Se So
Katakana 1
Chapter 6 · Se So
🌿 Finishing the S Row — セ ソ
Two characters complete the S row: セ (se) and ソ (so). Today also brings your first serious look-alike lesson, because ソ is easy to mix up with other characters. Romaji is shown for everything.
✨ Your Two New Characters — セ ソ
セ
se
like "se" in set ("seh")
Memory hook: a seat with a high back: a long seat running across and a tall back at the right. Hiragana twin: せ.
ソ
so
like "so" in sorry, short ("soh")
Memory hook: a sewing needle and its thread: a long needle slanting down, and a tiny dot of thread at the top. Hiragana twin: そ.
| Katakana | Hiragana twin | Romaji |
|---|---|---|
| セ | せ | se |
| ソ | そ | so |
🔤 The Complete S Row
| sa | shi | su | se | so |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| サ | シ | ス | セ | ソ |
| さ | し | す | せ | そ |
Top row katakana, bottom row hiragana: say each pair aloud.
Look-Alikes: ソ, シ and ン
ソ (so) has two strokes, a short dot at the top and a long stroke slanting down, so it is different from シ (shi), which has three: always count the strokes. There's also ン (n), which you'll meet in Chapter 18: the two characters are very close, and the usual trick is that ソ's long stroke goes down from the top while ン's long stroke sweeps up from the bottom.
📖 Read It — Five Real Words (and Two Drills)
| # | Word | Romaji | English | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ソース | sōsu | sauce | so-o-su |
| 2 | ソーサー | sōsā | saucer | so-o-sa-a: four beats |
| 3 | シーソー | shīsō | seesaw | shi-i-so-o: four beats |
| 4 | スコア | sukoa | score | su-ko-a |
| 5 | アーサー | Āsā | Arthur (a name) | a-a-sa-a: four beats |
| 6 | セコ | seko | (drill) | a sound drill: se-ko |
| 7 | ソソ | soso | (drill) | a drill: so-so, compare ソ with シ |
Sound, Not Spelling
Katakana words carry the English word's sound, not its spelling: score becomes su-ko-a (the "r" disappears and the "s" gets an extra vowel), and sauce becomes sō-su. When a katakana word doesn't look like English, try saying it in a flat Japanese accent first.
✍️ Try It Yourself — れんしゅう
Say each answer out loud first, then click to check.
1. Read aloud: セ · ソ · サ · シ · ス
Show answer
se · so · sa · shi · su
2. Read aloud and translate: ソース · ソーサー
Show answer
sōsu (sauce) · sōsā (saucer)
3. Read aloud and translate: シーソー · スコア
Show answer
shīsō (seesaw) · sukoa (score)
4. How many strokes does ソ have, and how many does シ have?
Show answer
ソ has two; シ has three.
5. How many beats are in シーソー?
Show answer
Four: シ · ー · ソ · ー (shi-i-so-o).
6. Write in katakana: sōsu · sukoa · shīsō (check the stroke order).
Show answer
ソース · スコア · シーソー
Coming Up in Chapter 5
The T row begins: タ チ ツ (ta, chi, tsu). You'll read タクシー (taxi), タイ (Thailand) and ツアー (tour), and we'll finally deal with ツ against シ properly.