so / そ
The last of the S row — a quick two-stroke 'so' that opens words for sky, sushi-sides, and the all-purpose interjection 'so'.
Pronunciation
The character そ represents the syllable 'so', a soft 's' followed by 'o'. Part of the さ-row. The shape has a distinctive zigzag or lightning-bolt flow.
そ closes the S row and appears in the demonstrative そこ (there), the casual interjection そう ("that's right", "oh"), and dozens of nouns (空 sky, 外 outside in compound forms). It's also the source of the polite ending 〜そう (it seems / it looks). The shape has two clear variants — a single flowing stroke vs. two — and your handwriting can use either.
How to write そ
Trace そ 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 curved stroke at the top — a small accent shape, sometimes detached. In some fonts and handwritings this is fused into a single bigger stroke.
A long flowing stroke that begins just below the first, zigzags down through the middle (with sharp angles or a smooth wave depending on the style), and ends with a flowing curve to the lower left. The zigzag is そ's distinctive motion.
Origin
Hiragana そ traces back to the cursive form of the kanji 曽 (so) — meaning "former" or "once." The kanji's stacked square layers compressed into the zigzagging body of そ; the small top accent preserves what's left of the kanji's uppermost crown.
Common words starting with そ
Printable practice sheet
Print this worksheet to practice writing そ by hand — the top row shows the stroke order to trace, then fill the blank squares.
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