How to write さ (sa) in hiragana
さ (sa) turns into ざ (za) with the voicing marks. It grew out of the cursive form of the kanji 左 (“left”). Its three strokes begin at the top left, heading rightwards, and the last one finishes at the bottom right. Words that start with it include 三 (“three”), 最後 (“end”), 参加 (“participation”) and 最近 (“recently”).
- Romaji
- sa
- Strokes
- 3
- From
- 左
- Katakana
- サ
Stroke by stroke
- 1
- 2
- 3
- top leftrightwards
- topdown and right
- bottom leftdown and right → rightwards
Where さ comes from
The two scripts took this sound from different kanji, 左 (“left”) and 散 (“scatter”).
Look-alikes
Trace it
Follow the numbers. Tracing help
With voicing marks
Base kana first, then the marks at the top right.
Words with さ
1,104 common JMdict words with it; ten shown.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 三 | さん san | three; 3 |
| 最後 | さいご saigo | end; conclusion |
| 参加 | さんか sanka | participation; joining |
| 最近 | さいきん saikin | recently; lately |
| 最高 | さいこう saikou | best; supreme |
| 最初 | さいしょ saisho | beginning; outset |
| 最大 | さいだい saidai | biggest; greatest |
| 裁判 | さいばん saiban | trial; judgement |
| 作業 | さぎょう sagyou | work; operation |
| 削減 | さくげん sakugen | cut; reduction |
Practice sheet
Print at 100%. Several kana: worksheet maker.
Keep going
Hiragana, in chart order: