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HIRAGANA · CHARACTER GUIDE

う (u) in hiragana

U in hiragana is う. Unlike ら, its second stroke has no line down the left.

Reading
u
Type
u
Katakana
ウ
Strokes
2
Audio
see listening section
On this page

How う is written, and why it is not ら.

The full model: 2 strokes, numbered in order.

start end

Not to be confused with
ら · raIts second stroke starts with a line down the left.

Memory hook: Picture a short slanting mark above a smooth curve like a backward C, with no straight line down its left side. Make your own · All 46 hiragana mnemonics

More hiragana activities

WRITE IT

How to write う: stroke order

Shape: Tall and slim, about twice as tall as it is wide: a short mark at the top, and one long curve that rounds the upper right and sweeps down to the left.

In this model, stroke 2 sweeps. Sources differ on how stroke 1 ends, so no ending is marked: copy the model. Japanese schools name three kinds of ending: Stop とめ, Hook はね, Sweep はらい. Textbooks and teachers differ on some.

  1. Stroke 1

    Starts left of the vertical center line, near the top. A short line slanting gently down to the right, across the center line; then turn back toward where stroke 2 begins, ending on the center line, as in the model.

  2. Stroke 2Sweep はらい

    Starts left of where stroke 1 began, above the horizontal center line. A short line rising gently to the right, across the vertical center line; curve round at the upper right, come down the right side, and sweep down to the left, ending near the bottom, a little left of the center line.

One mistake to avoid: strokes 1 and 2

Watch for
Stroke 1 is flat and stroke 2 turns at a sharp corner at the top, so う looks like ラ, the katakana ra.
Fix
Slant stroke 1 down to the right, and keep the top of stroke 2 a round curve, 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 う in print and in words.

う in handwriting and three typefaces

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

In every typeface う’s second stroke rises to the right, with no line down the left. Copy the handwriting model.

Find う inside a word.

  • ueabove; on topVowels only
  • umisea; ocean
  • uchihome; house
  • kuukouairportEach う makes the vowel before it long: said kū-kō.

“Vowels only” marks a word written only with the five vowels, あ い う え お.

うち is usually written in hiragana; in everyday writing うえ is 上, うみ 海 and くうこう 空港. The others are in hiragana here for reading practice.

Read more words with う

TELL THEM APART

う or ら?

う · uNo line down the left: the second stroke rises to the right, then curves down.
ら · raIts second stroke starts with a line down the left.

Look at how the second stroke starts: in う it rises to the right and curves down the right side; in ら it first runs down the left, turns sharply, then swings into a round curve.

Open the guide for ra (ら)

A quick check

Four models, handwritten and printed: is each one う or ら? Only your first answer to each model counts.

SOUND AND SPELLING

う in long vowels.

Spelling: A long o is usually written with an added う, as in おとうさん (otousan, father), and so is a long u, as in くうき (kuuki, air).

Typing: Type the う of a long vowel too: おとうさん is typed otousan, not otosan.

YOUR NEXT STEP

Practice う with ら.

A short round of う and ら, the shapes this page compares.

Practice う and らFlip them as flash cards

Practice all five vowels: あ い う え おIt includes あ, い, え and お, which this page does not teach.

Learn う with its group in lesson 1 · 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

う · u

U in hiragana is う. Unlike ら, its second stroke has no line down the left.

Writing model
1
2

Write it, stroke by stroke.

  1. Starts left of center, near the top; slants down right, then turns back.
  2. Starts left, above the middle; rises right, curves round, sweeps left. — sweep (はらい)

Sources differ on how stroke 1 ends, so no ending is marked: copy the model.

Watch for: Stroke 1 is flat and stroke 2 turns at a sharp corner at the top, so う looks like ラ, the katakana ra. Fix: Slant stroke 1 down to the right, and keep the top of stroke 2 a round curve, as in the model.

うえ · ue · above; on topうみ · umi · sea; oceanうち · uchi · home; house

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/u/

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

  • う u

Example words

  • うえ above; top
  • くうこう airportSound hint (draft): Commonly sounds like くーこー. Keep the kana spelling くうこう; sustain each long vowel for two beats.
  • うち home; house
  • うみ sea