Tricky Hiragana: ね, れ, わ, ぬ, and め

In this installment of our Tricky Hiragana series, we are tackling not one, but two groups of characters that frequently trip up learners. We have the "vertical line trio" ね (ne), れ (re), わ (wa), and the "noodle pair" ぬ (nu) and め (me).

We are combining these into one study session to have enough characters for our quiz at the end. Also these two groups are somewhat similar in a sense. They rely on spotting the subtle differences at the end of the stroke.

Let's dive into the first group.

Group 1: The Z-Stroke Trio — ね (ne), れ (re), and わ (wa)

These three characters all start exactly the same way: with a vertical line on the left. The second stroke is also similar—a zig-zag "Z" shape that goes down. The critical difference is how they end.

• ね (ne): The stroke comes down and loops around at the end, like a little tail.
• れ (re): The stroke comes down and sweeps outward, curving up like a little slide.
• わ (wa): The stroke comes down and curves inward like a big belly. It doesn't loop, and it doesn't sweep out—it rounds off.

Quick check:

• Z-stroke with loop at the end? ね (ne)
• Z-stroke then sweeps outward? れ (re)
• Z-stroke but curves inward (big belly)? わ (wa)

Group 2: The Loopy Pair — ぬ (nu) and め (me)

This second pair is completely different from the first group but just as confusing. They don't have the initial vertical line. Instead, they look like a jumble of crossed strokes, often compared to noodles or pretzels.

The distinction here is surprisingly similar to the first group: it's all about the loop (or lack thereof).

• ぬ (nu): This character is curvy and complex, and importantly, it has a loop at the very end of the tail.
• め (me): This character looks almost identical to ぬ (nu), but it does not have a loop at the end. The stroke just stops or fades slightly.

Quick check:

• Pretzel with a loop at the end? ぬ (nu)
• Pretzel with no loop? め (me)

Summary Cheat Sheet

Here is how to keep them straight at a glance:

• ね (ne): Vertical line start + Ends in a loop.
• れ (re): Vertical line start + Ends in a sweep out.
• わ (wa): Vertical line start + Ends in a curve in.
• ぬ (nu): Noodle shape + Ends in a loop.
• め (me): Noodle shape + No loop.

Further Resources for Your Hiragana Practice

To master your Hiragana reading skills, use these dedicated charts to practice the full sets where these challenging characters belong to:

• N-Chart (Includes ね & ぬ): Practice the na, ni, nu, ne, no set.
• R-Chart (Includes れ): Review the entire ra, ri, ru, re, ro set.
• W-Chart (Includes わ): Practice the wa, wo, n set.
• M-Chart (Includes め): Solidify your understanding of the ma, mi, mu, me, mo set.