し (si/shi) – Hiragana

Pronunciation

– Pronounced as the Japanese ‘shi’, even though it falls into the alphabet under ‘si’. Sounds closest to the English word ‘she’.

About

し, in hiragana, or シ in katakana, is one of the Japanese kana, which each represent one mora. Both represent /si/ although for phonological reasons, the actual pronunciation is ‘shi’. The shapes of these kana originate from 之.

Mnemonics

Mnemonic 1: Imagine a lady’s hair running down her neck. ‘She’ has beautiful hair.

Mnemonic 2: A sheath is a container for a sword. This one is broken, because the sword was yanked out sideways. Only half the sheath remains.