た

This character looks like the letters “ta”, and it sounds the same.

ち

Imagine a small piece of cheese with a toothpick in it. This character is spelled “chi” and sounds like the “chee” in “cheese”.

つ

This character looks like a large curling wave, like a tsunami. It’s pronounced “tsu” like the beginning of “tsunami”.

て

Imagine that this character is part of a broken tennis racket. It’s spelled “te” like the beginning of “tennis”.

と

This looks like a person’s big toe. It’s spelled “to” and sounds like “toe”.