Small tsu and long vowels
Japanese counts length carefully. A doubled consonant or a stretched vowel takes an extra beat, and it can change a word's meaning completely.
Small tsu: っ and ッ
A small つ (っ in hiragana, ッ in katakana) isn't pronounced as “tsu”. It's a brief pause that doubles the consonant after it. In romaji, you write that consonant twice.
- きって (kitte): stamp
- がっこう (gakkō): school
- ざっし (zasshi): magazine
- ベッド (beddo): bed
- サッカー (sakkā): soccer
Size matters. きって (kitte, stamp) has a small っ, whileきつて would be read ki-tsu-te. Look closely at the size.
Long vowels in hiragana
A long vowel is held for two beats. In hiragana you write it by adding another vowel:
| Long vowel | Written with | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ā | あ | おかあさん (okāsan, mother) |
| ī | い | おにいさん (onīsan, older brother) |
| ū | う | くうき (kūki, air) |
| ē | い (sometimes え) | せんせい (sensei, teacher) |
| ō | う (sometimes お) | ありがとう (arigatō, thank you) |
Long vowels in katakana: ー
Katakana uses a dash instead, called the chōonpu. It lengthens whatever vowel comes before it:ケーキ (kēki, cake), コーヒー (kōhī, coffee),スーパー (sūpā, supermarket).
Length changes meaning
- おばさん (obasan, aunt) vs おばあさん (obāsan, grandmother)
- おじさん (ojisan, uncle) vs おじいさん (ojīsan, grandfather)
- きて (kite, come) vs きって (kitte, stamp)
When listening, count beats rather than letters. Each kana (including っ and a lengthened vowel) gets one.
Questions learners ask
How do you pronounce a small っ?
It isn't a sound of its own. It's a short pause that doubles the next consonant: きって is kit-te, with a tiny stop before the t.
How do you write a long vowel in hiragana?
Add a vowel after the syllable. Long a, i and u add あ, い and う. Long e is usually written with い (せんせい, sensei), and long o usually with う (ありがとう, arigatō).
What does ー mean?
It is the long vowel mark, used mainly in katakana. It lengthens the vowel before it, as in ケーキ (kēki, cake).