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HIRAGANA · CHARACTER GUIDE

の (no) in hiragana

No in hiragana is の: one stroke, with no line crossing it, which tells it apart from め.

Reading
no
Type
no
Katakana
ノ
Strokes
1
Audio
see listening section
On this page

How の is written in one stroke, and why it is not め.

The full model: one stroke.

start end

Not to be confused with
め · meA short slant on the left, crossed by the long stroke.

Memory hook: Picture a one-line “no” sign with its slash the other way round: down to the left, then swinging up and around into a ring, open at the bottom. Make your own · All 46 hiragana mnemonics

More hiragana activities

WRITE IT

How to write の: stroke order

Which way does の go round? Clockwise, in one stroke: down to the left first, then up the left side, over the top and down the right.

Shape: Round and wider than tall: a slant down to the left that turns into a big curve, open at the bottom.

In this model, the stroke sweeps. 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 strokeSweep はらい

    Starts on the vertical center line, well above the horizontal one. A slant down to the left; turn at its foot and go back up the left side, over the top just above where you began, round the right side in a big curve, and sweep back to the left near the bottom, leaving the bottom open.

One mistake to avoid: stroke 1

Watch for
The stroke curves round from the start, with no straight slant, so the space on the left closes up.
Fix
Start with a straight slant down to the left; turn at its foot and go back up the left side before swinging round, 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 の in print and in words.

の in handwriting and three typefaces

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

In every typeface の is one stroke with nothing crossing it. Copy the handwriting model.

Find の inside a word.

  • kinouyesterdayThe う makes the o long: said ki-nō.Up to the N row
  • tanoshiifun; enjoyableUp to the N row
  • otokonokoboyLiterally “male child”: おとこ (otoko, man) + の + こ (ko, child).Up to the N row
  • nodothroat

“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 (きのう is 昨日, たのしい 楽しい, おとこのこ 男の子, のど 喉); here they are in hiragana for reading practice.

の between two nouns

  • watashi no kasa desu “It’s my umbrella.”
  • nihon no kuruma desu “It’s a Japanese car.”

The spaces in this page’s sentences only help you read; ordinary Japanese has none.

Read more words with の

TELL THEM APART

の or め: one stroke or two?

の · noOne stroke, with no line crossing it.
め · meA short slant on the left, crossed by the long stroke.

Count the strokes: の is a single stroke with nothing crossing it; め starts with a short slant on the left, and its long stroke crosses that slant twice.

Open the guide for me (め)

A quick check

Four models, handwritten and printed: の or め? Only your first answer to each model counts.

SOUND AND SPELLING

Also a particle, like ’s or of.

As a particle: Between two nouns, の works like ’s or of: the first noun says whose it is or what kind, as in ともだちの いえ (tomodachi no ie), a friend’s house. It is still read no.

YOUR NEXT STEP

Practice の with め.

A short round of の and め, the shapes this page compares.

Practice の and めFlip them as flash cards

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

Learn の 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

の · no

No in hiragana is の: one stroke, with no line crossing it, which tells it apart from め.

Writing model

Write it, stroke by stroke.

  1. Starts top center; slant down-left, up the left side, round, sweep left. — sweep (はらい)

Watch for: The stroke curves round from the start, with no straight slant, so the space on the left closes up. Fix: Start with a straight slant down to the left; turn at its foot and go back up the left side before swinging round, as in the model.

きのう · kinou · yesterdayたのしい · tanoshii · fun; enjoyableおとこのこ · otokonoko · boy

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/no/

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

  • の no

Example words

  • きのう yesterdaySound hint (draft): Commonly sounds like きのー. Keep the kana spelling きのう; sustain each long vowel for two beats.
  • のど throat
  • おとこのこ boy
  • たのしい fun; enjoyable