shu / シュ
The middle SH combined kana — シ plus a small ュ becomes “shu.” Opens shoot, sugar, and snorkel.
Pronunciation
The compound character シュ represents the syllable 'shu', formed by combining シ (shi) with a small ュ. Common in loanwords for shoot, sugar, mushroom, shredder, snorkel.
シュ is シ (shi) plus a small ュ, read as one syllable, “shu.” It opens loanwords like シュート (shoot), シュガー (sugar), シュノーケル (snorkel), and appears in マッシュルーム (mushroom).
How to write シュ
Trace シュ 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 シ exactly: two short marks down the left side, then a long stroke sweeping up from the lower left to the upper right.
Write a small ュ tucked into the lower right at about half height — a miniature ユ (a top-and-right turn, then a base bar).
Origin
Katakana シュ combines シ — from the kanji 之 (shi) — with a small ュ (reduced ユ, from 由). Together they spell a single “shu” sound.
Common words starting with シュ
Printable practice sheet
Print this worksheet to practice writing シュ 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.