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HIRAGANA · CHARACTER GUIDE

ね (ne) in hiragana

Ne in hiragana is ね. Its second stroke ends in a small loop, which tells it apart from れ and わ.

Reading
ne
Type
ne
Katakana
ネ
Strokes
2
Audio
see listening section
On this page

How to write ね

The full model: 2 strokes, numbered in order.

start end

Look for the loop

The long second stroke finishes in a loop on the right.

Not to be confused with
れ · reIts second stroke ends turning outward, with no loop.わ · waIts second stroke ends curling inward, with no loop.

Memory hook: Picture a net tied to a post, with a knot at the lower right. Make your own · All 46 hiragana mnemonics

More hiragana activities

WRITE IT

How to write ね: stroke order

Shape: About square: a long line on the left, and on the right a big curve that ends in a small loop.

In this model, stroke 1 stops. Sources differ on how stroke 2 ends, so no ending is marked: copy the model. 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 1Stop とめ

    Starts left of the vertical center line, near the top. Straight down, long, staying left of the center line. End it with no hook, as in the model.

  2. Stroke 2

    Starts far left, above the horizontal center line. A short line up to the right across stroke 1, a sharp turn back down-left, then a long climb up to the right; curve over at the top right, come down, make a small, flat loop a little above the bottom of stroke 1, and finish with a short tail to the lower right.

One mistake to avoid: stroke 2

Watch for
The end has no clear small loop.
Fix
After the top curve, come down, then make a small loop at the bottom, a little above the bottom of stroke 1.
Done wrong, it can look like れ (re) or わ (wa).
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 ね in print and in words.

ね in handwriting and three typefaces

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

In every typeface the second stroke still ends in a small loop. Copy the handwriting model.

Find ね inside a word.

  • nekocatUp to the N row
  • okanemoneyUp to the N row
  • funeboat; ship
  • onegaishimasuplease (when asking for something)A set phrase.

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

In everyday writing some of these words use kanji (ふね is usually 船, and おかね お金); here they are in hiragana for reading practice.

Read more words with ね

TELL THEM APART

ね, れ or わ?

ね · neThe second stroke ends in a small loop.
れ · reIts second stroke ends turning outward, with no loop.
わ · waIts second stroke ends curling inward, with no loop.

Look at where the second stroke ends. Only ね finishes in a small loop.

Open the guide for re (れ)Open the guide for wa (わ)

A quick check

Four models, handwritten and printed: ね, れ or わ? Only your first answer to each model counts.

SOUND AND SPELLING

Also at the end of a sentence.

As a particle: At the end of a sentence, ね invites the listener to agree or shares a feeling, a little like “…, isn’t it?”: あついですね (atsui desu ne), “It’s hot, isn’t it?”

YOUR NEXT STEP

Practice ね with れ and わ.

A short round of ね, れ and わ, the shapes this page compares.

Practice ね, れ and わFlip them as flash cards

Practice the whole N row: な に ぬ ね のIt includes な, に, ぬ and の, which this page does not teach.

Learn ね with its group in lesson 5 · 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

ね · ne

Ne in hiragana is ね. Its second stroke ends in a small loop, which tells it apart from れ and わ.

Writing model
1
2

Write it, stroke by stroke.

  1. Starts left of center, near the top; straight down, long. — stop (とめ)
  2. Starts far left; across stroke 1, back, up and over, then a small loop.

Sources differ on how stroke 2 ends, so no ending is marked: copy the model.

Watch for: The end has no clear small loop. Fix: After the top curve, come down, then make a small loop at the bottom, a little above the bottom of stroke 1.

ねこ · neko · catおかね · okane · moneyふね · fune · boat; ship

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/ne/

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

  • ね ne

Example words

  • ふね boat; ship
  • おねがいします please (when asking for something)
  • おかね money
  • ねこ cat