pu / プ
The middle of the P row — フ with a handakuten becomes “pu.” Opens pool, pro, and plus.
Pronunciation
The character プ represents the syllable 'pu'. It is フ with the handakuten that hardens 'f' to 'p'. Common in loanwords for pool, pro, program, plus, plastic, cup, soup, and many compounds.
プ is フ (fu) plus the handakuten ゜. It opens loanwords like プール (pool), プロ (pro), プログラム (program), プラス (plus), and ends カップ (cup), グループ (group). One stroke plus a circle.
How to write プ
Trace プ 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 フ exactly: a single stroke across the top, then turning and sweeping down to the lower left.
Add the handakuten (゜): a single small circle at the upper right — stroke 2 — above the body.
Origin
Katakana プ shares its shape with フ, from the kanji 不 (“not”). The handakuten ゜ turns “fu” into “pu.”
Common words starting with プ
Printable practice sheet
Print this worksheet to practice writing プ 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 katakana you’ve learned with spaced-repetition flashcards — the fastest way to make them stick.