Katakana "Wa" Coloring Pages

The "Wa" in "One Piece"

The character on this coloring page is the Katakana "Wa".
The word is "One-piece dress".
On the left side, there is a dress hanging on a hanger.
The sleeves are puffy, the bottom spreads out, and it has a collar and buttons too.
A one-piece dress is a piece of clothing where the top and the skirt are joined together as one.
Its name comes from an English word, so we write it in Katakana.

Katakana "Wa" came from "和"

Katakana were created long ago when people took a piece of a Kanji character.
It is said that Katakana "Wa" was born from a part of the Kanji "和".
Hiragana "わ" was also born from the very same Kanji, "和", written in a cursive way.
"和" is a Kanji that means getting along with others and stands for Japan too!

How to write Katakana "Wa"

You write Katakana "Wa" in 2 strokes.
Stroke 1 is the short vertical line on the left.
For stroke 2, write the top horizontal line to the right, bend at the corner, and sweep down to the left.
The horizontal line of stroke 2 starts from the top of stroke 1's vertical line.
If you make the sweep big and easy, you get a nice rounded shape that looks just like Katakana "Wa".

Let's compare similar letters

Katakana "Wa" looks a lot like the katakana 「ウ」 and 「フ」.
「ウ」 has 1 more short vertical line on top.
「フ」 is written with 1 stroke and does not have the short vertical line on the left.
For 「ク」, the left line sweeps down to the left from the top.
Try writing Katakana "Wa", 「ウ」, 「フ」, and 「ク」 side by side to see how they are different!

Words that start with "Katakana "Wa""

Words that start with Katakana "Wa" include dress (one-piece), alligator, wagon, waffle, and windshield wiper.
Animal names, like alligator, are often written in Katakana, too.
Words for sounds and voices, like a dog's bark "bow-wow," are sometimes written in Katakana as well.
Try playing word games using words with Katakana "Wa"!

Onomatopoeia Words in Katakana

Katakana is often used for words from other countries, and the names of animals and plants. It is also used to show sounds and voices!
You can see this in "wan-wan" for a dog's bark, "zaboon" for splashing waves, and "goro-goro" for rumbling thunder.
Sounds in comic books are often written in Katakana too, so try to look for them!

Color the Big Katakana "Wa" with Gentle Colors

Try coloring the big Katakana "Wa" at the top right with colors that match the dress, like pink, orange, or yellow-green.
If you use different colors for the 1st stroke and 2nd stroke, you can easily see the stroke order.
Color near the edges first before coloring the inside, and it will be easier to stay in the lines!

Color the Dress with Your Favorite Colors and Patterns

Try coloring the dress with colors you would like to wear, like red, light blue, or yellow.
If you draw patterns like polka dots, flowers, or checks, it will become a one-of-a-kind dress in the world!
If you leave the collar white, the dress color will really stand out.
If you make the buttons a different color from the dress, they make a cute accent!

How to Make It Look Soft and Fluffy

For puffy sleeves and flared hems, make the color a little darker near the fold lines to make them look soft and fluffy.
If you color the hanger brown, it looks like a wooden hanger. If you use gray, it looks like a metal hanger.
Move your colored pencils gently to show how soft the cloth is!

For Tracing, Make a Smooth Sweeping Stroke

In the boxes at the bottom right, 8 light gray Katakana "Wa" are lined up.
Trace slowly over the gray lines with a pencil.
For the sweep of the 2nd stroke, relax your pressure and sweep smoothly down to the left.
Use the center lines of the boxes as a guide, and your letters will be the same size.
Write them carefully, one by one!

"One-piece" is a Word Born in Japan

The word "one-piece" comes from the English words "one" and "piece".
But in English-speaking countries, people usually call this kind of clothing a "dress".
Words made in Japan like this, based on foreign words, are called Wasei-Eigo (Japanese-made English).

"Wai-shirt" is Also Japanese-Made English

The word "wai-shirt" (dress shirt) that fathers wear to work was also born in Japan.
It is said that "white shirt" sounded like "wai-shirt" to Japanese people, which is how it got its name.
So, even if a word is in Katakana, it might not be understood in other countries!

Katakana "Wa" Used to Be "Ha"

The "ha" in "watashi ha" (I am) is read as Katakana "Wa".
In old Japanese, people started saying "ha" as Katakana "Wa" when it was in the middle or at the end of a word. That is why the particle "ha" is still read as Katakana "Wa" today.
Remember to write it as "ha", but read it as Katakana "Wa"!

One-Piece and Two-Piece

Clothes with the top and bottom connected together are called "one-piece". On the other hand, clothes split into top and bottom parts are sometimes called "two-piece".
"Two" means the number 2 in English!