て (te)
Pronunciation
The character て represents the syllable 'te', a hard 't' followed by 'e' as in 'pet'. Part of the た-row.
Stroke-by-Stroke Guide
て is written in a single stroke. Begin in the upper left with a short horizontal line, then sweep down and to the right in a long flowing diagonal that curves toward the bottom, ending with a slight upward hook on the lower left. The shape resembles a 'tee' tilted to the right.
Common Words with て
- てがかり (tegakari) — clue / lead / key
- はじめて (hajimete) — for the first time
- たて (tate) — the vertical / height
- て (te) — hand / arm
- てき (teki) — opponent / rival / adversary
- おもて (omote) — surface
- てのひら (tenohira) — palm
- てら (tera) — temple
- てん (ten) — sky
- あいて (aite) — companion / partner / company
- かたて (katate) — one hand
- かって (katte) — one's own convenience / one's way / selfishness
- かてい (katei) — home / household / family
- きって (kitte) — stamp
- けってい (kettei) — decision / determination
- げきてき (gekiteki) — dramatic / exciting / touching
- こうてい (koutei) — affirmation
- さいてい (saitei) — least / lowest / minimum
- してき (shiteki) — pointing out / identification
- してつ (shitetsu) — private railway
How to Write て (te) in Hiragana
The hiragana character て is romanized as "te" and is written with 1 stroke. Like "te" in "tell". Example word: てがみ (tegami) — letter.
Stroke Order for て
When writing て, 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 て 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.