Hiragana "Ja" Coloring Pages

"Ja" as in "potato" ("Jagaimo") in Hiragana "Ja"

The character on this coloring page is the Hiragana "Ja".
The word is "jagaimo" (potato). It is a vegetable everyone loves, used in curry, potato salad, and french fries!
The picture on the left shows 3 round potatoes.
There are a few small dimples on the surface.
These dimples are where the potato sprouts come out from!

One sound with two letters

You write Hiragana "Ja" by combining two characters: "じ" (ji) and a small "ゃ" (ya).
Even though you write two characters, you do not say "ji" and "ya" separately when you read them. You say them together as one sound.
This kind of sound is called a youon (contracted sound).
If you write it with a big "や" like "じや", it becomes two sounds and can change the word completely.
The sound changes depending on whether the character is small or not!

How Hiragana "Ja" Came to Be

"Ji" is the letter "Shi" with two dots (dakuten) added.
Hiragana characters were born long ago when people started writing Kanji in a simplified, flowing way.
"Shi" came from simplifying the Kanji 「之」.
The small "ya" is just a normal-sized "ya" written smaller. "Ya" comes from simplifying the Kanji 「也」.
Kanji from a long, long time ago changed over many years to become the friendly shapes you use today!

Tips for writing Hiragana "Ja"

You write "し" with 1 stroke.
Go straight down from the top, curve gently at the bottom, and finish with a light flick up to the right.
For the dots, write 2 short dots in the upper right after you finish writing the letter.
The top right of "し" is open, so try to write the dots right in that space.
When writing horizontally, write the small "ゃ" small in the bottom left of the box. When writing vertically, write it small in the top right.
Be careful not to mix up where the dots and the "ゃ" go!

Words that start with Hiragana "Ja"

Words that start with "ja" include "janken" (rock-paper-scissors), "jaguchi" (faucet), and "jama" (getting in the way).
There are also words with "ja" in the middle or at the end, like "otamajakushi" (tadpole) and "ninja".
Let's play a game! The winner of "jankenpon" gets to say one word with "ja".
Jagaimo (potato), janken, jaguchi... how many can you say?

Color the big "Ja" in any color you like

Try coloring inside the big Hiragana "Ja" at the top right with your favorite colors.
You can use yellow-ocher or brown to match the potatoes. Or you can use red or blue to make the letters look bright and fun!
If you use different colors for "Ji" and "Ya", you can clearly see that it is made of two letters put together.

Color the potatoes light brown

Color the potato skin light brown or yellow-ocher.
If you make the color a little darker near the edges and brighter in the middle, they will look nice and round!
Add just a little dark brown in the dimples to make them look real.
Some potatoes have reddish-purple skin too. It might be fun to color just one potato red-purple!
If you draw soil with brown under the potatoes, they will look like they were just dug up from the field!

Trace the letters with a pencil

In the boxes at the bottom right, there are 4 sets of Hiragana "Ja" in light gray.
Hold your pencil correctly and trace over the gray lines slowly. Try hard not to go outside the lines!
Use the center lines that go up, down, and across the box as your guide. They help you see how big to write and where the letters go.
Be careful with where you write them! Put the two little dots on the top right. Put the small "Ya" on the bottom left of its box.
Every time you trace 1 set, read it out loud and say "Ja"!
Once you trace all 4 sets, try writing Hiragana "Ja" by yourself outside the boxes!

The Name Comes from Jakarta

People say Hiragana "Ja" came to Japan on a Dutch ship around the beginning of the Edo period.
The ship stopped in Jakarta (called Jagatara long ago) in Indonesia. So, people called them "Jagatara-imo."
They say that name got shorter and became "jagaimo."

Home is South America

The original home of Hiragana "Ja" is around the Andes Mountains in South America.
It spread around the world from there. Now, it is an important food that people all over the world eat.

Watch Out for Sprouts and Green Skin

The sprouts of Hiragana "Ja" and skin that turned green in the sun have bad things for your body in them.
When you cook them, scoop out the sprouts completely and peel green parts thickly.
Keep Hiragana "Ja" in a cool, dark place away from the sun.

The Part You Eat Is the Stem

Hiragana "Ja" grows in the dirt, but you are eating swollen stems, not roots.
They store good nutrients in underground stems and grow big and round.
New leaves and stems of Hiragana "Ja" sprout from the little dimples!