How to Write て (Hiragana 'te') — Stroke Order, Readings & Printable Worksheet
Master the 1-stroke writing sequence of the Hiragana (ひらがな) (Foundational Japanese Kana Syllabary) character て (“Hiragana 'te'”), indexed under the て (—) radical. Practice て alongside high-frequency Japanese Jukugo compounds such as てがみ (tegami — letter).
🔍 Radical & Component Breakdown (て)
Primary Radical (部首): て — —
Curriculum & Reading Usage: Foundational Japanese Kana Syllabary (Hiragana (ひらがな)). As a phonetic Hiragana (ひらがな) syllable pronounced "te", て represents a fixed mora sound rather than splitting into Onyomi and Kunyomi readings.
Genkō Yōshi Proportions (1画): With only 1 stroke, て is a foundational shape where center-of-gravity alignment on the Genkō Yōshi (原稿用紙) crosshairs is immediately visible. Anchor the て (—) 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), て conveys the core meaning “Hiragana 'te'” and is built around the て (—) radical across 1 strokes (foundational low-stroke shape (1–5 strokes)). Reinforce て in memory by pairing its radical structure with real Jukugo vocabulary: てがみ (tegami — letter).
Common Japanese Words & Jukugo Using て
Frequently Asked Questions About Kanji て (FAQ)
How many strokes are in て and how is it structured?
The Japanese character て ("Hiragana 'te'") 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 て (—) radical. With only 1 stroke, て is a foundational shape where center-of-gravity alignment on the Genkō Yōshi (原稿用紙) crosshairs is immediately visible. Anchor the て (—) 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 て?
For て (Hiragana (ひらがな)), the Onyomi is — and the Kunyomi is te. As a phonetic Hiragana (ひらがな) syllable pronounced "te", て represents a fixed mora sound rather than splitting into Onyomi and Kunyomi readings. High-frequency Japanese vocabulary using て includes てがみ (tegami — letter).
What is the stroke order rule for writing て on Genkō Yōshi paper?
When writing the 1 strokes of て (Hiragana 'te'), start with the て (—) and follow standard Japanese Hitsujun (筆順) principles: top to bottom (上から下) and left to right (左から右). Practice て 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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