ン (n), katakana basic
ン
n
Nasal sound · one full beat
katakanabasic2 strokes
Stroke order
Pronunciation
This nasal sound takes a full beat of its own. Its tongue and lip position changes with the sound that follows; it is not always an English n.
hiragana counterpart
Similar characters
Words with ン
パンbread
ラーメンramen
How to remember it
ンA short stroke is on the left, and the long stroke sweeps upward from lower left to upper right. Compare ソ, whose long stroke goes downward.
Where it comes from
爾ン
The origin of ン is uncertain. One explanation links it to 尓, an older form of 爾 shown here; another links it to a mark used for the nasal sound.