Katakana "ズ" Coloring Pages

The "ズ" in "ズボン" (Pants) — Katakana "ズ"

The character on this coloring page is the Katakana "ズ".
The word is "ズボン" (pants).
On the left side, a pair of kids' pants is laid out flat.
It has pockets and a button, and the hems are cuffed a little bit.
Pants are clothes that you wear by putting your legs through the two parts.
"Zubon" is a word that came from another country, so we write it in Katakana.

"ズ" is "ス" with tenten

Katakana "ズ" is the character "ス" with two little dots (dakuten) added.
When you add the two dots, the clear "su" sound changes into the buzzy "zu" sound.
If you touch your throat and compare saying "su" and "zu," you can feel your throat vibrate when you say "zu."
A buzzy sound like this is called a voiced sound.

How Katakana "ズ" Came to Be

Katakana are characters that people long ago created by taking parts of Kanji.
It is said that "ス" was born from a part of the Kanji "須".
So, Katakana "ズ", which is just "ス" with dots, comes from the same Kanji.
Katakana has very few strokes because it was invented to quickly write down small reading notes next to Buddhist scriptures and ancient Chinese texts.

How to Write Katakana "ズ"

You write Katakana "ズ" in 4 strokes. Just add 2 little dots to "ス"!
For stroke 1, draw a line to the right, bend at the corner, and sweep way down to the left.
For stroke 2, start from the middle of stroke 1 and draw a short line down to the right.
For strokes 3 and 4, draw 2 little dots at the top right.
It looks super neat if stroke 1 and stroke 2 look like a person standing with their legs open!

About Katakana "ズ" and "ヅ"

There is also "ヅ" for the same "zu" sound.
But when you write Katakana words, you usually use Katakana "ズ".
In Hiragana, some words use "づ" with dots on "つ", like "こづつみ" or "みかづき".
When you write the "zu" sound in Katakana, remember to use Katakana "ズ" first!

Words that start with Katakana "ズ"

Words that start with Katakana "ズ" include ズボン (zubon / pants), ズッキーニ (zukkīni / zucchini), ズーム (zūmu / zoom), and ズワイガニ (zuwaigani / snow crab).
Zucchini is a vegetable shaped like a cucumber, and snow crab is a tasty crab you eat in winter.
Katakana "ズ" also pops up in sound and action words, like "ズルズル" (zuruzuru) for dragging something heavy, or "ズンズン" (zunzun) for walking along energetically.
There are also words that end with Katakana "ズ", like チーズ (chīzu / cheese) and クイズ (kuizu / quiz).
Try to find more words with Katakana "ズ"!

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

For the big Katakana "ズ" on the top right, try coloring the "ス" part with blue or dark blue, and the dots with a different color like yellow or orange.
If you change the color of the dots, it is easy to see that "ス" gets dots to become Katakana "ズ".
If you color carefully from near the edges, it is hard to go outside the lines.

Color the pants in any color you like

Try coloring the pants in your favorite color, like blue or dark blue for jeans, or brown, khaki, or gray.
Making cheerful pants in red or yellow is fun too.
The cuffed hems show the inside of the pants, so if you use a slightly lighter color, it is easy to tell that they are rolled up.
If you add a slightly darker color along the edge of the pocket and the seam lines, they will look like real pants.

Make them stylish with buttons and patterns

If you make the button a different color from the pants, like gold, silver, or brown, it will stand out.
If you draw star or heart patterns on the pocket, they will become your very own special pants.
Making stripes or a plaid pattern is cute, too.

Be careful of the stroke directions when tracing

In the boxes on the bottom right, there are 8 light gray Katakana "ズ" lined up.
With a pencil, trace "ス" first, and write the dots at the end.
Be careful of the strokes that sweep in different directions: the 1st stroke goes to the bottom left, and the 2nd stroke goes to the bottom right.
If you use the center lines of the box as a guide, your letter will fit right in the middle.
Write them carefully, one by one.

"Zubon" Comes from French

The word "zubon" is said to come from French.
In English, people call Katakana "ズ" trousers "pants" or "trousers."
Even for the exact same item, different countries have very different names!

The Little Metal Parts on Jeans Pockets

Sometimes you can find small metal parts on the corners of jeans pockets.
These are called rivets, and they make the pockets strong so they do not tear easily.
Jeans were made long ago as strong Katakana "ズ" trousers for workers.

Why We Fold Up the Bottom of Trousers

If you fold up the bottom of your Katakana "ズ" trousers, you can make them shorter and easier to wear.
Parents sometimes buy kids' Katakana "ズ" trousers a little big and fold up the bottoms for them.
When you grow bigger, you can just unfold them and keep wearing them for a long time!

Katakana "ズ" Trousers and Pants

In Japan, people sometimes call Katakana "ズ" trousers "pants."
But in Japanese, "pants" can also mean underwear.
It is neat how the exact same word can mean different things depending on how you use it!