HIRAGANA · CHARACTER GUIDE
と (to) in hiragana
To in hiragana is と: a short slant at the upper left, where て has a long bar across the top.
On this page
How と is written, and how it differs from て.
The full model: 2 strokes, numbered in order.
start end
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Memory hook: Picture a short stick leaning on a big C-shaped curve that runs along the bottom to the right. Make your own · All 46 hiragana mnemonics
More hiragana activities
WRITE IT
How to write と: stroke order
Shape: Taller than wide and rounded, like an egg: a short slant at the upper left, and one long curve that opens to the right.
In this model, stroke 2 stops. Sources differ on how stroke 1 ends, so no ending is marked: copy the model. 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 1
Starts left of the vertical center line, near the top. A short line down to the right, closer to upright than to level, ending just above the middle, still left of the vertical center line.
Stroke 2Ending: Stop とめ
Starts far right, near the top, a little lower than stroke 1 began. A long line down to the left that touches the end of stroke 1, then one big curve round at the lower left and along the bottom to the right, ending about below where the stroke began.
One mistake to avoid: stroke 2
- Watch for
- The bottom of stroke 2 runs on far to the right, well past where the stroke began.
- Fix
- End stroke 2 about below where it began, as in the model.
Stroke diagrams adapted from KanjiVG, © Ulrich Apel and contributors, CC BY-SA 3.0. License and attribution.
READ IT
Read と in print and in words.
と in handwriting and three typefaces
Handwriting model Textbook style Print, plain (gothic) Print, serif (mincho)
In every typeface と keeps its short slant at the upper left, touching the curve. Copy the handwriting model.
Find と inside a word.
- おとうとotouto(my) younger brotherThe う after the first と makes it long: said o-tō-to.. Up to the T row
- おとこotokoman; maleFor a person, say おとこの ひと (otoko no hito); おとこ alone can sound blunt.. Up to the T row
- さとうsatousugarThe う makes the o long: said sa-tō.. Up to the T row
- しごとshigotojob; work
“Up to the T row” marks a word written only with kana from the vowels to the T row of the chart, so you can read it if you learn the chart in order.
In everyday writing these words use kanji (おとうと is 弟, おとこ 男, さとう 砂糖, しごと 仕事); here they are in hiragana for reading practice.
と as a particle: “and”, “with”
- いぬと ねこが すきです。 inu to neko ga suki desu “I like dogs and cats.”
- ともだちと いきます。 tomodachi to ikimasu “I’m going with a friend.”
The spaces in this page’s sentences only help you read; ordinary Japanese has none.
TELL THEM APART
と or て?
Look at the top: と starts with a short slant at the upper left that touches the curve below it; て has one long bar across the top, joined to the curve at the upper right. Below that, the two curves are much alike.
A quick check
Four models, handwritten and printed: と or て? 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
The particle と: “and” and “with”.
As a particle: と joins two nouns, “and”, or marks the person you do something with, “with”, as in the sentences above.
Sound: The particle is read to, just as it is written, unlike the particles は (wa), へ (e) and を (o).
WITH DAKUTEN
ど (do): と with dakuten.
With two short marks, called dakuten, と (to) becomes ど (do). They sit at the upper right, just above and to the right of where stroke 2 begins; write them last, the left one first.
Type do.
- どこ doko · where
- ときどき tokidoki · sometimes From とき (toki), time, said twice: the second と becomes ど.
YOUR NEXT STEP
Practice と with て.
A short round of と and て, the shapes this page compares.
Practice the whole T row: た ち つ て とIt includes た, ち and つ, which this page does not teach.
Learn と with its group in lesson 4 · 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
- Agency for Cultural Affairs: Modern Kana Usage, particle rules
- syoka-koyoblog (penmanship): と
- z-shogei calligraphy school: と, な and に
- Matsumoto Shoeido calligraphy school: と
- Matsumoto Shoeido calligraphy school: と
- Matsumoto Shoeido calligraphy school: dakuten
- Japanese-Lesson.com: た ち つ て と
- JapanesePod101: the hiragana T column
- ryohkei.com: と and ど
- 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
と · to
To in hiragana is と: a short slant at the upper left, where て has a long bar across the top.
Write it, stroke by stroke.
- Starts left of center, near the top; a short, steep line down to the right.
- Starts upper right; down-left to touch stroke 1, round, then right. — stop (とめ)
Sources differ on how stroke 1 ends, so no ending is marked: copy the model.
Watch for: The bottom of stroke 2 runs on far to the right, well past where the stroke began. Fix: End stroke 2 about below where it began, 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/to/
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
- と to
Example words
- さとう sugarSound hint (draft): Commonly sounds like さとー. Keep the kana spelling さとう; sustain each long vowel for two beats.
- おとこ man; male
- しごと job; work
- おとうと (my) younger brotherSound hint (draft): Commonly sounds like おとーと. Keep the kana spelling おとうと; sustain each long vowel for two beats.