Overview: The Final Rows of Hiragana
After mastering the A, K, S, T, and N rows, these five rows complete the hiragana syllabary. They include some of the trickiest characters for beginners — especially the R-row (which has no English equivalent) and some lookalikes in the H/W rows.
H Row (は行): ha, hi, fu, he, ho
| Hiragana | Romaji | Strokes | Memory tip | Example word |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| は | ha | 3 | Looks like a person with a bent leg. | はな (hana) = flower |
| ひ | hi | 1 | One sweeping loop — like the number 6 flipped. | ひと (hito) = person |
| ふ | fu | 4 | Four separate strokes forming an open shape. The sound is between “fu” and “hu”. | ふゆ (fuyu) = winter |
| へ | he | 1 | One stroke — looks like a mountain peak or the letter A without the crossbar. SAME SHAPE as katakana ヘ. | へや (heya) = room |
| ほ | ho | 4 | Like は but with an extra small loop on the bottom right. | ほん (hon) = book |
Note: は (ha) and へ (he) act as particles when used grammatically — pronounced “wa” and “e” in particle use, not “ha” and “he”.
M Row (ま行): ma, mi, mu, me, mo
| Hiragana | Romaji | Strokes | Memory tip | Example word |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ま | ma | 3 | Two horizontals with a final curving diagonal. | まち (machi) = town |
| み | mi | 2 | Two strokes; the right one has a small rightward hook at the bottom. | みず (mizu) = water |
| む | mu | 3 | Starts like a の, ends with a small hook. Watch the direction — it goes LEFT then curves. | むずかしい (muzukashii) = difficult |
| め | me | 2 | A loop that closes on the right — often confused with ぬ (nu). め’s loop stays inside. | め (me) = eye |
| も | mo | 3 | Two horizontals → one big curve going right-down. | もの (mono) = thing |
Y Row (や行): ya, yu, yo
Only three characters — yi and ye are not used in standard Japanese:
| Hiragana | Romaji | Example word |
|---|---|---|
| や | ya | やすい (yasui) = cheap/easy |
| ゆ | yu | ゆき (yuki) = snow |
| よ | yo | よる (yoru) = night |
Small versions (ゃ ゅ ょ) are used in yoon combinations like きゃ, しゅ, にょ.
R Row (ら行): ra, ri, ru, re, ro
The Japanese R sound is not like English R or L — it’s a light tap of the tongue tip against the ridge behind the upper teeth, somewhere between R and L:
| Hiragana | Romaji | Memory tip | Example word |
|---|---|---|---|
| ら | ra | Looks like ろ with an extra stroke on top-left. | らいねん (rainen) = next year |
| り | ri | Two strokes; the right one has a downward tail at the bottom. Similar to い but the tail hooks down. | りんご (ringo) = apple |
| る | ru | One stroke with a small closed loop at the end. Don’t forget the loop! | たべる (taberu) = to eat |
| れ | re | Two strokes; the second crosses left and curves right — NO loop (unlike ね). | れいぞうこ (reizouko) = refrigerator |
| ろ | ro | One or two strokes; an open shape with no loop at the end (unlike る). | ろうか (rouka) = hallway/corridor |
W Row and ん (wa, wo, n)
| Hiragana | Romaji | Notes | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| わ | wa | Two strokes; looks like れ but the second stroke doesn’t cross the first. | わたし (watashi) = I/me |
| を | wo | Three strokes; used almost exclusively as the object particle を. Pronounced “o”. | ほんを よむ (hon wo yomu) = to read a book |
| ん | n | One stroke; the only standalone consonant in Japanese. Can end a syllable. | にほん (nihon) = Japan |
Practice Reading — H, M, Y, R, W Words
Read the following words aloud without looking at the romaji first:
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| はるやすみ | haruyasumi | spring vacation |
| みかん | mikan | tangerine |
| ゆうびんきょく | yuubinkyoku | post office |
| りょうり | ryouri | cooking / cuisine |
| わかる | wakaru | to understand |
Yuka & Rei Finish the Hiragana Chart
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’m on the last rows of hiragana — は、ま、や、ら、わ. Any tricks for these?
ReiThe ら row (ra-ri-ru-re-ro) trips many people because the ‘r’ sound doesn’t exist in English. It’s between L and R — place your tongue behind your upper teeth and flick it. Like a very light ‘d’ or ‘l’. Listen to native speakers say らりるれろ and imitate obsessively.
YukaAnd わ row — isn’t it tiny? Just wa and wo?
ReiYes! The わ row in modern Japanese is just わ (wa) and を (wo/o). を is only used as the object particle — you’ll see it constantly in sentences but it’s always a particle, never in the middle of a word. Once you know that, を becomes easy to spot and read.
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.
- らいねん (rainen) — next year (ら row)
- はる (haru) — spring (は row)
- やすみ (yasumi) — day off / rest (や row)
- まいにち (mainichi) — every day (ま row)
- わたしはりんごをたべます。
I eat an apple. (わ = topic marker; を = object marker)
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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