Katakana "Ko" Coloring Pages

"Ko" in "Koara" (Koala)

Katakana "Ko" is the 5th and final letter in the Ka-row.
The word for this coloring page is "Koara" (koala). It is a stuffed-toy-like animal that lives in Australia.
On the left side, I drew 1 koala holding onto a tree trunk.
A big black nose and fluffy, round ears are a koala's special features.
Take a close look at its paws holding tightly to the tree, too!

Katakana "Ko" comes from the Kanji "己"

Katakana are letters made by taking a part of a kanji.
Katakana "Ko" was born from the top part of the kanji "己".
Hiragana "ko" was also made by simplifying the same kanji, "己".
For hiragana "ko", the 2 lines are apart, but for Katakana "Ko", the lines connect at the corner.
Even if they start from the same kanji, making them differently gives them different shapes!

How to Write Katakana "Ko"

You write Katakana "Ko" in 2 strokes.
For stroke 1, go across to the right, bend at the right corner, and go straight down.
For stroke 2, write the bottom line from left to right.
If you touch the right end of stroke 2 to the standing line of stroke 1, or stick it out just a little, you get a nice square shape.
There is no line on the left side, so it becomes a square that is open on the left!

Words with Katakana "Ko"

Just like koalas, animal names are often written in katakana in picture books and guidebooks.
Words that start with Katakana "Ko" include koppu (cup), koon (corn), koorogi (cricket), konbini (convenience store), and kosumosu (cosmos flower).
"Koppu" and "konbini" are words from foreign countries, and "koorogi" and "kosumosu" are names of living things.
It is said that the name "koala" also comes from the language of the people who lived in Australia long ago.
Let's play a word-chain game with words that have Katakana "Ko"!

The Ka-row Is Complete!

With Katakana "Ko", all 5 letters of the Ka-row ("Ka, Ki, Ku, Ke, Ko") are now here.
If you add two little dots to Katakana "Ko", it becomes "Go", which is the "go" in "gorira" (gorilla) or "gooru" (goal).
Tracing all 5 letters of the Ka-row one after another is great practice, too.
When you can write them all, try reading them out loud: "Ka, Ki, Ku, Ke, Ko"!

Katakana "Ko" and Katakana "Ro"

Katakana "Ro" is a letter that looks a lot like Katakana "Ko".
Katakana "Ro" has a standing line on the left side too, making a fully closed square shape.
Katakana "Ko" is open on the left, so put them side by side and compare them!

Big Katakana "Ko" in 2 Colors

Color the big Katakana "Ko" with your favorite colors.
If you use different colors for the 1st stroke and 2nd stroke, you can easily see where the lines split.
It is also fun to use koala gray or eucalyptus leaf green!

Koalas Are Soft and Gray

Color the koala's body with a soft gray.
If you use white or light gray for the tummy, inside the ears, and under the chin, it will look like a real koala!
If you leave the fluffy fur on the edge of the ears white, it will look super soft.
Color the big nose black or dark gray, and color the eyes black too.
Color the tree trunk brown. You can even add lines with dark brown for the bark patterns!

How to Trace

Trace Katakana "Ko" in the bottom-right boxes with your pencil.
At the corner of the 1st stroke, make a sharp turn like you are stopping for a fast moment.
If you make the top and bottom flat lines about the same length, it will look very neat.
When you finish writing all 8, check to see if the sharp corners are connected nicely!

Finally, Let's Read the Word

In the top right, next to big Katakana "Ko", the word "Koala" is written vertically.
When you finish coloring, trace it with your finger and read "Koala" out loud!
When you connect the picture, the letter, and the word, it gets much easier to remember the letter.
When your coloring page is all done, it is nice to put it on the wall or keep it in a folder!

Koalas Love Eucalyptus Leaves

Koalas live by eating the leaves of a tree called eucalyptus.
Eucalyptus leaves do not have many nutrients. So, Katakana "Ko" does not move around much and spends most of the day sleeping.
They sleep soundly up in the trees, sitting right between the branches.

Raising Babies in a Pouch

Just like kangaroos, Katakana "Ko" is an animal with a pouch on its belly.
Babies are very tiny when they are born. They grow bigger inside their mother's pouch.
After they come out of the pouch, they ride on their mother's back.

The Day Katakana "Ko" Came to Japan

Katakana "Ko" came to a Japanese zoo for the very first time in 1984.
At that time, Katakana "Ko" arrived at zoos in Tokyo, Nagoya, and Kagoshima.
It is said that huge crowds of people rushed to the zoos to see Katakana "Ko".

The Fingers of Katakana "Ko"

Katakana "Ko" has sharp claws on its hands to hold tightly onto trees.
Plus, the fingers of Katakana "Ko" have fingerprints, just like humans do.
Isn't that amazing?