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HIRAGANA · CHARACTER GUIDE

わ (wa) in hiragana

Wa in hiragana is わ. The particle wa in わたしは is written は, not わ.

Reading
wa
Type
wa
Katakana
ワ
Strokes
2
Audio
see listening section
On this page

How わ is written, and why it is not ね or れ.

The full model: 2 strokes, numbered in order.

start end

Not to be confused with
ね · neIts second stroke ends in a small, closed loop.れ · reIts second stroke ends turning out to the right.

Memory hook: Picture a watch, big and round, on the right side of a post. Make your own · All 46 hiragana mnemonics

More hiragana activities

WRITE IT

How to write わ: stroke order

Shape: About square and round: a long line on the left, and on the right a big round curve that curls back in toward it.

In this model, stroke 1 stops and stroke 2 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. Stroke 1Stop とめ

    Starts left of the vertical center line, near the top. A long line down to near the bottom, left of the center line; end it with no hook, as in the model.

  2. Stroke 2Sweep はらい

    Starts far left, above the horizontal center line. A short line up to the right through stroke 1, a sharp turn back down-left through it again, then up to the right through it a third time; then one big round curve over the top, out to the right, down and back in, ending just above the bottom of stroke 1.

One mistake to avoid: stroke 2

Watch for
The curve on the right is small and cramped.
Fix
Swing the curve boldly out to the right, with a round, roomy space inside, then curl the end back in.
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 わ in print and in words.

わ in handwriting and three typefaces

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

In every typeface わ’s second stroke ends in a big curve that curls back in, with no loop. Copy the handwriting model.

Find わ inside a word.

  • watashiI; meBasic kana only
  • kawaiicuteBasic kana only
  • kawariverBasic kana only
  • denwatelephone

“Basic kana only” marks a word written only with the 46 basic kana.

かわいい is usually written in hiragana; in everyday writing わたし is often 私, かわ 川 and でんわ 電話. The others are in hiragana here for reading practice.

Read more words with わ

TELL THEM APART

わ, ね or れ?

わ · waThe second stroke ends in one big curve that curls back in.
ね · neIts second stroke ends in a small, closed loop.
れ · reIts second stroke ends turning out to the right.

Look at where the second stroke ends: わ curls back in and stays open, ね finishes in a small loop, and れ turns out to the right.

Open the guide for ne (ね)Open the guide for re (れ)

A quick check

Four models, handwritten and printed: わ, ね or れ? Only your first answer to each model counts.

SOUND AND SPELLING

Same sound as the particle は.

Same sound: The topic particle は is read wa, the same sound as わ, but it is written は: in わたしは (watashi wa), the first wa is わ and the second is the particle は. The same goes for こんにちは (konnichiwa): it ends in は, not わ.

Typing: Type wa for わ; for the particle は, type ha.

Open the guide for は (ha), read wa as a particle

YOUR NEXT STEP

Practice わ with ね and れ.

A short round of わ, ね and れ, the shapes this page compares.

Practice わ, ね and れFlip them as flash cards

Practice わ, を and ん: わ を んIt includes を and ん, which this page does not teach.

Learn わ with its group in lesson 10 · 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

わ · wa

Wa in hiragana is わ. The particle wa in わたしは is written は, not わ.

Writing model
1
2

Write it, stroke by stroke.

  1. Starts left of center, near the top; straight down, long. — stop (とめ)
  2. Starts far left; through stroke 1, back, up, then a big curve curling in. — sweep (はらい)

Watch for: The curve on the right is small and cramped. Fix: Swing the curve boldly out to the right, with a round, roomy space inside, then curl the end back in.

わたし · watashi · I; meかわいい · kawaii · cuteかわ · kawa · river

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/wa/

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

  • わ wa

Example words

  • わたし I; me
  • かわいい cute
  • でんわ telephone
  • かわ river