Some hiragana characters look nearly identical to beginners. Mixing them up is one of the most common early mistakes — but once you know the specific differences, they become easy to distinguish.
The Most Confused Pairs
め (me) vs ぬ (nu)
Both have a similar loop, but め has a loop that opens on the right side, while ぬ has a complete loop AND a tail that extends outward.
- め = me (as in めがね, megane — glasses)
- ぬ = nu (as in ぬいぐるみ, nuigurumi — stuffed animal)
- Tip: ぬ has a longer bottom stroke that curls into a tail
わ (wa) vs ね (ne) vs れ (re)
- わ (wa): The right side is a simple curve downward
- ね (ne): Has a loop at the bottom — like ね looks like it has a belly button
- れ (re): Similar to ね but the bottom stroke curves away without a full loop
- Memory tip: ね has a closed loop (a belly), れ has an open tail
る (ru) vs ろ (ro)
- る (ru): Has a tail that curls around and extends — like a 6 with a tail
- ろ (ro): Ends cleanly without a long extending tail
- Tip: る has a “tail” that extends past the loop, ろ stops short
い (i) vs り (ri)
- い (i): Two separate strokes of similar height
- り (ri): The first stroke is taller, the second has a slight hook at the bottom
- Tip: り leans — like someone slanting
き (ki) vs さ (sa)
- き (ki): Has four strokes — two horizontal lines crossed with a vertical, plus a curved bottom line connecting to a separate tail
- さ (sa): Has three strokes — two crossed lines and a curved bottom
- Tip: き has an extra line at the top
は (ha) vs ほ (ho)
- は (ha): The right side has two strokes — a curve up then a separate hook down
- ほ (ho): The right side has TWO crossing strokes — like a cross with loops
- Tip: ほ looks more complex / full on the right
Quick Reference Table
| Pair | Key Difference | Memory Trick |
|---|---|---|
| め vs ぬ | ぬ has a long curling tail | ぬ = noodle (long tail!) |
| わ vs ね vs れ | ね has closed loop, れ has open tail, わ is simple | ね = belly (closed loop) |
| る vs ろ | る has a long tail, ろ stops short | る = rounding off with a tail |
| い vs り | り has a hook, い is even | り = leaning person |
| は vs ほ | ほ has more strokes on right | ほ = more = ho (more letters) |
Practice
Try reading these minimal pairs aloud:
- めがね (megane, glasses) vs ぬいぐるみ (nuigurumi, stuffed animal)
- ねこ (neko, cat) vs れんしゅう (renshuu, practice)
- わたし (watashi, I/me) vs ねがい (negai, wish/request)
Yuka & Rei Tackle the Trickiest Hiragana
Learning kana feels abstract until you see how real learners talk about it. Here is Yuka working through the tricky parts — and Rei making the explanations click. Their questions are probably the same ones you have.
YukaRei, I keep mixing up は and ほ, and also ぬ and め. They look so similar to me!
ReiVery common! For は vs ほ: は has a horizontal bar crossing the vertical stroke; ほ has an additional loop on the right. For ぬ vs め: ぬ has a loop at the top right; め is rounder and more symmetrical. Try writing them side by side and exaggerate the difference.
YukaWhat about ね and れ? They look almost identical to me.
Reiね has a loop that closes on the bottom right. れ has a tail that sweeps out to the right without closing into a loop. Writing them with a pencil (not just reading) is the fastest way to feel the difference. Your hand remembers what your eyes miss.
5 Practice Examples — Read These Aloud
These examples use the characters from this article in real words. Say each one aloud and try to recall the article’s rules as you read.
- は (ha) vs ほ (ho) — Look for the extra loop on ほ
- ぬ (nu) vs め (me) — ぬ has a looped right side; め is balanced
- ね (ne) vs れ (re) — ね closes its loop; れ has an open tail
- さ (sa) vs き (ki) — き has three horizontal strokes; さ has two
- わ (wa) vs ね (ne) — わ is simpler on the right side
Your Turn! Write Your Own Example in the Comments
The fastest way to remember kana is to write words you already know in Japanese script. Try writing your name, your hometown, or your favourite food using the characters from this article.
Share what you wrote in the comments — other learners will see it, and writing for an audience makes the learning stick twice as fast. Log in to save your comment history and join the Top Commenters ranking!
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