Hiragana "Ke" Coloring Pages

The "Ke" in "Keshigomu"

The Japanese character Hiragana "Ke" is the fourth letter in the "Ka-Ki-Ku-Ke-Ko" row.
In the first coloring page, you can see one square eraser for the "Ke" in "Keshigomu" (eraser).
It has a paper sleeve around the middle, and its used corners are a little bit rounded.
Even if your lines go outside the lines when you trace, you will be fine if you have an eraser!

2 Coloring Pages

There are 2 coloring pages for Hiragana "Ke" on this page.
On the first page, there is a square eraser on the left, a big outlined "Ke" with the word "Keshigomu" on the top right, and boxes to trace "Ke" on the bottom right.
The second page is a coloring page with a big "Ke" in the middle, surrounded by lots of pictures of things that start with "Ke".
You can see their names under the pictures, like Kemushi (caterpillar), Kega (injury), Kendo, and Keshigomu (eraser).
Say each name out loud as you color them in!
The big "Ke" on both coloring pages is outlined, so you can color inside it.
When you color while looking at the picture and the word together, it helps you connect the character with the word so you can remember it easily.

Hiragana "Ke" Comes from the Character "計"

Hiragana were created by writing Kanji characters in a fast, simplified way.
The original Kanji for Hiragana "Ke" is "計".
They say the left part "言" turned into the left vertical line of Hiragana "Ke", and the right part "十" turned into the right side.
When you put "計" and Hiragana "Ke" side by side, their right sides look very similar!

Tips for Writing Hiragana "Ke"

Hiragana "Ke" is written with 3 strokes.
The 1st stroke is the vertical line on the left, and you end it with a small upward jump to the right.
The 2nd stroke is a horizontal line on the right.
The 3rd stroke goes down from top to bottom through the horizontal line, and ends with a smooth sweep to the bottom left.
If you add two small dots to Hiragana "Ke", it becomes "Ge".

Let's Find Words That Start with "Ke"

Some words that start with "Ke" are Keito (yarn), Kemuri (smoke), Kendama, Keisatsu (police), and Kemushi (caterpillar).
"Cake" on the second coloring page is a word written in Katakana.
Let's compare words written in Hiragana and words written in Katakana to see how they are different!

For the big Hiragana "Ke", use your favorite colors

For the big outlined Hiragana "Ke", try using different colors for the line on the left and the two lines on the right.
It will look cool if you use fresh colors, like blue on the left and green on the right.
Color carefully all the way to the thin tips of the hooks and flicks.

For the eraser, use white and cover colors

For the eraser body, you can leave the paper white, or try coloring just the shadows with very light gray.
You can color the paper cover anything you like, such as blue, light blue, or yellow.
If you add light shadows near the rounded corners, it will look nice and plump.

On the second page, there is a caterpillar and kendo gear, too

Try coloring the caterpillar with yellow-green or orange to make it cute.
If you color the kendo armor with navy blue or black, it will look just like the real thing.

For tracing, do them one by one with a pencil

In the boxes at the bottom right, there are eight light gray Hiragana "Ke" lined up.
Hold your pencil the right way and trace slowly over the gray lines.
The dotted lines inside the boxes show you where the center of the letter is.
For the third stroke, try to trace so that it goes all the way through the line across it.
It is okay to go slow at first, so write each one carefully.
When you finish tracing, check to see if you stayed inside the gray lines.
It is also fun to draw a flower circle around the one you wrote best.

People Used Bread long ago

Long ago, before erasers were made, people in Europe rubbed pencil lines with bread to erase them.
Later, people learned that rubber could erase lines, and erasers became popular everywhere.

Erasers Today Are Made of Plastic

Even though they are called "rubber erasers" in Japan, most erasers used here today are actually made of plastic.
They are made so they erase well and keep the eraser dust neat and tidy.
The old name just stayed the same from the days when they were made of rubber.

The Sleeve Protects Your Eraser

The paper sleeve around your eraser keeps it clean and stops it from snapping.
As your eraser gets smaller from use, you can trim the sleeve little by little to keep it easy to use until the very end.

Kendo Protective Armor

The Kendo on the second coloring page is a Japanese sport where you fight with a bamboo sword.
Players wear armor like a Men to protect the head, Kote to protect the hands, and Do to protect the belly so they do not get hurt.
Shouting in a loud voice and putting all your energy into your strikes are big parts of Kendo, too!