How to write サ (sa) in katakana
Add two short marks to サ (sa) and you get ザ (za). Its shape keeps a part of the kanji 散 (“scatter”). It takes three short strokes: the first from the left going rightwards, the last ending at the bottom. Loanwords that begin with it: サブ (“sub”), サイズ (“size”), サイト (“site”) and サイド (“side”).
- Romaji
- sa
- Strokes
- 3
- From
- 散
- Hiragana
- さ
Stroke by stroke
- 1
- 2
- 3
- leftrightwards
- top leftdownwards
- topdownwards → down and left
Where サ comes from
- Katakana
- 散, a part of the kanji
- Hiragana
- さ from 左
The two scripts took this sound from different kanji, 散 (“scatter”) and 左 (“left”).
Trace it
Follow the numbers. Tracing help
With voicing marks
Base kana first, then the marks at the top right.
Words with サ
176 common JMdict katakana words with it; ten shown.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| サブ | sabu | sub; substitute |
| サイズ | saizu | size |
| サイト | saito | site; website |
| サイド | saido | side |
| サイロ | sairo | silo |
| サイン | sain | autograph; signature |
| サウジ | sauji | Saudi Arabia |
| サウナ | sauna | sauna |
| サッシ | sasshi | sash; sliding window frame |
| サテン | saten | satin |
Practice sheet
Print at 100%. Several kana: worksheet maker.
Keep going
Katakana, in chart order: