Hiragana "N" Coloring Pages

The "N" in "Penguin"

The character on this coloring page is the Hiragana "N".
The word is "Penguin"! The picture on the left of the first page shows a cute baby penguin from the front.
It has short wings, two feet, and a white belly.
Let's say "Penguin" out loud! You can find two Hiragana "N"s hidden in "Pe-n-gui-n".

Hiragana "N" Came From the Character "无"

The Hiragana "N" got its current shape long ago when people wrote the kanji character "无" in a quick, rounded way.
The Hiragana "N" is one of the newest characters to join the hiragana family.
It even stands all by itself at the very end of the hiragana chart!

Tips for Writing

You can write the Hiragana "N" in just 1 stroke without lifting your pencil!
First, start at the top and draw a long diagonal line down to the left.
When you reach the bottom, go back up along the same line a little bit and make one small hill.
Finally, curve to the right and sweep upward.
If you make the first line long and the last curve small, your Hiragana "N" will look great!

No Words Start with Hiragana "N"

In Japanese, almost no words start with Hiragana "N".
That is why you lose a word-chain game if you say a word ending with Hiragana "N"—the next player cannot keep going!
Instead, the Hiragana "N" pops up a lot in the middle or at the end of words.
Just like "Penguin," some words even have two Hiragana "N"s in them!

The Second Page Has Lots of Words with Hiragana "N"

On the second coloring page, pictures of words with Hiragana "N" surround a big Hiragana "N" in the middle.
You will find a round mandarin orange, fluffy bread, a school bag, and a balloon on a string.
Every single one ends with the Hiragana "N"!
Try to find other Hiragana "N" words too, like carrot or giraffe.

How to Enjoy the 2 Coloring Pages

On the first coloring page, you can color the penguin and the big Hiragana "N", then practice writing Hiragana "N" by tracing it.
On the second coloring page, you can read the names of the pictures and find where the Hiragana "N" is hiding.
Try pointing your finger at the Hiragana "N" in each word as you read it!

Color the Big Hiragana "N" Any Color You Like

Try coloring inside the lines of the big Hiragana "N" at the top right with your favorite color.
Since it is made of just 1 stroke, try changing the colors little by little! You could start with blue, make the middle light blue, and end with a color close to white. That way, you can easily see which way to write it.
It would also look cool to color Hiragana "N" in black and dark blue to match the penguin!

Color the Penguin with Clear Black and White

Color the penguin's back, head, and wings with black or dark navy blue.
If you leave its belly white, it will look just like a real black-and-white penguin!
If you want to make it a baby penguin, coloring its head and back gray is a great idea, too.
Please color its beak and feet orange or black.
If you color the background light blue and draw white ice, you will have a cold southern sea scene!

On the 2nd Page, Color the Food and Objects Differently

On the second page, let's make the mandarin orange orange and the leaf green.
For the bread, if you make the toasted top dark brown and the sides light yellowish-brown, it will look delicious!
If you make the balloon red or pink and leave the shiny spot white, it will look nice and puffy.

Trace Each Character Carefully, One by One

In the box at the bottom right, there are 8 light gray Hiragana "N" characters lined up.
Hold your pencil correctly and trace slowly over the gray lines so you don't go outside them.
Using the vertical and horizontal lines in the center of the box as guides makes it easy to balance your character.
When you get to the little bump in the middle, keep your pencil moving smoothly without stopping!
After you write each one, compare it with the big example Hiragana "N".

Penguins Are Birds

Penguins cannot fly in the sky, but they are part of the bird family.
They use their wings like flippers underwater to swim smoothly.
In the water, they swim around quickly, just like they are flying through the sky.

Most Live in the Southern Hemisphere

It is said that there are about 18 kinds of penguins in the world.
Most of them live in the Southern Hemisphere, which is the southern half of the Earth.
They do not just live on the ice in Antarctica; some penguins live near warm seas, too.

The Biggest Penguin

The biggest penguin is the Emperor Penguin.
Some of them are more than 1 meter tall when they stand up.
Emperor Penguin daddies keep their eggs warm by putting them on their feet and covering them with a fold of skin from their belly.

Hiragana "N" in the Word Chain Game

In the word chain game Shiritori, you usually lose if you say a word that ends with Hiragana "N".
But there are so many words that end with Hiragana "N", like "penguin" or "mikan".
When you play Shiritori, be careful with the last letter!