a / あ
The first character in the Japanese syllabary — and one of the most common sounds you'll meet in spoken and written Japanese.
Pronunciation
The character あ represents the vowel sound 'a', pronounced like the 'a' in 'father' or the Spanish 'a'. It is one of the five basic Japanese vowels and one of the most frequently used sounds in the language. The sound is short and crisp — never drawn out unless explicitly doubled (ああ).
It anchors the あ-column (あ, か, さ, た, な…) and leads the five vowels あいうえお. A single あ is one mora, one beat; doubled (ああ) it holds for two — a length distinction that can change a word's meaning.
How to write あ
Trace あ on the canvas at the top of the page. Animated arrows show each stroke's direction; trace along them and the stroke fills in. Each numbered step below explains what that stroke does.
A short, slightly slanted horizontal line near the top. Draw left to right — it acts as a “lid” for the rest of the character.
A long vertical line that crosses the first stroke and curves toward the lower left as it descends. Start above the horizontal, exit below it.
The signature stroke: a sweeping curve from the upper right that loops down around stroke 2's tail and ends with a small inward hook on the lower left. Take your time — beginners flatten it.
Origin
Hiragana あ evolved from the cursive form of the kanji 安 (an) — “peace” or “safety.” Centuries of handwriting by Heian-era scribes, especially women excluded from formal kanji study, rounded its sharp strokes into the soft, looping shape we use today.
Common words starting with あ
Printable practice sheet
Print this worksheet to practice writing あ by hand — the top row shows the stroke order to trace, then fill the blank squares.
Lock it into memory
Reading is only half of it. Drill the hiragana you’ve learned with spaced-repetition flashcards — the fastest way to make them stick.