Skip to content

ツ (tsu), katakana basic

tsu

タ row · u column

katakanabasic3 strokes

Stroke order

Pronunciation

Start with t and release straight into s, then add the Japanese u. The ts belongs at the start of one syllable; do not add a vowel between t and s.

hiragana counterpart

Variants

Similar characters

Words with ツ

organized tour
canned tuna

How to remember it

The two short strokes sit across the top. The long stroke moves down toward the lower left. Picture drops falling toward a wave: tsu. Compare シ.

Where it comes from

ツ is traditionally traced to a simplified form of 川. The two short strokes sit above the long descending stroke.