う (u), hiragana basic
う
u
Vowel u
hiraganabasic2 strokes
Stroke order
Pronunciation
Raise the back of your tongue and keep your lips much less rounded than for English oo. Make one short, steady vowel.
katakana counterpart
Words with う
海うみsea; ocean
売るうるsell
上うえabove; on top
How to remember it
うImagine someone bowing beneath a small floating hat. Follow the long lower curve as you say u.
Where it comes from
宇う
う developed from the cursive writing of 宇. Its rounded shape reflects handwriting, not the modern printed outline of the kanji.