Hiragana "O" Coloring Pages

The Last Vowel Sound in Japanese

Hiragana "O" is the last sound of the five basic vowels (A, I, U, E, O) in Japanese. To make this sound, make your mouth round and speak from deep in your throat. People also put Hiragana "O" at the start of words like "flower" or "rice ball" to sound polite and nice.

How It Was Made: From Kanji "於"

Hiragana characters came from simple cursive writing of Kanji. The original Kanji for Hiragana "O" is "於".

• Strokes 1 and 2: The left side of the Kanji became the side line and the curved line in the middle.

• Stroke 3: The dot on the top right comes from the right side of the old Kanji.

  This dot is not just a decoration. It helps keep Hiragana "O" balanced and pretty!

A Fun World of Words Starting with Hiragana "O"

Our coloring page has many words that start with Hiragana "O". You know lots of these words from your daily life! When you see and color them, you can learn the letter and learn new words at the same time.

Coloring Tips to Show Off the Shape of Hiragana "O"

When you color the big Hiragana "O" in the middle, try these ideas to make its cool shape pop out!

• 3D curves: Hiragana "O" has a big curved part. Use a light color inside and a darker color outside. This shade blend makes the letter look soft and 3D!

• A pop of color for the third stroke: Color the dot on the top right with a bright color like red or orange. It will catch your eye and help you remember how to write Hiragana "O"!

• Follow the stroke order: As you color inside the lines of Hiragana "O", color stroke by stroke in order. You will learn how to write it correctly in no time!

Tips to Make Pictures Look Yummy and Fun

There are many different things on this coloring page! Using lots of different colors is the key.

• Yummy food textures: Color the seaweed on the rice ball dark black. Add a little shadow to make the rice look super yummy! For the oden stew, use different colors for each food, like yellow for the egg and gray for the konjac.

• Light and airy feelings: Color the middle of the sun bright yellow. Color the light around it with strong red and orange! For the bath, color around the bubbles with light blue. It will look just like fluffy steam!

• Lively characters: Use strong colors like brown or red for the wolf and the ogre. Leave a little white spot in their eyes to make them look full of life! Color the tadpole black or dark gray. Leave a shiny highlight on its back so it looks like it is swimming in real water!

Finishing Touches

This coloring page has so many things to color. Having fun with the empty spaces is part of the fun too!

• Music notes: Color the music notes with rainbow colors to make the page look lively and fun!

• Bowing kid: Color the clothes on the bowing kid with your favorite colors. You will enjoy learning Hiragana "O" even more!

Changed from the Kanji "於"!

The Hiragana "O" comes from the Kanji "於". People say its left and right sides connected as they wrote it quickly, turning into the shape we use today.

Here is how it is different from "a"!

It looks a lot like "a", but there is one big difference. At the very end, you add a dot on the top right. "a" has no dot, but Hiragana "O" has a dot. Take a close look so you do not mix them up!

Make your mouth round and say "oh"

When you say Hiragana "O", the trick is to make your lips round and push them out a little bit. It is the shape your mouth makes when you are surprised ("Oh!") or calling out to someone far away!

What words start with Hiragana "O"?

There are so many fun words that start with Hiragana "O", like everyone's favorite "onigiri" (rice ball), sweet and yummy "okashi" (snacks), and the ocean-swimming "ottosei" (fur seal). "Ofuro" (bath) starts with Hiragana "O", too.