シ and ツ: follow the direction

A finished shape can hide the movement that made it. With シ (shi) and ツ (tsu), watching the long stroke helps the difference become clearer.

Watch how each one starts

シ has two short marks arranged more vertically on the left. Its long stroke travels from the lower left toward the upper right. ツ places the two short marks more across the top; its long stroke starts toward the upper right and sweeps down and left.

These are directional cues, not a request to measure exact angles. Printed fonts and handwritten examples vary. Use the moving marker in the comparison above to follow the motion before copying it.

A small comparison exercise

1. Play シ once. Say “shi” as you follow the long rising stroke.
2. Play ツ once. Notice the different starting point for the long stroke.
3. Write one of each, with a little space between them.
4. Cover both models. Write them again, then check the direction you used.

If both shapes drift toward the same form, return to the beginning of the long stroke. Deliberately moving from a different starting point is more useful than repeatedly staring at two completed glyphs.

Put the shapes in words

Read the whole word, then practice just the first character. Finally, copy the whole word again. This connects the shape you are practicing to a sound and a word instead of leaving it as an isolated drawing.

What about small ッ?

Small ッ is not another spelling of シ. It has the shape of ツ at a smaller size and commonly marks a pause before the next consonant, as in カップ. It is a separate reading skill; first get comfortable distinguishing full-size シ and ツ.