が (ga)
Pronunciation
The character が represents the syllable 'ga', a hard 'g' followed by 'a'. It is か with the dakuten — two small marks at the upper right that voice the consonant from 'k' to 'g'. In some Japanese dialects, particularly older Tokyo speech, が is nasalized to a softer 'ng' sound when it appears mid-word.
Stroke-by-Stroke Guide
が is written in five strokes. The first three strokes are identical to か (curved horizontal, long curved vertical, small detached comma at upper right). Then add the dakuten: Stroke 4: a small short diagonal mark to the upper right of the character. Stroke 5: a second small diagonal mark just below or to the right of stroke 4. The two marks together form the dakuten that voices the syllable from 'ka' to 'ga'.
Common Words with が
- てがかり (tegakari) — clue / lead / key
- いきがい (ikigai) — reason for living / something one lives for / purpose in life
- がく (gaku) — frame / framed picture
- すがた (sugata) — figure / form / shape
- ひがし (higashi) — east
- かがみ (kagami) — mirror / looking-glass
- がら (gara) — pattern / design
- がけ (gake) — cliff / precipice
- がわ (gawa) — side / part
- いがい (igai) — unexpected / surprising
- いがく (igaku) — medicine / medical science
- えいが (eiga) — movie / film / motion picture
- えがお (egao) — smiling face / smile
- かいがい (kaigai) — foreign / abroad / overseas
- かがく (kagaku) — science
- がいこう (gaikou) — diplomacy
- がいこく (gaikoku) — foreign country
- きが (kiga) — starvation / famine / hunger
- こうがい (kougai) — pollution / public nuisance / contamination
- こうがく (kougaku) — engineering
How to Write が (ga) in Hiragana
The hiragana character が is romanized as "ga" and is written with 5 strokes. Like "ga" in "garden". Example word: がっこう (gakkou) — school.
Stroke Order for が
When writing が, follow the numbered stroke order shown in the reference character above. Japanese characters are generally written from left to right and top to bottom. Correct stroke order improves readability and writing speed.
Practice Tips
- Print this sheet on standard 8.5" × 11" letter paper
- Start by tracing the light grey guide characters in the first column
- Then practice writing が freehand in the empty squares
- Pay attention to stroke direction and order — follow the numbered guide
- For interactive practice with animations, visit the main study page
About Hiragana
Hiragana is one of the three Japanese writing systems. It consists of 46 basic characters, each representing a syllable. Hiragana is used for native Japanese words, grammar particles, and verb endings. Learning correct stroke order is essential for proper Japanese handwriting.