Hiragana: dakuten, handakuten and combinations
The voiced marks ゛ and ゜ (が〜ぽ), the 36 contracted yōon sounds (きゃ, しゅ, ちょ…), the small っ, and how long vowels are spelled in hiragana.
By Nihongo PathUpdated
Dakuten (゛) and handakuten (゜)
Two small strokes (゛ dakuten) voice the consonant; a small circle (゜ handakuten) turns h into p. Total: 20 dakuten + 5 handakuten = 25 characters.
ぢ and づ
Yōon (拗音): contracted sounds
Take an i-row character (き, し, ち, に, ひ, み, り, ぎ, じ, ぢ, び, ぴ) and add a small や, ゆ, or よ (ゃ ゅ ょ). The small kana is written at roughly half size in the lower-right area of the square. Total: 36 combinations (21 unvoiced + 15 voiced / semi-voiced).
Big vs small matters
Small っ and other marks
Marks used with hiragana
| Mark | Name | Function | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| っ (small tsu) | 促音 sokuon | Doubles the following consonant; occupies one full beat | きって kitte (stamp), がっこう gakkō (school) |
| ー | 長音符 chōonpu | Long-vowel bar, used in katakana; in hiragana long vowels are written with an extra vowel instead | おかあさん okāsan, おとうさん otōsan |
| ゝ | 踊り字 | Repetition mark, obsolete; only in old texts or names | — |
Long vowels in hiragana
Long vowel spelling
| Long vowel | Spelling | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| ā | add あ | おかあさん, おばあさん |
| ī | add い | おにいさん, おいしい |
| ū | add う | くうき, ゆうびん |
| ē | usually add い; add え only in a few words | せんせい, えいご, とけい; おねえさん, ええ |
| ō | usually add う; add お in a small set of words | おとうさん, がっこう, きょう; おおきい, とおい, とお, こおり, おおい, とおる |
Practice words
20 words with voiced marks, yōon, small っ and long vowels
がっこう
gakkō
school
せんせい
sensei
teacher
がくせい
gakusei
student
ともだち
tomodachi
friend
かぞく
kazoku
family
おかあさん
okāsan
mother
おとうさん
otōsan
father
でんしゃ
densha
train
たまご
tamago
egg
ごはん
gohan
cooked rice; meal
おちゃ
ocha
tea
びょういん
byōin
hospital
じかん
jikan
time
きょう
kyō
today
えんぴつ
enpitsu
pencil
かばん
kaban
bag
おおきい
ōkii
big
ちいさい
chiisai
small
ざっし
zasshi
magazine
しゅくだい
shukudai
homework
Spot the difference
Quick check
Which hiragana is "zo"?