HIRAGANA · CHARACTER GUIDE
す (su) in hiragana
Su in hiragana is す. Unlike む, it has no dot, and its tail drops to the lower left.
On this page
How す is written, and why it is not む.
The full model: 2 strokes, numbered in order.
start end
This browser is not saving your study set, so it lasts for this visit.
Memory hook: Picture a suit with its tie dropping through a long, straight collar: a knot looped below the collar, then the rest hanging down. Make your own · All 46 hiragana mnemonics
More hiragana activities
WRITE IT
How to write す: stroke order
Is す 2 strokes or 3? Two: the line down, the loop and the tail are all stroke 2, written without lifting the pen.
Shape: Like an upside-down triangle: a long bar near the top, and below it a loop and a tail that runs down to the lower left.
In this model, stroke 1 stops and stroke 2 sweeps. 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 long line rising gently to the right, ending far right, above the middle. Make it long: it is the widest part of す.
Stroke 2Ending: Sweep はらい
Starts just right of the vertical center line, near the top, above stroke 1. Straight down through stroke 1, right of its middle, to just below the horizontal center line; curve left into a loop, cross back over the downstroke, and sweep down to the lower left, ending near the bottom.
One mistake to avoid: strokes 1 and 2
- Watch for
- Stroke 2 crosses stroke 1 in the middle, so the bar is the same length on both sides.
- Fix
- Start stroke 2 a little right of the vertical center line, so the bar reaches farther to the left, as in the model.
Stroke diagrams adapted from KanjiVG, © Ulrich Apel and contributors, CC BY-SA 3.0. License and attribution.
READ IT
Read す in print and in words.
す in handwriting and three typefaces
Handwriting model Textbook style Print, plain (gothic) Print, serif (mincho)
In every typeface す keeps its long bar, its loop and its tail to the lower left. Copy the handwriting model.
Find す inside a word.
- いすisuchair. Up to the S row
- すしsushisushi. Up to the S row
- すいかsuikawatermelon. Up to the S row
- すきsukiliked; favoriteAs in すきです (suki desu), “I like it.”. Up 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.
すいか is usually written in kana, often in katakana (スイカ). In everyday writing すき is 好き, and いす and すし are often 椅子 and 寿司; here they are in hiragana for reading practice.
TELL THEM APART
す or む?
Look at the upper right and at the tail: む has a separate dot, and after its loop the line runs along the bottom to the right; す has no dot, and its tail drops away to the lower left.
A quick check
Four models, handwritten and printed: is each one す or む? 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
Sound and typing.
Sound: In です (desu) and ます (masu), the u of す is often whispered, so they can sound close to des and mas. It is still written す, and some speakers, as in Kansai, say the u fully.
Typing: Type su for す and zu for ず; the rare づ is typed du.
WITH DAKUTEN
ず (zu): す with dakuten.
Two short marks, called dakuten, change su to zu. They sit in the upper right corner, above the right end of stroke 1; write them last, the left one first. づ is read zu too but is rare: it is written where つ repeats, as in つづく (tsuzuku, to continue), or where a word starting with つ comes second in a compound you can still see, as in みかづき (mikazuki, crescent moon, from みか and つき, moon). Otherwise zu is written ず, even in some compounds such as いなずま (inazuma, lightning); when in doubt, write ず.
Type zu.
- ちず chizu · map
- すずしい suzushii · cool (weather)
YOUR NEXT STEP
Practice す with む.
A short round of す and む, the shapes this page compares.
Practice the whole S row: さ し す せ そIt includes さ, し, せ and そ, which this page does not teach.
Learn す 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.
- Japan Foundation: MARUGOTO-NO-KOTOBA vocabulary (readings and meanings)
- Jisho.org (JMdict): readings and common spellings
- syoka-koyoblog (penmanship): す
- z-shogei calligraphy school: さ, し and す
- Matsumoto Shoeido calligraphy school: す
- Matsumoto Shoeido calligraphy school: す
- Matsumoto Shoeido calligraphy school: dakuten
- Japanese-Lesson.com: さ し す せ そ
- ryohkei.com: す and ず
- print-kids.net (children's worksheets): look-alike kana, す and む
- Mametsubu Work (children's worksheets): look-alike hiragana
- JapanesePod101: the M column (む starts like す)
- Agency for Cultural Affairs: Modern Kana Usage, when ぢ and づ are written
- Onigiri-kun's Japanese pronunciation class: devoiced vowels in です and ます
- Mozc (open-source Google Japanese Input): romaji table
- 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
す · su
Su in hiragana is す. Unlike む, it has no dot, and its tail drops to the lower left.
Write it, stroke by stroke.
- Starts far left, above the middle; the long bar, rising gently right. — stop (とめ)
- Starts right of center, at the top; down, a loop, then sweeps down left. — sweep (はらい)
Watch for: Stroke 2 crosses stroke 1 in the middle, so the bar is the same length on both sides. Fix: Start stroke 2 a little right of the vertical center line, so the bar reaches farther to the left, 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/su/
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
- す su
Example words
- すき liked; favorite
- すいか watermelon
- すし sushi
- いす chair
- ちず map