に (ni)
Pronunciation
The character に represents the syllable 'ni', a soft 'n' followed by 'i'. Part of the な-row. The particle に ('to', 'at', 'in') is one of the most common words in Japanese.
Stroke-by-Stroke Guide
に is written in three strokes. Stroke 1: a short vertical line on the left, slanting slightly. Stroke 2: a short horizontal line on the right, near the top. Stroke 3: a longer horizontal line on the right, near the bottom, parallel to stroke 2. The character has a balanced two-part structure: a short vertical on the left, two parallel horizontals on the right.
Common Words with に
- いちにち (ichinichi) — one day
- はじめに (hajimeni) — first / firstly / first of all
- におい (nioi) — smell / scent / odour
- あに (ani) — older brother / elder brother
- おに (oni) — ogre / demon / oni
- くに (kuni) — country / state
- たに (tani) — valley / ravine / gorge
- なに (nani) — what
- に (ni) — two / 2
- にく (niku) — flesh
- にし (nishi) — west
- にじ (niji) — rainbow
- にせ (nise) — imitation / fake / phony
- にわ (niwa) — garden / yard / courtyard
- にわとり (niwatori) — chicken / domestic chicken
- かに (kani) — crab
- すでに (sudeni) — already
- つねに (tsuneni) — always / constantly / at all times
- とくに (tokuni) — particularly / especially / in particular
- にかい (nikai) — second floor / upstairs
How to Write に (ni) in Hiragana
The hiragana character に is romanized as "ni" and is written with 3 strokes. Like "nee" in "knee". Example word: にほん (nihon) — Japan.
Stroke Order for に
When writing に, 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 に 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.