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HIRAGANA · CHARACTER GUIDE

し (shi) in hiragana

Shi in hiragana is し: one stroke down, then round and up to the right, unlike つ and も.

Reading
shi
Type
shi or si
Katakana
シ
Strokes
1
With dakuten
じ ji
Audio
see listening section
On this page

How し is written, and why it is not つ or も.

The full model: one stroke.

start end

Not to be confused with
つ · tsuAcross first, then down and back to the left.も · moTwo bars cross its long stroke.

Memory hook: Picture a long sheet of paper hanging straight down, its bottom curling up to the right. Make your own · All 46 hiragana mnemonics

More hiragana activities

WRITE IT

How to write し: stroke order

Shape: Tall and narrow: one long line down that curves round at the bottom and rises to the right.

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 left of the vertical center line, near the top. Straight down, past the horizontal center line; then curve round at the bottom, its lowest point near the vertical center line, and sweep up to the right, ending well right of center in the lower half.

One mistake to avoid: stroke 1

Watch for
Curving too soon, above the middle of the box, so the curve takes up most of し.
Fix
Come straight down past the horizontal center line first, then curve round and sweep up to the right, 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 し in print and in words.

し in handwriting and three typefaces

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

In every typeface し is one line down that curves up to the right. Copy the handwriting model.

Find し inside a word.

  • ishistoneUp to the S row
  • shiosaltUp to the S row
  • okashisweets; snacksUp to the S row
  • sukoshia little; a fewUp to the S row

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

In everyday writing these words use kanji (いし is 石, しお 塩, おかし お菓子, すこし 少し); here they are in hiragana for reading practice.

Read more words with し

TELL THEM APART

し, つ or も?

し · shiOne stroke down, then round and up to the right; no bars.
つ · tsuAcross first, then down and back to the left.
も · moTwo bars cross its long stroke.

Follow the stroke: し goes down first and ends rising to the right; つ goes across first and ends low on the left. も starts with a stroke much like し, then two bars cross it. (Katakana レ (re) looks close too, but it turns at a sharp corner.)

Open the guide for tsu (つ)Open the guide for mo (も)

A quick check

Four models, handwritten and printed: し, つ or も? Only your first answer to each model counts.

SOUND AND SPELLING

Typing し and じ.

Typing: The romaji on this site (Hepburn) writes し as shi; on a keyboard shi and si both give し, and ji or zi gives じ. The rare ぢ, also read ji, is typed di.

Open the guide for ち (chi), where the rare ぢ is explained

WITH DAKUTEN

じ (ji): し with dakuten.

し · shi
じ · ji

Two short marks, called dakuten, change shi to ji. They sit at the upper right, beside the top of the long stroke; write them last, the left one first. ぢ is read ji too but is rare: the guide for ち (chi) explains when it is used. When in doubt, write じ.

Type ji.

  • jikan · time; hours
  • kanji · kanji (Chinese characters)

Practice shi and ji together

All the marked forms, and small kana

YOUR NEXT STEP

Practice し with つ and も.

A short round of し, つ and も, the shapes this page compares.

Practice し, つ and もFlip them as flash cards

Practice the whole S row: さ し す せ そIt includes さ, す, せ and そ, which this page does not teach.

Learn し with its group in lesson 3 · 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

し · shi

Shi in hiragana is し: one stroke down, then round and up to the right, unlike つ and も.

Writing model

Write it, stroke by stroke.

  1. Starts left of center, near the top; straight down, round, then up right. — sweep (はらい)

Watch for: Curving too soon, above the middle of the box, so the curve takes up most of し. Fix: Come straight down past the horizontal center line first, then curve round and sweep up to the right, as in the model.

いし · ishi · stoneしお · shio · saltおかし · okashi · sweets; snacks

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/shi/

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

  • し shi

Example words

  • しお salt
  • いし stone
  • おかし sweets; snacks
  • すこし a little; a few