Katakana Vowels stroke order: ア イ ウ エ オ
Katakana is built from short, straight strokes, and the vowels show the two directions you will use most: horizontal strokes left to right, and sweeping strokes that fall from the top right down to the left. ア ends with that falling stroke, and イ starts with it.
Vowels characters
ア (a) 2 strokes
- 1
- 2
The corner stroke across the top first, then the short stroke that falls down to the left.
イ (i) 2 strokes
- 1
- 2
The long falling stroke first, then the vertical below it.
ウ (u) 3 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
The small mark on top, the short left vertical, then the corner stroke.
エ (e) 3 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
Top line, vertical, then the longer bottom line.
オ (o) 3 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
Crossbar, then the vertical with its hook, then the falling stroke on the left.
Common mistakes
Two katakana vowels have look-alikes you will meet later. ア and マ both start with the same corner stroke across the top. The difference is the second stroke: in ア it falls down and to the left from the middle of the corner, while in マ it is a short stroke going down to the right. ウ and ワ are the other pair. ウ is a small mark on top, a short left vertical, and a corner stroke. ワ is the same without the mark. For イ, the falling stroke comes first and the vertical hangs from it. Writing the vertical first is a habit carried over from English letters, and it pulls the whole character off balance.
Keep going
Learn what each character looks like and how to remember it in the katakana Vowels mnemonics article, then drill recognition with Vowels flashcards. The same row in hiragana is here.