Hiragana "Chi" Coloring Pages

"Chi" for "Chocho"

The hiragana character "Chi" is the second letter in the "Ta-Chi-Tsu-Te-To" line.
On the first coloring page, for "Chi" in "Chocho" (butterfly), a swallowtail butterfly with open wings is drawn from right above.
It has six legs and two feelers, and the patterns on its wings are separated by lines.
"Chocho" is a word that starts with "Cho", which is "Chi" with a small "Yo" attached to it.

2 Coloring Pages

On this page, there are two Hiragana "Chi" coloring pages.
The first page has a swallowtail butterfly with open wings on the left. On the top right, there is a big outlined "Chi" and the word "Chocho". On the bottom right, there are boxes to trace "Chi".
The second page is a coloring page with a big "Chi" in the middle, surrounded by many pictures of words that start with "Chi".
Under each picture, you can see its name, like Chizu (map), Chikarakobu (flexed biceps), Chimaki (rice dumpling), and Chawan (rice bowl).
Say each name out loud as you color!
On both coloring pages, the big "Chi" is outlined, so you can color inside it.
If you color while looking at the pictures and words together, it helps you connect the letters with the words and make them easy to remember.

Hiragana "Chi" Came from the Kanji "知"

Hiragana were created by writing kanji characters in a quick, flowing way.
The original kanji for "Chi" was "知".
As people wrote "知" smoothly and quickly, it turned into the shape of "Chi" with a horizontal line and a big curved line.
It is so cool that it came from the kanji "知", which means "to know"!

Tips for Writing Hiragana "Chi"

You write Hiragana "Chi" with 2 strokes.
The first stroke is a horizontal line that goes slightly up from left to right.
The second stroke comes down from top to bottom left through the horizontal line. From there, change direction, make a big round curve to the right, and brush out to the bottom left at the end.
It looks a bit like "Ra" or "Sa", so compare them carefully so you do not mix them up.
If you add two small dots to "Chi", it becomes "Dji".

Let's Find Words That Start with Hiragana "Chi"

Some words that start with "Chi" are Chizu (map), Chikuwa (fish cake tube), Chikyu (Earth), Chikara (strength), and Chiisai (small).
There are also many words with small letters, like "Chawan" and "Chocho" on the second coloring page, which use "Cha" and "Cho".
When you find words with small letters, try reading them out loud!

Color the Big "Hiragana "Chi"" with Your Favorite Colors

Try using different colors for the horizontal line and the big curved line of the outline "Hiragana "Chi"".
If you make the rounded part yellow, it will look bright just like a swallowtail butterfly's wings.

Swallowtail Butterflies Are Yellow and Black

Swallowtail butterflies are easy to spot with their yellow and black patterns.
Try coloring the sections between the lines with yellow and black, one after the other.
If you color the tiny patterns on the bottom wings blue and orange, it will look just like a real swallowtail butterfly.
Color the body, feelers, and legs black.

The 2nd Page Has a Map and Chimaki

Try coloring Japan on the map green and the sea light blue.
For the chimaki, coloring the bamboo leaves green and the string light brown will make it look real.

Trace Each Letter One by One with Your Pencil

In the bottom right boxes, there are 8 light gray "Hiragana "Chi"" in a row.
Hold your pencil the right way and trace over the gray lines slowly.
The dotted lines inside the boxes show you where the middle of the letter is.
Trace slowly so the rounded part of the 2nd stroke does not get too big.
It is okay to go slow at first, so write each one neatly.
When you finish tracing, check to see if you stayed inside the gray lines.
It is fun to draw a big flower mark next to the one you wrote the best.

A Butterfly's Mouth is a Coiled Straw

A butterfly's mouth is shaped like a long, thin straw.
They usually keep it curled up tight, and uncoil it when they drink nectar from flowers.
When stretched out, the mouth is very long and can reach nectar deep inside a flower.
When they finish drinking, they curl it right back up.

They Taste Things with Their Front Legs

Before laying eggs, a female swallowtail butterfly taps a leaf with her front legs to check its taste.
She uses her feet to test if the leaf is safe for her caterpillars to eat.

Swallowtail Caterpillars Love Citrus Leaves

The Asian swallowtail caterpillars that you often see grow up by eating leaves from citrus and Japanese pepper trees.
If you find a green caterpillar on a citrus tree in your garden, it might be a swallowtail baby!

Chimaki is a Children's Day Treat

The chimaki in the second coloring page is a food made by wrapping sticky rice in leaves like bamboo grass, then steaming or boiling it.
In many areas, people eat it along with kashiwamochi on Children's Day on May 5th.
Wrapping it in leaves gives it a lovely scent.