Hiragana "Kyu" Coloring Pages

"Kyu" in "Kyuri" (Cucumber)

The letters on this coloring page are the Hiragana "Kyu", 「きゅ」.
The word is "Kyuri" (cucumber). On the left, you can see two long, thin cucumbers.
They have tiny, bumpy spikes on their skin, and the remains of yellow flowers on their tips.
Freshly picked cucumbers feel a little prickly when you touch them!
They are yummy summer vegetables that you can eat in many ways, like in salads, pickles, or sushi.

"Ki" and a small "yu" make one sound

You write Hiragana "Kyu" by putting a small "yu" after "ki".
Even though it uses two letters, you do not read them separately as "ki" and "yu". You read them together as one sound: "kyu".
This kind of sound is called a youon (contracted sound).
If you write the "yu" big, it becomes "kiyuri," which sounds like a different word!
The letter "ki" comes from the simplified form of the kanji 「幾」, and "yu" comes from the kanji 「由」.
Contracted sounds that use a small "ya," "yu," or "yo" are grouped by threes on the hiragana chart, like "kya," "kyu," and "kyo."
Try saying "kya, kyu, kyo" out loud in a fun rhythm!

Tips for neat writing

The letter "ki" takes 4 strokes to write.
For the 1st and 2nd horizontal strokes, slant them up a little to the right. Pay attention to how they are different lengths!
The 3rd stroke goes down at a slant, cutting through the two horizontal lines.
For the rounded 4th stroke at the bottom, separate it from the 3rd stroke. That is how it looks in school textbooks.
The small "yu" takes 2 strokes. Write it small in the next box, tucked into the bottom left.
Aim to make it about half the size of "ki."
When writing "yu," balance the straight line on the left with the curved line on the right.
When you finish, compare the size of "ki" and "yu" to make sure you can clearly see the difference!

Let's find words with "Kyu"

Words that start with "kyu" include kyuukyuusha (ambulance), kyuushoku (school lunch), kyuri (cucumber), and kyuukon (flower bulb).
The number nine, "kyuu," also has "kyu" in it!
It also appears in sound words, like squeaky shoes making a "kyu-kyu" sound, or pulling a string tight with a "kyu".
Did you notice that many words have "u" right after "kyu"?
Try playing a word-search game with your family to see how many you can find!

Color the Big "Kyu" in Your Favorite Colors

First, try coloring the big outlined "kyu" in the top right with your favorite colors.
To match the cucumber, it is fun to make "き" dark green and the small "ゅ" yellow, just like the colors of the cucumber and its flower!
To stay inside the lines, color slowly near the edges and feel free to color smoothly in the middle.

Make the Cucumbers Shiny with Dark Green

Color the cucumbers with dark green.
If you make the middle a bit lighter and leave a tiny bit of white, your cucumber will look shiny!
Color the tiny bumps a little darker than the rest to make them pop out.
Color the little flower at the tip yellow.
If you color the stem area yellow-green or light brown, it will look like a real cucumber.
It is also fun to make the two cucumbers slightly different colors.

Tracing Hiragana "Kyu" across Two Boxes

In the bottom right, there are 4 sets of light gray Hiragana "Kyu".
The left box has "き" and the right box has the small "ゅ". Two boxes make one set.
Pencils that are not too dark and not too light, like B or 2B, are best.
Look at the up-and-down and side-to-side lines in the middle of the box to see where the letter starts before you write.
After you write one set, say "kyu" out loud!
When you trace all 4 sets neatly, try writing Hiragana "Kyu" all by yourself in the white space outside the boxes.

Hiragana "Kyu" is mostly water

It is said that about 95 percent of Hiragana "Kyu" is made of water.
That is why it is so juicy when you bite into it, making it perfect for hot summers!
In the garden, it grows by stretching out vines and wrapping its curly tendrils around poles.

From "yellow melon" to Hiragana "Kyu"

If you leave Hiragana "Kyu" in the garden to grow bigger, it turns yellow.
One story says that people started calling it "ki-uri," which means "yellow melon," and that became Hiragana "Kyu".
The green Hiragana "Kyu" you usually eat is actually picked while it is still young!

A kappa's favorite food

People say that kappa, creatures from old Japanese tales, love Hiragana "Kyu" the most.
That is why sushi rolled with Hiragana "Kyu" is called "kappa-maki."
If you see it at a sushi restaurant, try thinking of the kappa!

Hiragana "Kyu" has a cute yellow flower

The flower of Hiragana "Kyu" is a cute yellow flower.
A tiny baby Hiragana "Kyu" grows right at the base of the flower and gets bigger and bigger.
That is why you might sometimes find a dried flower still stuck to the end of a freshly picked Hiragana "Kyu".