Stroke order is one of the first things worth learning when you start writing Japanese by hand. You do not need to memorize every character separately: a handful of rules cover the vast majority.
Why it matters
Following the usual order and direction makes characters better proportioned, helps you write faster and keeps your writing legible to other people. Kana and kanji are also easier to learn when the movement is always the same.
The rules
- Top to bottom. Upper strokes come before lower ones. Example: 三.
- Left to right. Example: 川.
- Horizontal before vertical when they cross. Example: 十.
- Center first, then the symmetrical sides. Example: 小.
- Outer frame before what is inside. Example: 月.
- Close the box last. Write what is inside, then close it with the bottom line. Example: 四.
- The diagonal that falls to the left before the one that falls to the right. Example: 文.
- Long strokes that cut through others come last. Example: 中.
- Dots and small marks come last. Example: 玉.
- One component at a time. Finish each block before starting the next. Example: 林.
The direction of each stroke
Horizontal lines are drawn left to right and vertical lines top to bottom. In kana, direction is what separates some look-alike characters (for example シ and ツ): see similar-looking kana.
If you want the order of every kana at hand, we made stroke order sheets for hiragana and katakana, with every stroke numbered and printable PDFs, free and with no sign-up.
Exceptions
There are few, but they exist. A well-known one: 右 starts with the diagonal stroke, while 左 starts with the horizontal line. When in doubt, do not guess: check the order in a dictionary or a stroke order chart. Some characters also accept more than one standard order.
How to practice it
- Learn the order together with the character, never afterwards.
- Trace several times following the order, then write from memory (the loop is in how to learn hiragana by writing).
- If you use an app, make sure it checks the order and not just the final shape.
In Kaku! every character is traced with your finger and the app checks the order and direction of your strokes, so a wrong order does not become a habit. When you reach kanji, the same rules apply: start with the first N5 kanji.