Tricky Hiragana: る, ろ, そ, and お, む

Welcome to another lesson of our Tricky Hiragana series! Today, we are looking at two more groups of characters that often confuse learners: the "Number 3" family る (ru), ろ (ro), そ (so), and the "Dotty Pair" お (o) and む (mu).

Let's break them down.

Group 1: The "Number 3" Family — る (ru), ろ (ro), and そ (so)

The characters る (ru) and ろ (ro) are look like the number "3". そ (so) is the cousin that sometimes looks similar depending on the font.

• る (ru): This looks like a number "3" with a loop at the end. To remember it, think of a ruby in the loop, or the word "loop" itself (which sounds like ru-pu in Japanese).
• ろ (ro): This looks like a number "3" without a loop. It ends smoothly. Think of a road that keeps going, or ze-ro (which has no loop at the end of the stroke, unlike ru).
• そ (so): While this character also has zig-zag lines, it starts differently. It looks like the letter "Z" stacked on top of a letter "C". In some handwriting styles, the top part connects, making it look a bit like a one-stroke squiggle, but distinct from the "3" shape of ru/ro. Think of a sewing stitch (zig-zag).

Quick check:

• 3 with a loop? る (ru)
• 3 with NO loop? ろ (ro)
• Z plus C? そ (so)

Group 2: The Dotty Pair — お (o) and む (mu)

お (o) and む (mu) are visually complex characters. Both start with a horizontal line, have a vertical stroke cutting through it, and feature a small dot on the right. The difference is in the main vertical stroke's movement.

• お (o): After the initial horizontal line, the vertical stroke comes down and immediately loops around in a big circle to the left, finishing with the dot on the right. The shape is round and heavy at the bottom. Think of it as an Orb or the shape of your mouth when you say "Oh!".
• む (mu): Starts with a horizontal line, but the vertical stroke comes down, makes a small loop (knot) in the middle, and then sweeps upwards to the right. It ends with a dot. The key is that upward sweep after the loop. Think of a moo-cow raising its tail, or a musical note going up.

Quick check:

• Big round bottom? お (o)
• Small knot and sweeps up? む (mu)

Summary Cheat Sheet

• る (ru): Number 3 + Loop.
• ろ (ro): Number 3 + No Loop.
• そ (so): Z + C shape.
• お (o): Big round bottom loop + Dot.
• む (mu): Small knot loop + Sweep up + Dot.

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:

• R-Chart (Includes る & ろ): Practice the ra, ri, ru, re, ro set.
• S-Chart (Includes そ): Review the sa, shi, su, se, so set.
• Vowel-Chart (Includes お): Practice the a, i, u, e, o set.
• M-Chart (Includes む): Solidify your understanding of the ma, mi, mu, me, mo set.