Part 14: Sokuon and Additional Letters
Sokuon is a pause (no sound) between two syllables.
Sokuon is indicated by っ (small tsu). But you don't pronounce it.
Reading
Pronunciation (Example: きっぷ)
- Right after the sound き, your mouth should be ready for the next sound ぷ (closed lips).
- Hold your breath for one letter long.
- Then pronounce the sound ぷ.
Writing
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The size should be clearly smaller. The placement should be lower than the middle. |
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Typing
| Hiragana | けっこん | ざっし | おっと | きっぷ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keystrokes | kekkon | zasshi / zassi | otto | kippu |
Type twice the first letter of the following syllable.
Additional Letters
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These additional letters are invented in modern era to describe the sound of foreign languages.
Note that the foreign words are usually written in Katakana. These additional Hiragana letters are rarely used.
| Hiragana | ぁ | ぃ | ぅ | ぇ | ぉ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keystrokes | la | li | lu | le | lo |
ぁ, ぃ, ぅ, ぇ and ぉ (small あ い う え お) are attached after particular letters.
Examples: ふぁ[fa], てぃ[ti], どぅ[du], うぇ[we], ふぉ[fo]
The above table shows the keystrokes.
| Hiragana | う゛ぁ | う゛ぃ | う゛ | う゛ぇ | う゛ぉ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keystrokes | va | vi | vu | ve | vo |
う゛ is used for [v] sound.
The above table shows the keystrokes.
Alphabetical Order
Like A, B, C..., there is a specific order in the Japanese alphabet.
Dictionaries, phonebooks, lists... many things are arranged alphabetically. So, it's good to know how it is arranged.
See alphabetical order page for details.
Drill Exercise
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