Katakana "グ" Coloring Pages

“Gu” in “Glove”

The letter on this coloring page is the Katakana "グ".
The word is "Guroobu" (baseball glove).
On the left side, there is one baseball glove and one ball.
The glove has stitches that hold the leather together and laces between the fingers.
A glove is a tool you wear on your hand to catch a flying ball.
"Guroobu" comes from English, so we write it in Katakana.

Katakana "グ" is "ク" with two dots

"グ" is the letter made by adding two little dots (dakuten) to the Katakana "ク".
When you add the dots, the clear "ku" sound changes into the buzzing "gu" sound.
If you put your hand on your throat and say "ku" and "gu", you will feel your throat vibrate when you say "gu".
A buzzing sound like this is called a voiced sound.

How Katakana "グ" Came to Be

Long ago, people made katakana by taking parts of kanji.
"ク" is said to come from part of the kanji 「久」.
So, Katakana "グ", which is "ク" with tiny dots, comes from the very same kanji.
Katakana was invented with fewer strokes so people could write small reading notes next to ancient texts.

How to write Katakana "グ"

You write Katakana "グ" in 4 strokes by adding 2 dot strokes to "ク".
The 1st stroke is a line that goes down from the top and sweeps shortly to the bottom left.
For the 2nd stroke, draw a line to the right from near the top of the 1st stroke, bend at the corner, and sweep big to the bottom left.
For the 3rd and 4th strokes, draw 2 dots on the top right.
If you draw the dots small and clear near the corner of the 2nd stroke, Katakana "グ" will look very nice.
Try comparing it with "ワ" and "タ", which look similar to "ク", too!

Words that start with Katakana "グ"

Words that start with "グ" include baseball glove, gummy candy, gratin, glass, and green.
Just like gummy candy and gratin, many names of foods are written in Katakana.
Katakana "グ" also pops up in words that describe sounds or actions, like goo-goo and guru-guru.
See if you can name a few foods that have Katakana "グ" in them!

For the big Katakana "グ", make the two dots stand out

Try coloring the big Katakana "グ" at the top right with different colors! Use brown or orange for the "ク" part, and red or blue for the dots.
If you change the color of the dots, you can clearly see that adding dots to "ク" makes it Katakana "グ".
Color carefully near the edges so you do not go outside the lines.

Color the glove like real leather

Use brown, dark brown, or yellowish-brown for the baseball glove. It will look like real leather!
There are also black and orange gloves, so pick any color you like.
Color the base of the fingers and the center of the palm a little darker to make the glove look round and full.
If you color the stitches and laces darker than the glove, or make them red, it will look super cool!

The ball is white and red

Keep the baseball white and trace just the stitches in red to make it look real.
If you lightly color the edge of the ball with light gray, it will look round.
Draw short lines around the glove and the ball to make it look like the ball is flying into the glove!

Watch the direction of your strokes when tracing

In the boxes at the bottom right, there are 8 light gray Katakana "グ".
Use your pencil to trace the "ク" part first, and put the two dots on last.
The strokes for step 1 and step 2 both sweep down to the bottom left.
Use the center lines of the box as a guide to keep your letters the same size.
Write them carefully, one by one!

A Long Time Ago, They Caught Balls with Bare Hands

When baseball first started, players caught balls with bare hands, without wearing Katakana "グ".
After a while, some people started using thin, glove-like items to protect their hands.
Those slowly became bigger and stronger, turning into the Katakana "グ" we use today.

Katakana "グ" and Mitts

In baseball, the gear you use changes depending on where you play.
The catcher who catches the pitcher's pitches and the player guarding first base use a mitt, which does not have separate fingers.
Players guarding other positions use a Katakana "グ" with separate fingers.
In Japanese baseball, Katakana "グ" is also called "gurabu."

Katakana "グ" Means Glove

The English word for Katakana "グ" originally means glove.
That is why the gear put on your hands in boxing is also called a boxing glove.
Even with the same name, the shape is totally different depending on the sport!

Taking Care of Your Katakana "グ"

After using a leather Katakana "グ", wipe off the dirt and apply special oil once in a while to care for it.
If you care for it gently, you can use it for a long, long time.