Hiragana Ta Chi Tsu Te To (たちつてと): How to Read and Write the T Row

You're learning hiragana one row at a time. You've already met some characters, but the next five contain a surprise: the Japanese T row isn't pronounced "ta, ti, tu, te, to."

Two characters have readings you might not expect.

The short answer

The hiragana T row contains た (ta), ち (chi), つ (tsu), て (te), and と (to). Learn their shapes and readings together, especially ち (chi) and つ (tsu), which don't follow the simple English-letter pattern.

These five characters help you read everyday words such as たこ (tako, "octopus"), ちず (chizu, "map"), and つき (tsuki, "moon").

Let's learn them one at a time.

た (ta)

Start with た (ta).

This character represents the sound ta, similar to the beginning of the English word "taco."

Look at its shape.

The left side contains crossing strokes, while the right side has two smaller curved marks.

When writing た, pay attention to those separate parts. Don't turn the right side into one continuous shape.

You'll see た in words such as:

The word begins with た (ta) and ends with こ (ko).

If you've already learned the K row, you can read the whole word.

ち (chi)

Next is ち (chi).

This is the first surprise in the T row.

Although it belongs to the T row, its usual romaji spelling is chi, not "ti."

Look closely at the shape.

There's a short horizontal line near the top, followed by a longer stroke that curves around at the bottom.

Be careful not to confuse ち (chi) with さ (sa).

Both have a crossing shape near the top, but their lower parts look different.

You can recognise ち in this useful word:

Here, ち (chi) is followed by ず (zu).

The small marks on ず are called dakuten. They change the reading of the base character す (su) to ず (zu).

For now, concentrate on recognising the first character.

つ (tsu)

The third character is つ (tsu).

This is the other unusual reading in the T row.

Instead of "tu," we write tsu in standard beginner romaji.

Its shape is relatively simple: one curved stroke that starts near the upper left, moves across, and curves down toward the lower right.

Try recognising it without thinking about the entire row.

You'll find つ in the Japanese word for "moon."

Notice that つ (tsu) comes before き (ki).

There's also an important size difference to remember.

Full-sized つ (tsu) represents the sound you're learning here. Small っ has a different job: it marks a held consonant in words such as きって (kitte, "stamp").

You can learn that distinction in How to Pronounce Small っ.

For today's writing practice, make sure your つ is full-sized.

て (te)

Now meet て (te).

This character represents the sound te.

Its shape begins with a horizontal stroke and continues into a downward curve.

Notice the open space beneath the upper part.

You can practise recognising て through a very short Japanese word:

That's right. The single hiragana て (te) can represent the Japanese word for "hand."

In ordinary Japanese, this word is also commonly written with the kanji 手.

For now, the hiragana is enough.

Try writing て (te) from memory, then compare it with the example.

と (to)

The final character is と (to).

This one represents the sound to.

Notice its two separate strokes.

The first is short. The second curves down and around.

Keep the strokes distinct when writing.

You'll see と in a useful everyday word:

The word begins with と (to), followed by け (ke) and い (i).

Once you recognise all three characters, you can read とけい (tokei) without relying on romaji.

Read the row in any order

You now know all five characters.

Read them in their usual order first.

Now try reading them in a different order.

Did you recognise each character immediately?

If you had to recite the whole row to remember one reading, that's a useful sign that you need more individual recognition practice.

Try another order.

The goal is to recognise each character wherever it appears.

You should eventually be able to see つ and read "tsu" without mentally starting from た.

Read real Japanese words

Now let's use your new characters to read complete words.

Start with たこ (tako, "octopus").

Notice that you already know both characters if you've completed the K row.

Next, try つき (tsuki, "moon").

Again, you only need one new character from today's lesson.

Now read ちず (chizu, "map").

Finally, read とけい (tokei, "clock" or "watch").

These are complete Japanese words, not random character combinations.

When you recognise the kana inside real words, you're beginning to read Japanese rather than simply memorising a chart.

Common mistakes

• Reading ち as "ti." Although ち belongs to the T row, its standard beginner reading is chi. Remember ちず (chizu, "map") as a useful example.
• Reading つ as "tu." The usual beginner romaji spelling is tsu. Associate つ with つき (tsuki, "moon") to remember the reading.
• Confusing ち and さ. These characters share some visual features, but their lower shapes differ. Compare them carefully instead of relying only on the top strokes.
• Treating つ and っ as identical. Their sizes matter. Full-sized つ represents tsu, while small っ marks a held consonant. Practise recognising the size difference when reading words.

Practise たちつてと

Start with recognition.

Cover the romaji and read this row aloud:

Now practise writing.

On paper or using a Japanese handwriting keyboard, write the hiragana for these sounds from memory: ta, chi, tsu, te, to.

Check each character against the examples above. Pay particular attention to the shapes of ち (chi) and つ (tsu).

Next, write three complete words without looking back: たこ (tako, "octopus"), つき (tsuki, "moon"), and とけい (tokei, "clock").

Finally, read this mixed set aloud.

Try reading the Japanese before checking the romaji.

If one character slows you down, practise that character individually, then return to the word.

Keep this in mind

The hiragana T row is た (ta), ち (chi), つ (tsu), て (te), and と (to). The two unusual readings are chi and tsu, so give them extra attention. Practise recognising and writing each character independently, then use short words to make the readings stick.