# う — hiragana “u”

う is the hiragana character for the sound “u”. It is written with 2 strokes, and in katakana the same sound is ウ.

- Reading: u
- Strokes: 2
- Katakana: ウ

## How う sounds

Like the oo in “food”, but shorter and with relaxed lips, not rounded.

## Don't confuse it with

ら

## Words with う

| Word | Reading | Meaning |
| --- | --- | --- |
| うえ | ue | above |
| うつくしい | utsukushii | beautiful |
| うち | uchi | inside; one's house |
| うける | ukeru | to receive |
| うまい | umai | skillful |
| うんてん | unten | driving; operation |

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From Moji Ninja (https://moji.ninja/), a free app for learning hiragana, katakana and the JLPT kanji from N5 to N1 with spaced repetition. Page: https://moji.ninja/hiragana-chart/u/. Last updated 2026-11-01.