ほ (ho)
Pronunciation
The character ほ represents the syllable 'ho', a soft 'h' followed by 'o'. Part of the は-row. Take care: ほ closely resembles は but has an extra horizontal stroke at the top — that's the visual difference.
Stroke-by-Stroke Guide
ほ is written in four strokes. Stroke 1: a short vertical line on the left, slanting slightly. Stroke 2: a short horizontal line that crosses through stroke 1 in the upper portion. Stroke 3: a second short horizontal line below stroke 2, parallel to it. Stroke 4: a long curving stroke on the right side that begins above the horizontals, sweeps down through them, and curves around to form a closed loop on the lower right with a small tail.
Common Words with ほ
- さきほど (sakihodo) — a short while ago / a moment ago / just now
- なるほど (naruhodo) — I see / that's right / indeed
- ほ (ho) — ear / head / spike
- ほし (hoshi) — star / planet / heavenly body
- ほね (hone) — bone
- ほのお (honoo) — flame / blaze
- ほり (hori) — moat / fosse
- ほど (hodo) — extent / degree / measure
- ほたる (hotaru) — firefly / lightning bug / glowworm
- ほか (hoka) — another place / some other place / somewhere else
- ほとけ (hotoke) — Buddha / Shakyamuni
- ほん (hon) — book / volume / script
- こくほう (kokuhou) — national treasure
- たいほ (taiho) — arrest / apprehension / capture
- たいほう (taihou) — gun / cannon / artillery
- ふほう (fuhou) — unlawful / illegal
- ほうい (houi) — siege / encirclement / envelopment
- ほうかい (houkai) — collapse / crumbling / breaking down
- ほうき (houki) — abandonment / renouncement / renunciation
- ほうこう (houkou) — direction / orientation / bearing
How to Write ほ (ho) in Hiragana
The hiragana character ほ is romanized as "ho" and is written with 4 strokes. Like "ho" in "hope". Example word: ほん (hon) — book.
Stroke Order for ほ
When writing ほ, 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 ほ 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.