わ (wa)
Pronunciation
The character わ represents the syllable 'wa', a soft 'w' followed by 'a' as in 'father'. It is the first character of the わ-row. The particle は is also pronounced 'wa' when used as the topic marker — but the character わ is distinct from は. Take care: わ shares its left side with ね and れ.
Stroke-by-Stroke Guide
わ is written in two strokes. Stroke 1: a short vertical line on the left, slanting slightly. Stroke 2: a long flowing curving stroke that begins at the top right, sweeps down through the middle, curves down and to the right at the bottom, and ends with a smooth tail extending toward the lower right. Unlike ね (which loops closed) or れ (which hooks up), わ flows openly to the lower right.
Common Words with わ
- わるくち (warukuchi) — abuse / speaking ill of people / bad-mouthing
- かわいそう (kawaisou) — poor / pitiable / pathetic
- まわる (mawaru) — to turn / to rotate / to revolve
- わかる (wakaru) — to understand / to comprehend / to grasp
- あわ (awa) — bubble / foam / froth
- いわ (iwa) — rock / boulder
- うつわ (utsuwa) — bowl / vessel / container
- うわさ (uwasa) — rumour / rumor / report
- かわ (kawa) — river / stream
- なわ (nawa) — rope / cord
- にわ (niwa) — garden / yard / courtyard
- にわとり (niwatori) — chicken / domestic chicken
- わ (wa) — ring / circle / loop
- わき (waki) — armpit / under one's arm / side
- わく (waku) — frame / framework
- わけ (wake) — reason / cause / grounds
- わざ (waza) — technique / art / skill
- わた (wata) — cotton plant
- わたし (watashi) — I / me
- わん (wan) — bay / gulf / inlet
How to Write わ (wa) in Hiragana
The hiragana character わ is romanized as "wa" and is written with 2 strokes. Like "wa" in "wand". Example word: わたし (watashi) — I/me.
Stroke Order for わ
When writing わ, 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 わ 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.