How to write ち (chi) in hiragana
ち belongs to the t-row, yet it is read chi rather than ti: the sound shifted, and the spelling follows the sound. It grew out of the cursive form of the kanji 知 (“know”). Its two strokes begin at the top left, heading rightwards, and the last one finishes at the bottom. Words that start with it include 地区 (“district”), 知事 (“prefectural governor”), 父 (“father”) and 地域 (“area”).
- Romaji
- chi
- Strokes
- 2
- From
- 知
- Katakana
- チ
Stroke by stroke
- 1
- 2
- top leftrightwards
- topdownwards → rightwards → down and left
Where ち comes from
The two scripts took this sound from different kanji, 知 (“know”) and 千 (“thousand”).
Look-alikes
Trace it
Follow the numbers. Tracing help
With voicing marks
Base kana first, then the marks at the top right.
Combined sounds
- ちゃ cha
- ちゅ chu
- ちょ cho
- ぢゃ ja
- ぢゅ ju
- ぢょ jo
Words with ち
1,383 common JMdict words with it; ten shown.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 地区 | ちく chiku | district; area |
| 知事 | ちじ chiji | prefectural governor |
| 父 | ちち chichi | father; father |
| 地域 | ちいき chiiki | area; region |
| 地方 | ちほう chihou | district; region |
| 地球 | ちきゅう chikyuu | Earth; the globe |
| 調査 | ちょうさ chousa | investigation; examination |
| 中央 | ちゅうおう chuuou | centre; center |
| 中国 | ちゅうごく chuugoku | China; Chūgoku region… |
| 中心 | ちゅうしん chuushin | center; centre |
Practice sheet
Print at 100%. Several kana: worksheet maker.
Keep going
Hiragana, in chart order: