zu / ズ
The middle of the Z row — ス with a dakuten becomes “zu.” Opens trousers, and ends quiz, size, goods.
Pronunciation
The character ズ represents the syllable 'zu'. It is ス with the dakuten that voices 's' to 'z'. Common in loanwords — especially as the plural ending '-s' borrowed from English (jeans, goods, news).
ズ is ス (su) plus the dakuten ゛. It opens ズボン (trousers) and ends a great many loanwords: クイズ (quiz), サイズ (size), グッズ (goods), ジーンズ (jeans). Same ス shape, voiced to “zu.”
How to write ズ
Trace ズ 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 ス exactly: a stroke across the top sweeping down to the lower left, then a short diagonal leg to the lower right.
Add the dakuten (゛): two small ticks at the upper right — strokes 3 and 4 — sitting above the body.
Origin
Katakana ズ shares its shape with ス, a fragment of the kanji 須 (su). The dakuten ゛ voices “su” into “zu.”
Common words starting with ズ
Printable practice sheet
Print this worksheet to practice writing ズ 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.