HIRAGANA · CHARACTER GUIDE
に (ni) in hiragana
Ni in hiragana is に. A single long, upright line on the left tells it apart from こ and た.
- Reading
- ni
- Type
ni- Katakana
- ニ
- Strokes
- 3
- Audio
- see listening section
On this page
How に is written, and why it is not こ or た.
The full model: 3 strokes, numbered in order.
start end
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Memory hook: Picture a needle standing upright, with two short threads to its right, one above the other. Make your own · All 46 hiragana mnemonics
More hiragana activities
WRITE IT
How to write に: stroke order
Shape: Wider than tall, in two parts: a long, upright line on the left, and two short lines on the right.
In this model, strokes 1 and 2 end in a hook and stroke 3 stops. 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: Hook はね
Starts far left of the vertical center line, near the top. Down with a slight curve, bowing a little to the left, to near the bottom; stop, then hook up to the right toward stroke 2.
Stroke 2Ending: Hook はね
Starts on the vertical center line, well above the horizontal one. A short line rising gently to the right; at its end, a short hook back down to the left, toward stroke 3.
Stroke 3Ending: Stop とめ
Starts on the vertical center line, below the horizontal one. A short curve down, then a line to the right, reaching a little further right than stroke 2 and ending a little above the foot of stroke 1.
One mistake to avoid: strokes 2 and 3
- Watch for
- Strokes 2 and 3 are two flat, parallel lines, like an equals sign.
- Fix
- Let stroke 2 rise a little and hook back; start stroke 3 with a short curve down before it runs right, as in the model.
Stroke diagrams adapted from KanjiVG, © Ulrich Apel and contributors, CC BY-SA 3.0. License and attribution.
READ IT
Read に in print and in words.
に in handwriting and three typefaces
Handwriting model Textbook style Print, plain (gothic) Print, serif (mincho)
In every typeface に keeps one long, upright line on the left, with two short lines beside it. Copy the handwriting model.
Find に inside a word.
- にくnikumeat. Up to the N row
- くにkunicountry. Up to the N row
- あにani(my) older brotherFor your own older brother; someone else’s is おにいさん (oniisan).. Up to the N row
- にしnishiwest. Up to the N row
“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 these words use kanji (にく is 肉, くに 国, あに 兄, にし 西); here they are in hiragana for reading practice.
に in a sentence: to a place, at a time
- がっこうに いきます。 gakkou ni ikimasu “I go to school.”
- ろくじに おきます。 rokuji ni okimasu “I get up at six.”
The spaces in this page’s sentences only help you read; ordinary Japanese has none.
TELL THEM APART
に, こ or た?
Look at the left side: に has one long, upright line with nothing crossing it; こ has no line there, and in た a short bar crosses a slanting line. On the right, all three have a similar pair of short lines.
Open the guide for ko (こ)Open the guide for ta (た)
A quick check
Four models, handwritten and printed: に, こ or た? 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
Also a particle: to a place, at a time.
As a particle: With a verb of going or coming, に marks the destination, like “to”; after a clock time or a day of the week, it marks the time, like “at” or “on”: にちようびに (nichiyoubi ni), on Sunday. It is still read ni.
YOUR NEXT STEP
Practice に with こ and た.
A short round of に, こ and た, the shapes this page compares.
Practice the whole N row: な に ぬ ね のIt includes な, ぬ, ね and の, which this page does not teach.
Learn に 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.
- Japan Foundation: MARUGOTO-NO-KOTOBA vocabulary (readings and meanings)
- Jisho.org (JMdict): readings and common spellings
- Kotobank (デジタル大辞泉 and others): に as a particle
- syoka-koyoblog (penmanship): に
- z-shogei calligraphy school: と, な and に
- Matsumoto Shoeido calligraphy school: に
- Matsumoto Shoeido calligraphy school: に
- Matsumoto Shoeido calligraphy school: に in pen
- Japanese-Lesson.com: な に ぬ ね の
- ryohkei.com: に
- Benesse Education Information: hiragana children often misread (た and に)
- Print Kids (ぷりんときっず): look-alike hiragana worksheets (こ and に, た and に)
- 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
に · ni
Ni in hiragana is に. A single long, upright line on the left tells it apart from こ and た.
Write it, stroke by stroke.
- Starts far left, near the top; down, bowing slightly left, then hooks up. — hook (はね)
- Starts on the center line, high up; a short line rising right, then hooks. — hook (はね)
- Starts on the center line, below the middle; curves down, then runs right. — stop (とめ)
Watch for: Strokes 2 and 3 are two flat, parallel lines, like an equals sign. Fix: Let stroke 2 rise a little and hook back; start stroke 3 with a short curve down before it runs right, 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/ni/
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
- に ni
Example words
- にし west
- にく meat
- あに (my) older brother
- くに country