Tricky Hiragana: つ, う, and い, り

We have reached the finale of our Tricky Hiragana series! To wrap things up, we are examining two final pairs that often trip up beginners: the "Curve Pair" つ (tsu) and う (u), and the "Two-Stroke Pair" い (i) and り (ri).

Mastering these last few will round out your ability to spot difficult kana instantly.

Group 1: The Curve Pair — つ (tsu) and う (u)

This relationship is very straightforward. One is essentially the other with an extra hat on.

• つ (tsu): This character is a simple, single curved stroke. It looks like a big crashing wave or a tsunami.
• う (u): This looks almost exactly like つ (tsu) turned on its side, but with a line on top. I would like to think of this as a tsunami with a you (U) on top on a surfboard.

Quick check:

• Just a big curve that looks like a tsunami? つ (tsu)
• Curve with a surfboard on top? う (u)

Group 2: The Two-Stroke Pair — い (i) and り (ri)

These two are confusing because they both consist of two vertical-ish strokes standing side-by-side. The key difference is the length of those strokes.

• い (i): The stroke on the left is longer and has a little hook at the bottom (jumping up to start the next stroke). The stroke on the right is shorter. Think of a pair of parentheses ( ). Some would compare these to a pair of two eels swimming in parallel. I remember my teacher told us to think of an igloo where the two vertical strokes are the sides of the igloo.
• り (ri): The stroke on the left is shorter. The stroke on the right is longer and curves slightly to the left at the bottom. Think of a ribbon or a river flowing down. Depending on the font, the two strokes can be connected at the top as well that makes it similar to the letter 'n' that has extra long stroke on the right.

Quick check:

• い (i) long left and looks like an igloo.
• り (ri) long right and looks like a river.

Summary Cheat Sheet

• つ (tsu): Single wave curve.
• う (u): Curve with surfboard on top.
• い (i): Long left, short right, looks like an igloo.
• り (ri): Short left, long right, looks like a river.

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:

• T-Chart (Includes つ): Practice the ta, chi, tsu, te, to set.
• Vowel-Chart (Includes う & い): Practice the a, i, u, e, o set.
• R-Chart (Includes り): Solidify your understanding of the ra, ri, ru, re, ro set.