Katakana "Go" Coloring Pages

"Go" as in "Gorilla"

The letter on this coloring page is the Katakana "Go".
The word is "gorilla".
On the left side, one cute baby gorilla is sitting and facing front.
Gorillas live in the forests of Africa, and they are the biggest animals in the monkey and ape family.
They have big, strong bodies, but they are actually very calm and gentle.
We often write animal names in Katakana, so we write "gorilla" in Katakana too.

"Go" is "Ko" with two dots

Katakana "Go" is the letter "Ko" with two small dots (dakuten) added.
When you add these dots, the clear "Ko" sound changes to the buzzing "Go" sound.
If you put your hand on your throat and say "Ko" and "Go," you can feel your throat vibrate when you say "Go."
A buzzing sound like this is called a voiced sound.

How Katakana "Go" Was Created

Katakana characters were made a long time ago by people using parts of Kanji characters.
It is said that "Ko" came from a part of the Kanji "己".
So, Katakana "Go", which is "Ko" with dots, comes from the same Kanji too.
Katakana characters were created with fewer strokes so people could write small notes on how to read scriptures and old texts.

How to write Katakana "Go"

You write Katakana "Go" in 4 strokes. Just take "Ko" (2 strokes) and add 2 little dots!
Stroke 1: Draw the top horizontal line to the right, then bend down at the corner.
Stroke 2: Draw the bottom horizontal line so it touches the bottom end of the vertical line.
Strokes 3 and 4: Draw 2 little dots outside the top-right corner.
"Ko" stays open on the left side. If you close the left side, it turns into "Ro", so be careful!

Words that start with "Go"

Words that start with "Go" include gorilla, goal, rubber, and spotted seal.
A spotted seal is a seal with tiny sesame-like spots all over its body.
Katakana "Go" also shows up in sound words, like the rumble of thunder ("goro-goro") or a ball rolling over ("goron").
There are also words that end with "Go", like apple (ringo).
Try playing a word chain game using words with Katakana "Go"!

Make the dots stand out on the big Katakana "Go"

For the big Katakana "Go" at the top right, try coloring the "Ko" part in green or yellow-green, and the dots in a different color like orange or red.
Green is the color of the forest where gorillas live.
Color carefully near the edges to stay inside the lines!

Gorilla fur is black and dark gray

Color the gorilla's body fur with black and dark gray.
Instead of coloring it all black at once, try coloring with dark gray first. Then, add a little black along the flow of the fur to make it look nice and fluffy!
The face, palms, and bottoms of the feet have less fur, so you can see the skin.
Use dark gray or dark brown there to make it look a little different from the body fur.

Give it kind eyes

Color the eyes dark brown, and leave a tiny white dot in the middle of each pupil. This makes the eyes look shiny and kind!
If you draw green leaves and yellow fruit around the gorilla, it will look like it is relaxing in the forest.
Gorillas actually eat leaves and tree nuts more than bananas!

Tracing time: keep the left side open!

In the grid at the bottom right, there are 8 light gray Katakana "Go"s lined up.
Use your pencil to trace "Ko" first, and write the dots at the end.
The secret is to leave the left side open without closing it!
Use the center lines of the boxes to help make all your letters the same size.
Write them one by one, nice and carefully!

Drumming with their palms

When a Katakana "Go" rilla stands up and beats its chest, it is called drumming.
People often think they beat their chest with fists, but they are actually cupping their palms to make that popping sound.
It is said they do this to show how big they are or to send signals to their friends.

They make a bed every day

When night comes, a Katakana "Go" rilla gathers tree branches and leaves to make a bed to sleep in.
What is more, they make a brand-new bed every single day.
Baby Katakana "Go" rillas sleep together in their mother's bed.

You can tell them apart by their noses

Every Katakana "Go" rilla has a different nose shape and set of wrinkles.
Because of this, researchers studying Katakana "Go" rillas use their nose shapes as clues to tell each one apart.
It is just like how human faces are all different!

Dads with silver backs

When a male Katakana "Go" rilla grows up, the fur on its back turns white and looks silver.
They are called "Silverbacks" in English, and they become the leader of the group.

Baby Katakana "Go" rillas hold on tight to Mom

A newborn baby Katakana "Go" rilla gets around by holding on tight to the fur on its mother's belly.
When it gets a little bigger, it starts riding on its mother's back.