か (ka)
Pronunciation
The character か represents the syllable 'ka', a hard 'k' followed by 'a' as in 'father'. It is the first character of the か-row and is widely used in everyday Japanese vocabulary. The 'k' sound is unaspirated — softer than the English 'k'.
Stroke-by-Stroke Guide
か is written in three strokes. Stroke 1: a curved horizontal line at the top, sweeping from upper left down to the right with a slight hook at the end. Stroke 2: a long curved vertical line that crosses through the first stroke and curves to the lower left at the bottom. Stroke 3: a short detached stroke on the upper right, like a small comma — this gives か its characteristic accent.
Common Words with か
- てがかり (tegakari) — clue / lead / key
- かわいそう (kawaisou) — poor / pitiable / pathetic
- いつか (itsuka) — 5th day of the month
- とおか (tooka) — 10th day of the month
- ここのか (kokonoka) — 9th day of the month
- なかなか (nakanaka) — very / considerably / easily
- なのか (nanoka) — 7th day of the month
- ふつか (futsuka) — 2nd day of the month
- みっか (mikka) — 3rd day of the month
- むいか (muika) — 6th day of the month
- ようか (youka) — 8th day of the month
- よっか (yokka) — 4th day of the month
- かおつき (kaotsuki) — looks / features / face
- ちかづく (chikazuku) — to approach / to draw near / to get close
- でかける (dekakeru) — to go out / to leave / to depart
- わかる (wakaru) — to understand / to comprehend / to grasp
- さかな (sakana) — fish
- はつか (hatsuka) — 20th day of the month
- あかり (akari) — light / glow / gleam
- かたまり (katamari) — lump / mass / bundle
How to Write か (ka) in Hiragana
The hiragana character か is romanized as "ka" and is written with 3 strokes. Like "ka" in "car". Example word: かさ (kasa) — umbrella.
Stroke Order for か
When writing か, 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 か 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.