Hiragana: か to た Rows

You know the five vowels. Now for the consonant rows: か, さ, and た.

か行: The k-sounds

▶Listen to か (ka)

Hiragana	Source kanji	Mandarin	Meaning
か	加	jiā	add
き	幾	jǐ	how many (classical)
く	久	jiǔ	long time
け	計	jì	plan, measure
こ	己	jǐ	self

加 (add) appears in 加拿大 (Canada). 久 (long time) in 很久. 计 in simplified equals 計, as in 计划 (plan). 己 in 自己 (oneself).

Memory Trick 記憶のコツ

• く from 久: one stroke. 久’s final sweeping stroke is く. This is the easiest origin to see.
• け from 計: the left 言 radical vanished, leaving the right half. Compare 計’s right side to け.
• き from 幾: the bottom loops of 幾 became き’s distinctive key shape with a tail.

What sound does か make?

A. kaB. kiC. kuD. ke

Which kanji is く derived from?

A. 久 (long time)B. 加 (add)C. 計 (plan)D. 己 (self)

かClick to reveal

kakaFrom 加 (jiā, add)

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さ行: The s-sounds

▶Listen to さ (sa)

Hiragana	Source kanji	Mandarin	Meaning
さ	左	zuǒ	left
し	之	zhī	of, this (classical)
す	寸	cùn	inch, tiny amount
せ	世	shì	world, generation
そ	曽	céng / zēng	formerly, once

左 (left) and 右 (right) are a pair most people learn early. 之 shows up in classical Chinese (之一, 之后). 寸 is a unit of measure. 世 in 世界 (world). 曾 (simplified 曾) in 曾经 (once upon a time).

Memory Trick 記憶のコツ

• し from 之: the flowing curve of 之 became し, one continuous brushstroke.
• せ from 世: 世’s three horizontal lines collapsed. The middle stroke of 世 is still visible in せ.
• さ from 左: the 工 part of 左 became さ’s angular body.

How is し correctly romanized?

A. shiB. siC. chiD. su

Which kanji is さ from?

A. 左 (left)B. 之 (classical 'of')C. 寸 (inch)D. 世 (world)

た行: The t-sounds

▶Listen to た (ta)

Hiragana	Source kanji	Mandarin	Meaning
た	太	tài	big, thick, too much
ち	知	zhī	to know
つ	川	chuān	river
て	天	tiān	heaven, sky
と	止	zhǐ	to stop

太 in 太太 (wife) and 太阳 (sun). 知 in 知道 (to know). 川 in 四川 and 山川. 天 in 天气 and 今天. 止 in 停止 (stop). Five very common characters, and now they are your hiragana anchors.

Memory Trick 記憶のコツ

• つ from 川: three strokes of 川 merged into one curl, like a river bending.
• て from 天: 天’s two strokes became て’s cross with a tail. The horizontal of 天 survives.
• た from 太: the dot of 太 became た’s small hook. See 大 with a tail?

What is the correct romaji for つ?

A. tsuB. tuC. chiD. su

さClick to reveal

sasaFrom 左 (zuǒ, left)

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Key takeaways

• Consonant rows follow a consistent pattern: consonant + vowel (ka, ki, ku, ke, ko)
• Some characters break standard romaji: し = shi, ち = chi, つ = tsu
• Every character in these rows comes from a kanji you likely know — 加, 左, 太, 知, 川, and more
• Use Mandarin vocabulary (安全, 世界, 知道) to anchor both sound and shape

Mark as CompleteNext: Hiragana: な to わ Rows →