お (o)
Pronunciation
The character お represents the vowel 'o', pronounced like the 'o' in 'oh' or the Spanish 'o'. It is one of the five basic Japanese vowels. The sound is short and clean — extended in writing by adding う (おう, often heard as a long 'oh' sound).
Stroke-by-Stroke Guide
お is written in three strokes. Stroke 1: a short horizontal line near the top, written from left to right. Stroke 2: a long vertical line that crosses through the first stroke and curves around at the bottom, forming a closed loop on the lower left. Stroke 3: a small detached mark on the upper right — a short curving stroke that adds the distinctive 'tail' of お. This third stroke is what visually distinguishes お from あ.
Common Words with お
- おくりもの (okurimono) — present / gift
- とおか (tooka) — 10th day of the month
- かおつき (kaotsuki) — looks / features / face
- におい (nioi) — smell / scent / odour
- お (o) — tail / cauda
- おか (oka) — hill / height / knoll
- おく (oku) — inner part / interior / back
- かお (kao) — face / visage / looks
- しお (shio) — salt / common salt / table salt
- おっと (otto) — husband
- おと (oto) — sound / noise
- おとうと (otouto) — younger brother / little brother / kid brother
- おとこ (otoko) — man / male
- おに (oni) — ogre / demon / oni
- なお (nao) — still / yet
- ほのお (honoo) — flame / blaze
- おもて (omote) — surface
- おもむき (omomuki) — meaning / tenor / gist
- おや (oya) — parent / parents / mother and father
- おれ (ore) — I / me
How to Write お (o) in Hiragana
The hiragana character お is romanized as "o" and is written with 3 strokes. Like "o" in "go", but shorter. Example word: おかね (okane) — money.
Stroke Order for お
When writing お, 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 お 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.