ね (ne)
Pronunciation
The character ね represents the syllable 'ne', a soft 'n' followed by 'e' as in 'pet'. Part of the な-row. Take care: ね, れ, and わ all share a similar left-side structure but differ on the right — ね has a closed loop, れ has no loop, わ has a different rightward curve.
Stroke-by-Stroke Guide
ね is written in two strokes. Stroke 1: a short vertical line on the left, slanting slightly. Stroke 2: a long flowing curving stroke that begins at the top right, sweeps down through the middle, curves around to form a small closed loop on the lower right, and ends with a small upward tail. The closed loop is what visually distinguishes ね from れ and わ.
Common Words with ね
- あね (ane) — older sister / elder sister
- いね (ine) — rice plant
- かね (kane) — bell / chime
- きつね (kitsune) — fox
- ね (ne) — root
- ねこ (neko) — cat / feline
- ねつ (netsu) — heat
- はね (hane) — feather / plume / down
- ふね (fune) — ship / boat / watercraft
- ほね (hone) — bone
- みね (mine) — peak / summit / ridge
- むね (mune) — chest / breast
- おかね (okane) — money
- かきね (kakine) — hedge / fence
- つねに (tsuneni) — always / constantly / at all times
- ていねい (teinei) — polite / courteous / civil
- めがね (megane) — glasses / eyeglasses / spectacles
- やね (yane) — roof
- ねつれつ (netsuretsu) — ardent / passionate / vehement
- ねばり (nebari) — stickiness / viscosity
How to Write ね (ne) in Hiragana
The hiragana character ね is romanized as "ne" and is written with 2 strokes. Like "ne" in "net". Example word: ねこ (neko) — cat.
Stroke Order for ね
When writing ね, 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 ね 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.