How to write そ (so) in hiragana
そ (so) turns into ぞ (zo) with the voicing marks. It grew out of the cursive form of the kanji 曽 (“formerly”). One flowing stroke draws it: it starts at the top left and runs down and left then rightwards then down and left, ending at the bottom right. Words that start with it include 措置 (“measure”), 葬儀 (“funeral”), 捜査 (“search”) and 組織 (“organization”).
- Romaji
- so
- Strokes
- 1
- From
- 曽
- Katakana
- ソ
Stroke by stroke
- 1
- top leftdown and left → rightwards → down and left
Where そ comes from
- Hiragana
- 曽, cursive of the whole kanji
- Katakana
- ソ from 曽
Here both scripts start from the same kanji, 曽 (“formerly”).
Look-alikes
- ろ, 1 stroke
Trace it
Follow the numbers. Tracing help
With voicing marks
Base kana first, then the marks at the top right.
Words with そ
698 common JMdict words with it; ten shown.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 措置 | そち sochi | measure; step |
| 葬儀 | そうぎ sougi | funeral; funeral service |
| 捜査 | そうさ sousa | search; investigation |
| 組織 | そしき soshiki | organization; organisation |
| 総会 | そうかい soukai | general meeting |
| 総合 | そうごう sougou | synthesis; combination |
| 総裁 | そうさい sousai | president; director general |
| 総選挙 | そうせんきょ sousenkyo | general election; fan popularity voting |
| 外 | そと soto | outside; exterior |
| 早期 | そうき souki | early stage |
Practice sheet
Print at 100%. Several kana: worksheet maker.
Keep going
Hiragana, in chart order: