How to Write く (Hiragana 'ku') — Stroke Order, Readings & Printable Worksheet
Master the 1-stroke writing sequence of the Hiragana (ひらがな) (Foundational Japanese Kana Syllabary) character く (“Hiragana 'ku'”), indexed under the く (—) radical. Practice く alongside high-frequency Japanese Jukugo compounds such as くるま (kuruma — car).
🔍 Radical & Component Breakdown (く)
Primary Radical (部首): く — —
Curriculum & Reading Usage: Foundational Japanese Kana Syllabary (Hiragana (ひらがな)). As a phonetic Hiragana (ひらがな) syllable pronounced "ku", く represents a fixed mora sound rather than splitting into Onyomi and Kunyomi readings.
Genkō Yōshi Proportions (1画): With only 1 stroke, く is a foundational shape where center-of-gravity alignment on the Genkō Yōshi (原稿用紙) crosshairs is immediately visible. Anchor the く (—) structure cleanly around the center intersection and finish terminal strokes with crisp tome (stop) or harai (sweep) release.
📜 Etymology & Mnemonic Insight (六書 / Rikusho)
In Hiragana (ひらがな) (Foundational Japanese Kana Syllabary), く conveys the core meaning “Hiragana 'ku'” and is built around the く (—) radical across 1 strokes (foundational low-stroke shape (1–5 strokes)). Reinforce く in memory by pairing its radical structure with real Jukugo vocabulary: くるま (kuruma — car).
Common Japanese Words & Jukugo Using く
Frequently Asked Questions About Kanji く (FAQ)
How many strokes are in く and how is it structured?
The Japanese character く ("Hiragana 'ku'") is written with 1 stroke (1画) as a Hiragana (ひらがな) (Foundational Japanese Kana Syllabary) foundational low-stroke shape (1–5 strokes) indexed under the く (—) radical. With only 1 stroke, く is a foundational shape where center-of-gravity alignment on the Genkō Yōshi (原稿用紙) crosshairs is immediately visible. Anchor the く (—) structure cleanly around the center intersection and finish terminal strokes with crisp tome (stop) or harai (sweep) release.
What are the Onyomi, Kunyomi, and Jukugo words for く?
For く (Hiragana (ひらがな)), the Onyomi is — and the Kunyomi is ku. As a phonetic Hiragana (ひらがな) syllable pronounced "ku", く represents a fixed mora sound rather than splitting into Onyomi and Kunyomi readings. High-frequency Japanese vocabulary using く includes くるま (kuruma — car).
What is the stroke order rule for writing く on Genkō Yōshi paper?
When writing the 1 strokes of く (Hiragana 'ku'), start with the く (—) and follow standard Japanese Hitsujun (筆順) principles: top to bottom (上から下) and left to right (左から右). Practice く interactively on the Kanji Scribe canvas or print a free A4 Genkō Yōshi PDF worksheet.
More Hiragana (ひらがな) Characters to Practice Next
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