How to write ヌ (nu) in katakana
ヌ (nu) never takes the voicing marks. Its shape keeps a part of the kanji 奴 (“guy”). It takes two short strokes: the first from the top left going rightwards then down and left, the last ending at the bottom right. Loanwords that begin with it: ヌルヌル (“slimy”), ヌードル (“noodle”), ヌーベル (“mid-length novel”) and ヌーボー (“modern”).
- Romaji
- nu
- Strokes
- 2
- From
- 奴
- Hiragana
- ぬ
Stroke by stroke
- 1
- 2
- top leftrightwards → down and left
- centerdown and right
Where ヌ comes from
- Katakana
- 奴, a part of the kanji
- Hiragana
- ぬ from 奴
Here both scripts start from the same kanji, 奴 (“guy”).
Look-alikes
- ス, 2 strokes
Trace it
Follow the numbers. Tracing help
Words with ヌ
10 common JMdict katakana words with it; ten shown.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ヌルヌル | nurunuru | slimy; slippery |
| ヌードル | nuudoru | noodle; noodles |
| ヌーベル | nuuberu | mid-length novel; new |
| ヌーボー | nuuboo | modern; up-to-date |
| アイヌ | ainu | Ainu |
| カヌー | kanuu | canoe |
| テリーヌ | teriinu | terrine |
| マドレーヌ | madoreenu | madeleine (cake) |
| アフタヌーン | afutanuun | afternoon; afternoon dress |
| ディミヌエンド | deiminuendo | diminuendo |
Practice sheet
Print at 100%. Several kana: worksheet maker.
Keep going
Katakana, in chart order: