Hiragana "Po" Coloring Pages

The "Po" in "Posuto"

The letter on this coloring page is the Hiragana "Po".
The word is "posuto" (postbox). The picture on the left shows a round postbox that you can see in Japanese towns.
On top, it has a cover that looks like a round roof. On the front, there is a slot to put letters and postcards in.
Mail carriers collect the letters you put in the postbox and deliver them to people in far-away towns.
Usually, "posuto" is written in Katakana, but we write "posuto" in Hiragana here so you can practice.

A Letter Made by Adding a Circle to "Ho"

Hiragana "Po" is made by adding a circle (handakuten) to the top right of "ho".
When you add the circle, the sound changes from "ho" to "po", making a popping sound.
There are only 5 letters with a circle: "pa", "pi", "pu", "pe", and "po".
The original letter "ho" came from simplifying the Kanji "保".
As people wrote the many-stroke Kanji quickly and smoothly, it became this simple shape.

Tips for Beautiful Writing

You write "ho" with 4 strokes.
The 1st stroke is the vertical line on the left. Go down to the bottom, then make a small upward flick to the top right.
For the 2nd and 3rd strokes, draw two horizontal lines on the right side. Make the top line a little shorter than the bottom line.
For the 4th stroke, bring a vertical line down from the top, and make a small loop at the bottom.
At the end, let's write a small circle on the top right.
Leave a little space so it does not bump into the horizontal lines on the right side. This makes a nice and neat Hiragana "Po".

Let's Find Words with "Po"

Words starting with "po" include poketto (pocket), pokapoka (warm), ponpon (tummy), and poteto (potato).
Words with "po" in the middle or at the end include tanpopo (dandelion), shippo (tail), and sanpo (walk).
The dandelion that blooms in spring fields actually has two "po"s in it!
It is fun that many "po" words bring to mind round shapes like a postbox or a cozy warmth.
How many words with Hiragana "Po" can you say?
Try taking turns saying them with someone in your family as a word game!

Color the big "Po" in your favorite color

First, try coloring the big "Po" with the outline in the top right with your favorite color.
If you color it red to match the postbox and make just the circle yellow, you will get a cheerful "Po".
It is also fun to color each of the 4 strokes in a different color while checking the stroke order.
To keep inside the lines, color slowly near the edges and freely in the middle.

Color the postbox a bright red

If you color the Japanese postbox red, everyone will know it is a postbox right away.
If you make the rounded roof and the edges of the body a slightly darker red, you will get a nice, rounded postbox.
Color the inside of the mail slot black or dark gray so you cannot see inside.
If you color the stand at the bottom dark brown or gray, the postbox will look like it is standing firmly.
It is also nice to draw a light blue sky or green grass around it.

Use the middle lines as a guide for tracing

In the boxes at the bottom right, there are 8 light gray "Po" characters lined up.
A soft pencil like a B or 2B is easy to write with.
Look at the vertical line in the middle of the box to see how the left line and the right part are separated while you write.
For the loop in the 4th stroke, turn slowly to make a small circle.
Do not forget to write the circle at the end.

Mailboxes Were Black Long Ago

The mail system we have in Japan today started in the early Meiji era.
Back then, some mailboxes were black.
But black mailboxes were hard to see at night. So they were soon changed to bright red mailboxes that stand out!

Round Mailboxes Are Rare Now

Round mailboxes like the one in this coloring page used to be everywhere in Japanese towns.
Today, most mailboxes are square because they can hold a lot more letters.
There are fewer round mailboxes now, but people still take good care of them in some places.
You are super lucky if you find a round mailbox in town!

Before You Drop Your Letter In

Before you put your letter in the mailbox, make sure it has the address, name, and a stamp on it.
We also write a set of numbers called a postal code on postcards and letters.
These numbers help people sort lots of mail super fast so it gets to the right place.
It would be wonderful to write a letter to your grandma or grandpa!

The Hiragana "Po" in "Tanpopo"

The spring flower tanpopo (dandelion) has two Hiragana "Po"s in it!
Dandelion flowers close in the evening and open up again in the morning.
After the flower blooms, fluffy fluff grows and flies far away on the wind!