HIRAGANA · CHARACTER GUIDE
む (mu) in hiragana
Mu in hiragana is む. Unlike す, its line runs right along the bottom and turns up.
- Reading
- mu
- Type
mu- Katakana
- ム
- Strokes
- 3
- Audio
- see listening section
On this page
How む is written, and why it is not す.
The full model: 3 strokes, numbered in order.
start end
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Memory hook: Picture a mooing cow's tail: it crosses a bar, loops once, runs along the ground and turns up, with a fly at the top right. Make your own · All 46 hiragana mnemonics
More hiragana activities
WRITE IT
How to write む: stroke order
Shape: About square: a short bar at the upper left, a long stroke that loops on the left and runs along the bottom, and a dot at the upper right.
In this model, strokes 1 and 3 stop and stroke 2 ends in a hook. 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 1Ending: Stop とめ
Starts far left of the vertical center line, above the horizontal one. A short line rising gently to the right, ending at the vertical center line.
Stroke 2Ending: Hook はね
Starts left of the vertical center line, near the top, above stroke 1. Straight down through stroke 1 to just below the horizontal center line; curve left into a small loop and cross back over the downstroke. Come down to the lower left, run right along the bottom, past the vertical center line, and turn up, ending with a short flick, as in the model.
Stroke 3Ending: Stop とめ
Starts well right of the vertical center line, in the upper half, away from the other strokes. A short dot slanting down to the right. The model turns back a little as it ends; write a firm stop there, not a flick.
One mistake to avoid: stroke 2
- Watch for
- After the loop, the line drops away to the lower left and ends there, as in す.
- Fix
- After the loop, come down to the lower left, then run right along the bottom and turn up, as in the model.
Stroke diagrams adapted from KanjiVG, © Ulrich Apel and contributors, CC BY-SA 3.0. License and attribution.
READ IT
Read む in print and in words.
む in handwriting and three typefaces
Handwriting model Textbook style Print, plain (gothic) Print, serif (mincho)
In the serif (mincho) typeface the dot runs into the end of the tail; in handwriting it is a stroke of its own. Copy the handwriting model.
Find む inside a word.
- むしmushiinsect; bug. Up to the M row
- さむいsamuicold (weather). Up to the M row
- むいかmuikathe sixth (of the month); six daysSwap む for す and it becomes すいか (suika), watermelon.. Up to the M row
- むずかしいmuzukashiidifficult; hard
“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 (むし is 虫, さむい 寒い, むいか 6日 or 六日, むずかしい 難しい); here they are in hiragana for reading practice.
TELL THEM APART
む or す?
Look at the tail and at the upper right: after its loop, む’s line runs along the bottom to the right and turns up, and a dot sits at the upper right; す has no dot, and its tail drops away to the lower left. (お also has a short mark at the upper right, but its loop is big and round, on the right.)
A quick check
Four models, handwritten and printed: む or す? 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.
YOUR NEXT STEP
Practice む with す.
A short round of む and す, the shapes this page compares.
Practice the whole M row: ま み む め もIt includes ま, み, め and も, which this page does not teach.
Learn む 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): む
- z-shogei calligraphy school: み, む and め
- Matsumoto Shoeido calligraphy school: む
- Matsumoto Shoeido calligraphy school: む
- Japanese-Lesson.com: ま み む め も
- ryohkei.com: む
- print-kids.net (children’s worksheets): look-alike kana, す and む
- Mametsubu Work (children’s worksheets): look-alike hiragana (すいか and むいか)
- JapanesePod101: the M column (unlike す, turn right after the loop)
- University of Tübingen, Japanese studies: similar hiragana (す and む)
- sci.lang.japan FAQ: similar kana (お and む)
- 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
む · mu
Mu in hiragana is む. Unlike す, its line runs right along the bottom and turns up.
Write it, stroke by stroke.
- Starts far left, above the middle; a short bar rising to the center line. — stop (とめ)
- Starts left of center, at the top; down, a small loop, then right and up. — hook (はね)
- A dot on its own at the upper right; a short slant down to the right. — stop (とめ)
Watch for: After the loop, the line drops away to the lower left and ends there, as in す. Fix: After the loop, come down to the lower left, then run right along the bottom and turn up, 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/mu/
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
- む mu
Example words
- さむい cold (weather)
- むいか the sixth (of the month); six days
- むし insect
- むずかしい difficult; hard