Katakana "Hyu" Coloring Pages

The "Hyu" in "Hyuu"

The character on this coloring page is the Katakana "Hyu".
The word here is "hyuu". It is not the name of a thing, but a word that shows a sound.
The picture on the left shows a firework ball going "hyuu" up into the night sky, and a firework opening up big. You can see lines of light spreading out all around, can't you?
Besides the sound of fireworks going up, "hyuu" is also used for the sound of strong wind blowing.
Katakana is a character often used to write words that come from foreign countries, names of animals and plants, and sounds or animal cries. When you write a sound word like "hyuu" in Katakana, it almost feels like you can hear the sound!

"Hi" and a small "Yu" make 1 sound

Katakana "Hyu" is a character written by putting a small "Yu" after "Hi".
Although you write it with 2 characters, when you read it, it becomes 1 sound as "Hyu". A sound like this is called a youon (contracted sound).
If you write the "Yu" big as "Hiyu", it splits into 2 separate sounds, "Hi" and "Yu". The way you read it changes depending on whether you write it small or big!
Try saying "hyuu" while clapping your hands. For the "Hyu" part, you only need to clap your hands 1 time.

The Kanji that Katakana "Hyu" came from

Katakana characters were made by taking one part of a Kanji or by using the shape of a Kanji.
It is said that they started when monks long ago used them to quickly write down how to read Kanji in scriptures.
"Hi" is a character made from the right side of the Kanji "比".
The small "Yu" is made by shrinking the big "Yu", and "Yu" was made based on the Kanji "由".

Tips for writing

"Hi" has 2 strokes.
For the 1st stroke, make a horizontal line from left to right, and tilt it a little bit up to the right.
For the 2nd stroke, go down from top to bottom, and turn to the right at the bottom.
If you write it so the standing line of the 2nd stroke passes through the end of the 1st stroke's horizontal line, the shape will look nice and neat!
The small "Yu" has the same stroke order as the big "Yu", and it has 2 strokes.
When writing sideways, write it small in the bottom left of the box. Be careful not to make it the same size as "Hi".

Words that start with Katakana "Hyu"

There are very few words that start with Katakana "Hyu".
Almost all of them are words that show sounds, like the wind sound hyuu-hyuu or the firework sound hyururuu.
In words written in Hiragana, "hyu" is in hyuuganatsu, which is the name of a fruit from Miyazaki Prefecture.
Try making the sounds of fireworks and the wind with your mouth!

Color the Big Katakana "Hyu" with Two Different Colors

The big Katakana "Hyu" at the top right is a letter you can color inside the lines.
If you color the big "ヒ" and the small "ュ" with different colors, it is easy to see that it is made of two letters.
If you use red like fireworks for "ヒ" and yellow or gold for the small "ュ", it will look like it is shining in the night sky.
It is also fun to change colors line by line, following stroke 1 and stroke 2!

Color the Light Lines of the Fireworks with Many Colors

Let's color the light lines of the open fireworks in many colors, like red, yellow, green, blue, and purple.
If you change the color near the middle and on the outside, it will look like fireworks that change colors!
Make the lines of the rising firework shell orange or gold.
If you want to color the night sky, stay away from the light lines and color around them with dark blue or navy blue. It makes the fireworks look much brighter!

Tracing Is 2 Letters in 1 Set

In the boxes at the bottom right, there are 4 sets of light gray Katakana "Hyu". "ヒ" is in the left box, and a small "ュ" is in the right box.
Hold your pencil correctly and trace over the gray lines slowly so you do not go outside the lines.
Use the vertical and horizontal center lines in the boxes as a guide. It makes it easy to find the place and size of the letters.
Check if the small "ュ" fits nicely in the bottom left of the box, too.
Every time you trace 1 set, say Katakana "Hyu" out loud. This helps you learn the letter and the sound together!

"Tamaya!" and "Kagiya!"

When people watch fireworks, they sometimes shout, "Tamaya!"
These shouts come from the names of two famous firework shops in old Tokyo long ago, called Tamaya and Kagiya.
People shouted the name of the shop they were cheering for every time a firework went up!

Firework Colors Come from Metals

All the pretty colors in fireworks come from metals mixed into the gunpowder when they burn.
For example, copper makes blue and greenish colors, and sodium makes a yellow light.
People mix different things to make all those lovely colors!

The "Hyu" Sound is Made on Purpose

When a firework goes up, it makes a "hyu" whistle sound. Some fireworks make this sound on purpose with a special whistle attachment.
The sound lets you know, "A firework is about to open!"
Listen closely next time!

Compare with Hiragana "Hyu"

If you write Katakana "Hyu" in hiragana, it looks like 「ひゅ」.
Actually, both hiragana "hi" and katakana "HI" came from the same Kanji character, "比".
Hiragana was made by smoothing out the whole character, while katakana was made from taking just a part of it. That is why they look different, even though they came from the same character!
The little "yu" in hiragana and Katakana "Hyu" both came from the Kanji "由", so they are like brothers too!