Hiragana "Sha" Coloring Pages

"Sha" in "Shachi"

The character on this coloring page is the Hiragana "Sha".
The word is "shachi" (killer whale). The picture on the left shows a killer whale jumping with lots of energy out of the ocean water.
Killer whales are big sea creatures with clear black and white colors on their bodies.
They have white markings just above their eyes.
They look like fish, but they are actually part of the dolphin and whale family!

"Shi" and a small "ya" make 1 sound

You write Hiragana "Sha" by putting a small "ya" after "shi".
There are two letters, but when you read it, you do not split it into "shi" and "ya". You read it as 1 sound: "sha".
Sounds like this are called youon.
If you write "ya" big, it becomes "shiya-chi," and people will not know you mean a killer whale!
"Shi" came from the kanji "之", and "ya" came from the kanji "也".
In the hiragana chart, these sounds with small "ya", "yu", and "yo" are grouped by threes, like "sha," "shu," and "sho".
Let's say them out loud with a fun rhythm: "sha, shu, sho!"

Tips for writing it neatly

"Shi" is written in 1 stroke.
Go straight down from the top, curve gently at the bottom, and sweep up to the right.
The trick is to make a smooth curve without any sharp corners!
The small "ya" takes 3 strokes. Write it small, close to the bottom left of its space.
Aim to make it about half the size of "shi".
Write "shi" big and "ya" small. Making the size difference clear makes it easy to read!
When you finish, compare the sizes of "shi" and "ya" to check if the difference is clear.

Let's find words with Hiragana "Sha"

Words that start with Hiragana "Sha" include shashin (photo), shamoji (rice paddle), shabondama (soap bubbles), and shakkuri (hiccups).
It also pops up at the end of vehicle names, like densha (train), jitensha (bicycle), and kyuukyuusha (ambulance)!
How many vehicles with Hiragana "Sha" can you name?
Try playing a "Find Hiragana "Sha"" game with someone in your family!
It is super fun when you find a lot of them!

Color the Big Hiragana "Sha" in Your Favorite Colors

First, try coloring the big outlined Hiragana "Sha" in the top right using your favorite colors.
Since it is all about the sea, making "Shi" blue and the small "Ya" light blue will make the letter look nice and cool.
To keep inside the lines, color slowly near the edges and nice and free in the middle.

Color the Orca in Clear Black and White

Color the orca's back and fins black.
Layering your pencil or crayon little by little on the black parts helps you color smoothly.
Leave its belly and the spots above its eyes white.
If you carefully color the border between black and white along the lines, it will look like a real orca.
Coloring the sea around it blue or light blue and leaving the splashing water white makes the jump look powerful.
It also looks great if you color the sky light blue.

Tracing Hiragana "Sha": 2 Boxes Make 1 Pair

In the bottom right boxes, there are 4 pairs of light gray Hiragana "Sha" lined up.
"Shi" is in the left box and the small "Ya" is in the right box, so 2 boxes make 1 pair.
Pencils in B or 2B that are not too dark and not too light are best.
Use the vertical and horizontal lines in the middle of the box as your guide, and check where the letter starts before you write.
Once you write 1 pair, say "sha" out loud.
When you trace all 4 pairs carefully one by one, try writing it all by yourself in the white space outside the boxes.

Hiragana "Sha" is the Largest Dolphin

Hiragana "Sha" is the biggest creature in the dolphin family.
Big males can even grow over 8 meters long!
A male's top fin stands up tall and straight, and it can be as tall as a grown-up person.

Smart Creatures Living in Families

Hiragana "Sha" live in family pods led by the mother.
They call to each other with sounds and work together to catch their food.
They are known to be very smart creatures.

"Shachihoko" on Castle Roofs

Have you ever seen a gold, fish-like decoration on top of a castle roof?
That is called a "Shachihoko." It is a made-up creature with the head of a tiger and the body of a fish.
The Golden Shachihoko at Nagoya Castle is very famous.
People used to believe it would protect the building from fire!

White Patches on Hiragana "Sha"

The white patches above the eyes of Hiragana "Sha" look like eyes, but their real eyes are actually further forward in the black area.
It is said that the clear black-and-white pattern makes it easy to tell each Hiragana "Sha" apart.
If you see one at an aquarium, take a close look!