と (to)
Pronunciation
The character と represents the syllable 'to', a hard 't' followed by 'o'. Part of the た-row.
Stroke-by-Stroke Guide
と is written in two strokes. Stroke 1: a short diagonal mark on the left, like a small dash slanting from upper right to lower left. Stroke 2: a long curving line that begins at the top, descends vertically, curves to the right at the bottom, and ends with a small upward hook on the lower right. The two strokes together form a balanced, hooked shape.
Common Words with と
- あしあと (ashiato) — footprints
- ともだち (tomodachi) — friend / companion
- ひとり (hitori) — one person
- とまる (tomaru) — to stop / to come to a stop
- とおか (tooka) — 10th day of the month
- とらえる (toraeru) — to catch / to capture / to seize
- ひとりごと (hitorigoto) — soliloquy / monologue / speaking to oneself
- どくとく (dokutoku) — peculiarity / uniqueness / characteristic
- あと (ato) — trace / tracks / mark
- いと (ito) — thread / yarn / string
- 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
- こと (koto) — thing / matter
- そと (soto) — outside / exterior
- と (to) — door
- とう (tou) — tower / steeple / spire
- とうげ (touge) — pass / highest point on a mountain road / ridge
- とき (toki) — time / hour / moment
How to Write と (to) in Hiragana
The hiragana character と is romanized as "to" and is written with 2 strokes. Like "to" in "told". Example word: ともだち (tomodachi) — friend.
Stroke Order for と
When writing と, 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 と 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.