Hiragana "Ta" Coloring Pages

The "Ta" in "Taiko"

The hiragana "た" is the very first letter in the "Ta-Chi-Tsu-Te-To" row.
In the first coloring page for Hiragana "Ta", you can see a traditional Japanese drum on a stand with two drumsticks for "taiko".
There are round studs all around the drum that hold the drumhead in place.
This is the kind of drum that goes "don-don" with a big, booming sound at festivals and Bon dances!

Two Coloring Pages

There are two coloring pages for Hiragana "Ta" on this page.
On the first page, you will find a Japanese drum on a stand with two drumsticks on the left side. On the top right, there is a big outlined "た" and the word "taiko". On the bottom right, there are boxes for you to trace "た".
The second coloring page has a big "た" in the middle, surrounded by lots of pictures of things that start with "た".
You will see pictures like the sun (taiyou), an egg (tamago), a treasure chest (takarabako), and P.E. class (taiiku), with their names written underneath.
Try saying each name out loud as you color them in!
On both coloring pages, the big "た" is outlined, so you can color inside the letter.
When you color while looking at the pictures and words together, it helps you match the letter to the word so you can remember it easily!

"Ta" Came from the Kanji Character "太"

Hiragana characters were created a long time ago by simplifying kanji characters.
The original kanji character for Hiragana "Ta" is "太".
People say the horizontal line and slanting line on the left side of "太" became the left side of "た", and the right side turned into two lines that look like "ko".
If you compare "太" and Hiragana "Ta", you can see that their left sides look very similar!

Tips for Writing Hiragana "Ta"

Hiragana "Ta" is written with 4 strokes.
The 1st stroke is a horizontal line. The 2nd stroke goes through the horizontal line, coming down from the top toward the bottom left.
For the 3rd and 4th strokes, you write two lines on the right side that look like "ko".
At the end of the 3rd stroke, make a small upward flick toward the bottom left.
If you add two small dots to Hiragana "Ta", it turns into "da"!

Let's Find Words That Start with "Ta"

Some words that start with "た" are octopus (tako), raccoon dog (tanuki), egg (tamago), bamboo shoot (takenoko), and dandelion (tanpopo).
"Taiko" and "taiyou" both start with "tai"!
Let's see if you can find other words that start with "tai" too!

Color the Big "Ta" with Your Favorite Colors

For the big outlined Hiragana "Ta", try using different colors for the 2 strokes on the left and the 2 strokes on the right.
If you use red on the left and gold or yellow on the right, your Hiragana "Ta" will look bright and fun like a festival!

The Taiko Drum: Wood and Leather Colors

The body of the taiko drum is made of wood, so color it brown or dark brown.
Color the drumhead light cream and the round tacks gold or yellow to make it look real.
Make the stand red or black, and color the drumsticks light brown.

Make the Treasure Chest Shiny on the Second Page

For the treasure chest, color the wooden box brown and the metal parts gold or yellow. It will look like real treasure is inside!
Try coloring the sun orange and the egg light cream.

Trace Each One with Your Pencil

In the box on the bottom right, there are 8 light gray Hiragana "Ta" letters.
Hold your pencil the right way and trace over the gray lines slowly.
The dotted lines inside the box show you where the middle is.
Trace all 4 strokes, one by one, in the right stroke order.
It is okay to go slow at first. Write each one carefully!
When you finish tracing, check to see if you stayed inside the gray lines.
You can even draw a big flower mark next to the best one you wrote!

Japanese drums are made with cowhide

Most big Japanese drums you beat at festivals are made by stretching cowhide over them.
They pin the tight hide onto the drum body with strong tacks.
The tighter the hide is stretched, the higher and clearer the sound will be.
Drummers change how they hold their sticks and where they hit the drum to make all kinds of sounds!

The body comes from a single tree

Some big Japanese drum bodies are made by hollowing out a thick wooden log.
People say a drum body made from one solid piece of wood without any seams makes the best booming sound.

You feel drum sounds with your body

You can hear the sound of a big drum with your ears, but you can also feel it shaking in your tummy and body!
Sound travels through shakes in the air, so those big shakes reach your whole body.
If you get close to a drum at a festival, try to feel the sound with your body!

The colors of eggshells

The eggs in the second coloring page come in white shells and brown shells.
The color of the shell depends on the kind of chicken that laid the egg.
Even if the shell color is different, people say the goodness inside is almost exactly the same!