Similar Katakana - シ ツ / ツツ and ノ

The five characters 「シ」, 「ン」, 「ツ」and 「ソ」 are devilishly similar. Basically, the difference is that the first two are more “horizontal” than the other two. The small lines are inclined more horizontally and the long line is drawn in a curve from bottom to top.

The second has two small almost vertical lines and the long line does not curve, as it is drawn from top to bottom. It’s almost like a bar, while the first is more like an arch. These kana are difficult to classify and require some patience and practice.

There is another similar kana that can be confused, which is the 「ノ」/ NO.

• シ – し – SHI
• ツ – つ – TSU
• ソ – そ – SO
• ン – ん – N
• ノ – の – NO

The real confusion begins when we try to differentiate シ from ツ and ソ from ン. Although we talk a little about the differences between the strokes, you are probably still completely lost.

The differences between シ ツ / ツツ and ノ

The differences are few, how are we going to quickly differentiate them when reading a text? Only time and practice can help. The more words you know in the language, the faster and easier it will be to read words in katakana without getting confused.

There are some tips we can apply to prevent this from happening; it is interesting to analyze that these 5 katakana look quite a bit like their 5 hiragana. (how? What the hell? Where?) The last video we left at the end of the article will explain in detail how this is possible. You may have also noticed this in the image at the beginning of the article.

You can also think of these 5 katakana in the following way:

• シ – shi is a girl looking into the eyes of tsu
• ツ – tsu is a boy looking down
• ソ – Winking “so“
• ン – Thinking “NNNNN… I don’t think that way.”
• ノ – Eyes closed “noooooooooooooo!”

Tips to Differentiate Similar Katakana

Here are some tips to help you differentiate some of the most similar katakana:

1. シ (shi) and ツ (tsu): To remember the difference between these two characters, observe the direction of the smaller lines. In シ (shi), the lines are slanted from left to right (like a backslash: ), while in ツ (tsu), the lines are slanted from right to left (like a normal slash: /).
2. ン (n) and ソ (so): The difference between these two characters lies in the curvature of the line. In ン (n), the line is curved and resembles a lowercase “n,” while in ソ (so), the line is straight and slanted.
3. ラ (ra) and ル (ru): The character ラ (ra) looks like a lowercase “L,” while the character ル (ru) resembles a lowercase “J.” Remember that “ra” starts with the letter “R,” just like “ru,” so you can associate the similarity between “L” and “J” with the similarity between “R” and “R.”
4. ウ (u) and ワ (wa): The character ウ (u) has a horizontal line at the top, while ワ (wa) has a diagonal line.
5. マ (ma) and ム (mu): The マ (ma) has three lines, with a diagonal line in the middle extending from left to right. On the other hand, ム (mu) has only two lines, with a curved line at the bottom.

Videos to Differentiate Katakana

The 2 videos below show the differences between シ and ツ / ソ and ン, and give tips on how to memorize them.

Embedded video (YouTube)

Embedded video (YouTube)