za / ザ
The first of the Z row — サ with a dakuten (゛) becomes “za.” Seen in pizza, design, and plaza.
Pronunciation
The character ザ represents the syllable 'za'. It is サ with the dakuten that voices 's' to 'z'. Less common than other 'z' katakana — most loanwords use ジ (ji), ズ (zu), or ゼ (ze) — but appears in some everyday words like pizza and design.
ザ is サ (sa) plus the dakuten ゛ — two ticks that voice “s” into “z.” It appears in loanwords like ピザ (pizza), デザイン (design), デザート (dessert), プラザ (plaza).
How to write ザ
Trace ザ 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 サ exactly: a horizontal bar, a short vertical through it just left of centre, then a longer stroke curving down from the upper right.
Add the dakuten (゛): two small ticks at the upper right — strokes 4 and 5 — sitting above the body as a separate mark.
Origin
Katakana ザ shares its shape with サ, clipped from the kanji 散 (san, “to scatter”). The dakuten ゛ is a later mark that voices “sa” into “za.”
Common words starting with ザ
Printable practice sheet
Print this worksheet to practice writing ザ 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.