す and ス
Pronunciation
“SU” sound in Sushi.
These characters represent the sound “Su’ in the word Sushi. Which is convenient, since that’s a Japanese word. The “Sou” in Soup also works.
す Memorization Story
The hiragana す looks sort of like a dagger with a piece of sushi poised on the blade, but turned on its side. Imagine a fancy sushi restaurant where all of the sushi is served one piece at a time, but the chefs carry it out on short katana blades.
ス Memorization Story
The character ス looks like HALF of an image of a SOUP bowl being carried out by a SUSHI chef at the same restaurant, with the second stroke being the hand holding it.
Take your time to really imagine the first stroke in this katakana as the right hand half of a bowl as we’re going to be seeing it a lot.
Writing
While in fonts and cuter handwriting the loop in the hiragana す is very circular, in many types of calligraphy, and even in handwriting, it will often appear more triangular.
Font Examples
す ス
す ス
す ス
す ス
す ス
Typing
Hiragana す
Type the letters “su”.
Katakana ス
Type "su" and press the F7 key, or press spacebar until the katakana appears.
Word(s)
すし
sushi
スースー
cool sensation from passing air
Historical Form
Hiragana
寸→す
HISTORICAL VERSION
Katakana
須→ス
PART BORROWED
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