How to write う (u) in hiragana

う (u) is one of the five vowels that open the chart; every kana syllable except ん ends in one of them. It grew out of the cursive form of the kanji 宇 (“eaves”). Its two strokes begin at the top, heading rightwards then down and left, and the last one finishes at the bottom. Words that start with it include 動き (“movement”), 疑い (“doubt”), 運動 (“exercise”) and 馬 (“horse”).