Hiragana "Pa" Coloring Pages

"Pa" as in "pajamas"

The character on this coloring page is the Hiragana "Pa"!
The word is "pajamas"! These are the clothes you wear when you go to sleep at night.
The picture on the left shows pajama tops and bottoms laid out flat.
The top has a star pattern and buttons on it, right?
When you change into pajamas, your body and mind relax, knowing that "it is almost bedtime."

Characters with a "circle"

Hiragana "Pa" is the character "ha" with a small circle (handakuten) added to the upper right.
The original character "ha" took its current shape over time as people wrote the Kanji character "波" in a simplified way.
If you add two dots to "ha", it becomes "ba", and if you add a circle, it becomes Hiragana "Pa"!
Only five characters get this circle: ha, hi, fu, he, and ho.
A long, long time ago, people think that "ha" and its family of characters were spoken with sounds very close to today's Hiragana "Pa".

Tips for writing

You write "ha" in 3 strokes.
The 1st stroke is the vertical line on the left. Bring it straight down from top to bottom, and end with a little upward flick to the right.
The 2nd stroke is a short horizontal line on the right side.
The 3rd stroke goes straight down through the horizontal line, makes a small loop at the bottom, and sweeps out to the right.
Finally, draw a small circle on the upper right! Make sure the circle is smaller than the two dots, and draw it a little bit away so it does not touch the character.

Words with "pa"

Words that start with "pa" include pan (bread), panda, and parashuto (parachute).
"Pa" also pops up a lot in words that describe sounds or actions, like pachi-pachi (clapping or popping), paku-paku (munching), and para-para (flipping pages or light rain).
A cool thing about words starting with "pa" is that many of them come from foreign countries or describe sounds!
The word "pajamas" also includes "ja", which makes one single sound by joining "ji" with a small "ya".

How to use this coloring page

On this coloring page, you will find a picture of pajamas on the left, a big Hiragana "Pa" and the vertical word "pajamas" on the upper right, and tracing boxes lined up on the lower right.
First, look at the picture and read the word "pajamas" out loud.
Next, color in the big Hiragana "Pa", and finally trace the letters. This way, you can learn the character in 3 fun ways: seeing, saying, and writing!
It is also a great idea to put this next to the "ha" coloring page to compare whether it has a circle or not!

Color the Big Hiragana "Pa" Like the Night Sky

Color the big Hiragana "Pa" using dark blue, purple, and light blue to look like the night.
If you change the color for stroke 1, stroke 2, and stroke 3, you can easily see the stroke order.
If you color the small circle yellow, it will look like the moon floating in the night sky.

Color the Pajamas in Soft Colors

Color the pajama fabric in soft colors like light blue, light pink, or pale yellow.
Soft and fluffy colors that make you feel sleepy are great choices.
If you make the star pattern yellow or white, they will sparkle just like stars in the night sky.
Dark blue pajamas with yellow stars look wonderful, too.

Buttons, Collar, and Cuffs

If you pick a color different from the fabric for the buttons, like white or red, each button will pop out.
It also looks stylish to color just the collar, sleeve cuffs, and pant hems in a different color like an outline.
If you make the top and pants the same color, they will look like a matching pajama set.
Have fun coloring while thinking about the pajamas you would love to wear.

Tracing Hiragana "Pa" - Keep the Circle Small

Trace Hiragana "Pa" in the bottom right grid boxes with your pencil.
Write the upward flick of the 1st stroke and the loop of the 3rd stroke carefully.
The trick for the final small circle is to make it small with one smooth curve.
Use the center line of the grid box as a guide, and write all 8 of them, one by one.

"Pajamas" Came from Other Countries

"Pajama" is not a word from Japan. It came from languages around India and Persia.
The original word meant clothing for your legs, like pants.
It moved into English to mean clothes you wear to sleep, and then it came to Japan!

Words We Usually Write in Katakana

We usually write words from other countries in Katakana.
So, "pajama" is usually written as 「パジャマ」.
In this coloring page, we write it in Hiragana so you can practice Hiragana "Pa".

Why We Change into Pajamas

When you go to sleep, you change from daytime clothes into soft pajamas.
Pajamas soak up sweat while you sleep, and they are not tight on your body.
They are important clothes to help you sleep well!

The "Pa" Sound Comes from Your Lips

When you say "pa", you close your lips once and pop them open!
"Ba" and "ma" use your lips in the same way, too.
Put your hand over your mouth and say "pa", "ba", and "ma". Can you feel the difference?