-alike kana, ま and も; も and katakana モ start differently
- JapanesePod101: the M column (も starts like し; ま and も look alike)
- いこーよ (iko-yo): kana often written in the wrong order, も among them
- sci.lang.japan FAQ: similar kana (も and katakana モ)
- 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
も · mo
Mo in hiragana is も: two bars across one long stroke that curves up, with no loop.
Write it, stroke by stroke.
- Starts top, just left of center; down, round at the bottom, then up right.
- Starts far left, above the middle; a short bar across stroke 1. — stop (とめ)
- Starts far left, at the middle; a second, slightly shorter bar across. — stop (とめ)
Sources differ on how stroke 1 ends, so no ending is marked: copy the model.
Watch for: Writing the two bars first, as in ま or the katakana モ (mo). Fix: Write the long stroke first, from above where the top bar goes, down and round; then the two bars, the top one first, 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/mo/
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
- も mo
Example words
- にもつ luggage; bags
- くも cloud
- いもうと (my) younger sisterSound hint (draft): Commonly sounds like いもーと. Keep the kana spelling いもうと; sustain each long vowel for two beats.
- もも peach