た (ta)
Pronunciation
The character た represents the syllable 'ta', a hard 't' followed by 'a' as in 'father'. It is the first character of the た-row. The 't' sound is unaspirated — softer than the English 't'.
Stroke-by-Stroke Guide
た is written in four strokes. Stroke 1: a horizontal line at the top, written from left to right. Stroke 2: a long diagonal stroke that crosses through stroke 1 and curves down to the lower left. Stroke 3: a short horizontal stroke on the lower right side, like a small detached cross. Stroke 4: a short curving stroke just below stroke 3, forming a small closed shape on the lower right. The right side of た contains a compact two-stroke component.
Common Words with た
- たまご (tamago) — eggs / egg / spawn
- ごぶさた (gobusata) — not writing or contacting for a while / neglecting to write / long silence
- いためる (itameru) — to hurt / to injure / to cause pain
- かたまり (katamari) — lump / mass / bundle
- あたい (atai) — price / cost
- いた (ita) — board / plank
- うた (uta) — song / singing
- かた (kata) — type / style / model
- かたち (katachi) — form / shape / figure
- きた (kita) — north
- した (shita) — tongue
- すがた (sugata) — figure / form / shape
- たき (taki) — waterfall
- たけ (take) — bamboo
- たて (tate) — the vertical / height
- ただ (tada) — ordinary / common / usual
- かたな (katana) — sword / katana
- たな (tana) — shelf / ledge / rack
- たに (tani) — valley / ravine / gorge
- はた (hata) — flag
How to Write た (ta) in Hiragana
The hiragana character た is romanized as "ta" and is written with 4 strokes. Like "ta" in "tall". Example word: たべもの (tabemono) — food.
Stroke Order for た
When writing た, 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 た 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.