ja / じゃ
The first J combined kana — じ plus a small ゃ becomes 'ja'. The casual copula 'isn't' (じゃない) and the conversation-closer 'well then' (じゃあ).
Pronunciation
The compound character じゃ represents the syllable 'ja', formed by combining じ (ji) with a small ゃ. The dakuten on じ voices the consonant from 'sh' to 'j'. It is pronounced as a single syllable 'ja' (like the 'ja' in 'jacket').
じゃ is じ (ji) plus a small ゃ (ya). Together they make a single syllable /ja/ — sounding exactly like English "ja" in jar. It's one of the most-used kana sequences in spoken Japanese, anchoring the casual copula: じゃない ("isn't / aren't", contracted from ではない), じゃ (the casual copula contraction of では), じゃあ ("well then / see you / so" — used to open and close conversations, and as a soft transition word). It also anchors 邪魔 (jama, "a bother / hindrance") and 蛇 (hebi, "snake" — but じゃ in compound forms like 蛇口 jaguchi, "faucet").
How to write じゃ
Trace じゃ 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.
Write じ exactly: three strokes for し plus the dakuten ゛ — three strokes (one for し, two for the ticks).
Write a small ゃ next to じ, tucked into the lower right. Stroke 4 is a short slanted dash; stroke 5 is the looping body; stroke 6 is the tiny upper-right accent. Keep ゃ at roughly half the height of じ.
Origin
じゃ is the written combination of じ (し + dakuten ゛, from 之 shi) and a small や (from 也, ya). The /ja/ sound is everywhere in spoken Japanese — most often as the contracted casual copula じゃ (from では), one of the most-used grammatical morphemes in the entire language.
Common words starting with じゃ
Printable practice sheet
Print this worksheet to practice writing じゃ by hand — the top row shows the stroke order to trace, then fill the blank squares.
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