---
title: Japanese
tags:
- language
- japanese
---
- [Kana](#kana)
- [Archaic Kana](#archaic-kana)
- [Hiragana Ligature](#hiragana-ligature)
- [Polysyllabic hiragana](#polysyllabic-hiragana)
- [Katakana ligature](#katakana-ligature)
- [Polysyllabic katakana](#polysyllabic-katakana)
- [Origin of Hiragana and Katakana](#origin-of-hiragana-and-katakana)
- [diacritics](#diacritics)
- [digraphs](#digraphs)
- [uncommon kana](#uncommon-kana)
- [あ゙ (ア゙) ゔ ん゙](#あ゙-ア゙-ゔ-ん゙)
- [wu](#wu)
- [va vi vu ve vo](#va-vi-vu-ve-vo)
- [small e](#small-e)
- [kwa kwi kwe](#kwa-kwi-kwe)
- [l](#l)
- [鼻濁音 (ng)](#鼻濁音-ng)
- [ん](#ん)
- [おう/えい](#おうえい)
- [一ヶ](#一ヶ)
- [は](#は)
- [haku（拍）or mōra（モーラ）](#haku拍or-mōraモーラ)
- [w kana](#w-kana)
- [Rendaku](#rendaku)
- [Pitch accent](#pitch-accent)
- [Functional Marks](#functional-marks)
- [Iteration marks](#iteration-marks)
- [Kanji](#kanji)
- [Readings](#readings)
- [Weird Kanji](#weird-kanji)
- [Kanji that are unique in JP (different from both traditional and simplified chinese)](#kanji-that-are-unique-in-jp-different-from-both-traditional-and-simplified-chinese)
## Kana
| | **∅** | **k** | **s** | **t** | **n** | **h** | **m** | **y** | **r** | **w** |
| ------- | ----------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **a** | [あア](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_(kana)> "A (kana)") | [かカ](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ka_(kana)> "Ka (kana)") | [さサ](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sa_(kana)> "Sa (kana)") | [たタ](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ta_(kana)> "Ta (kana)") | [なナ](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Na_(kana)> "Na (kana)") | [はハ](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ha_(kana)> "Ha (kana)") | [まマ](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ma_(kana)> "Ma (kana)") | [やヤ](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ya_(kana)> "Ya (kana)") | [らラ](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ra_(kana)> "Ra (kana)") | [わワ](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wa_(kana)> "Wa (kana)") |
| **i** | [いイ](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_(kana)> "I (kana)") | [きキ](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ki_(kana)> "Ki (kana)") | [しシ](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shi_(kana)> "Shi (kana)") | [ちチ](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chi_(kana)> "Chi (kana)") | [にニ](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ni_(kana)> "Ni (kana)") | [ひヒ](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hi_(kana)> "Hi (kana)") | [みミ](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mi_(kana)> "Mi (kana)") | [𛀆𛄠](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yi_(kana)> "Yi (kana)")\* | [りリ](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ri_(kana)> "Ri (kana)") | [ゐヰ](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wi_(kana)> "Wi (kana)") |
| **u** | [うウ](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U_(kana)> "U (kana)") | [くク](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ku_(kana)> "Ku (kana)") | [すス](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Su_(kana)> "Su (kana)") | [つツ](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsu_(kana)> "Tsu (kana)") | [ぬヌ](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nu_(kana)> "Nu (kana)") | [ふフ](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fu_(kana)> "Fu (kana)") | [むム](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mu_(kana)> "Mu (kana)") | [ゆユ](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yu_(kana)> "Yu (kana)") | [るル](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ru_(kana)> "Ru (kana)") | [𛄟𛄢](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wu_(kana)> "Wu (kana)")\* |
| **e** | [えエ](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E_(kana)> "E (kana)") | [けケ](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ke_(kana)> "Ke (kana)") | [せセ](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Se_(kana)> "Se (kana)") | [てテ](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Te_(kana)> "Te (kana)") | [ねネ](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ne_(kana)> "Ne (kana)") | [へヘ](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/He_(kana)> "He (kana)") | [めメ](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Me_(kana)> "Me (kana)") | [𛀁𛄡](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ye_(kana)> "Ye (kana)")\* | [れレ](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Re_(kana)> "Re (kana)") | [ゑヱ](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/We_(kana)> "We (kana)") |
| **o** | [おオ](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O_(kana)> "O (kana)") | [こコ](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ko_(kana)> "Ko (kana)") | [そソ](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/So_(kana)> "So (kana)") | [とト](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/To_(kana)> "To (kana)") | [のノ](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_(kana)> "No (kana)") | [ほホ](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_(kana)> "Ho (kana)") | [もモ](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mo_(kana)> "Mo (kana)") | [よヨ](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yo_(kana)> "Yo (kana)") | [ろロ](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ro_(kana)> "Ro (kana)") | [をヲ](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wo_(kana)> "Wo (kana)") |
| **(n)** | [んン](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N_(kana)> "N (kana)") | | | | | | | | | |
kana marked with \* are obsolete
### Archaic Kana
| | **y** | **w** |
| :---: | :-----------------------------------------------: | :-------------------------------------------------------------: |
| **i** | [𛀆𛄠](<https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yi_(kana)>) | [ゐヰ](<https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wi_(kana)> "Wi (kana)") |
| **u** | | [𛄟𛄢](<https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wu_(kana)> "Wu (kana)") |
| **e** | [𛀁𛄡](<https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ye_(kana)>) | [ゑヱ](<https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/We_(kana)> "We (kana)") |
- There are presently no kana for _ye_, _yi_ or _wu_, as corresponding syllables do not occur natively in modern Japanese.
- The [jɛ] (_ye_) sound is believed to have existed in pre-Classical Japanese, mostly before the advent of kana, and can be represented by the [man'yōgana](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man%27y%C5%8Dgana "Man'yōgana") kanji 江. There was an archaic Hiragana ([](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Unicode_Japanese_Hiragana_Ye.svg "𛀁")) derived from the [man'yōgana](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man%27y%C5%8Dgana "Man'yōgana") _ye_ kanji 江, which is encoded into Unicode at code point U+1B001 (𛀁), but it is not widely supported. It is believed that _e_ and _ye_ first merged to _ye_ before shifting back to _e_ during the [Edo period](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edo_period "Edo period"). As demonstrated by 17th century-era European sources, the syllable _we_ (ゑ・ヱ ) also came to be pronounced as [jɛ] (_ye_). If necessary, the modern orthography allows [je] (_ye_) to be written as いぇ (イェ), but this usage is limited and nonstandard.
- The modern Katakana _e_, エ, derives from the man'yōgana 江, originally pronounced _ye_; a "Katakana letter Archaic E" ([](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Unicode_Japanese_Katakana_Old_E.png "𛀀")) derived from the man'yōgana 衣 (_e_) is encoded into Unicode at code point U+1B000 (𛀀), due to being used for that purpose in scholarly works on classical Japanese.
- Some [gojūon](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goj%C5%ABon "Gojūon") tables published during the 19th century list additional Katakana in the _ye_ ([](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Katakana_obsolete_ye.svg "𛄡")), _wu_ ([](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Katakana_obsolete_wu.svg "𛄢")) and _yi_ ([](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Katakana_obsolete_yi.svg "𛄠")) positions. These are not presently used, and the latter two sounds never existed in Japanese. They were added to Unicode in version 14.0 in 2021.These sources also list [](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Hiragana_I_01.svg "𛀆") (Unicode U+1B006, 𛀆) in the Hiragana _yi_ position, and [](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Unicode_Japanese_Hiragana_Ye.svg "𛀁") in the _ye_ position.
- Although removed from the standard orthography with the _gendai kanazukai_ reforms, _wi_ and _we_ still see stylistic use, as in ウヰスキー for _whisky_ and ヱビス or ゑびす for Japanese kami [Ebisu](<https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ebisu_(mythology)> "Ebisu (mythology)"), and [Yebisu](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yebisu "Yebisu"), a brand of beer named after Ebisu. Hiragana _wi_ and _we_ are preserved in certain [Okinawan scripts](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Okinawan_scripts "Okinawan scripts"), while katakana _wi_ and _we_ are preserved in the [Ainu language](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ainu_language "Ainu language").
- _wo_ is preserved only as the [accusative](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accusative_case "Accusative case") [particle](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_particles "Japanese particles"), normally occurring only in hiragana.
- _si_, _ti_, _tu_, _hu_, _wi_, _we_ and _wo_ are usually romanized respectively as _shi_, _chi_, _tsu_, _fu_, _i_, _e_ and _o_ instead, according to contemporary pronunciation.
- the [sokuon](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sokuon "Sokuon") or small _tsu_ (っ/ッ) indicates [gemination](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gemination "Gemination") of the following consonant. In Hepburn-style romanization, for example, って is _tte_ and ショック is _shokku_. Exact romanization conventions vary by system.
### Hiragana Ligature
| historical/Hepburn | image | character | origin |
| ---------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ---------------------------------------------------- | ---------- |
| かしこ/kashiko | [](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Hiragana_kashiko.svg) | - | 𛀚しこ |
| こと/koto | [](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Hiragana_koto.svg) | - | こと |
| ごと/goto | [](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Hiragana_koto.svg)゙ | - | ごと |
| さま/sama | [](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Hiragana_sama_1.svg) | - | さ𛃅 |
| | [](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Hiragana_sama_2.svg) | - | |
| まゐらせさうらふ/mairasesōrō | [](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Hiragana_mairasesoro_1.svg) | - | 参らせ候ふ |
| | [](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Hiragana_mairasesoro_2.svg) | - | |
| より/yori | [](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Hiragana_digraph_Yori.svg) | [ゟ](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%82%9F "ゟ") | より |
### Polysyllabic hiragana
| historical/Hepburn | image | character | origin |
| ------------------ | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------- | ------ |
| なり/nari | [](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Hiragana_nari.svg) | 𬼂 | 也 |
### Katakana ligature
| historical/Hepburn | image | character | origin |
| ------------------ | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------ |
| トイフ/toyū | [](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Katakana-toiu.svg) | - | ト云 |
| トキ/toki | [](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Katakana_toki_1.svg) | - | トキ |
| トテ/tote | [](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Katakana-tote.svg) | - | トテ |
| トモ/tomo | [](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Katakana_tomo.svg) | [𪜈](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=%E3%81%A8%E3%82%82&action=edit&redlink=1 "とも (page does not exist)") | トモ |
| ドモ/domo | [](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Katakana_domo.svg) | - | ドモ |
| ヨリ/yori | [](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Katakana-yori.svg) | - | ヨリ |
### Polysyllabic katakana
| historical/Hepburn | image | character | origin |
| ------------------ | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------- | ------ |
| イフ/yū | [](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Katakana_ifu.svg) | - | 云 |
| コト/koto | [](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Katakana_digraph_Koto.svg) | [ヿ](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%BF "ヿ") | 事 |
| シテ/shite | [](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Katakana_shite.svg) | 𬼀 | 為 |
| トキ/toki | [](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Katakana_toki_2.svg) | - | 時 |
| ナリ/nari | [](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Katakana_nari.svg) | 𬻿 | 也 |
| [](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Hiragana_digraph_Yori.svg) | [](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Katakana_digraph_Koto.svg) | [](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Katakana_tomo.svg) | [](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Katakana_nari.svg) | [](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Katakana_shite.svg) | [](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Hiragana_nari.svg) |
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
### Origin of Hiragana and Katakana
<!-- #### Hiragana
| | **a** | **i** | **u** | **e** | **o** | **(n)** |
| ----- | ----- | ----- | ----- | ----- | ----- | ------- |
| **∅** | あ | い | う | え | お | ん |
| **k** | か | き | く | け | こ | |
| **s** | さ | し | す | せ | そ | |
| **t** | た | ち | つ | て | と | |
| **n** | な | に | ぬ | ね | の | |
| **h** | は | ひ | ふ | へ | ほ | |
| **m** | ま | み | む | め | も | |
| **y** | や | 𛀆 | ゆ | 𛀁 | よ | |
| **r** | ら | り | る | れ | ろ | |
| **w** | わ | ゐ | 𛄟 | ゑ | を | |
#### Katakana
| | **a** | **i** | **u** | **e** | **o** | **(n)** |
| ----- | ----- | ----- | ----- | ----- | ----- | ------- |
| **∅** | ア | イ | ウ | エ | オ | ン |
| **k** | カ | キ | ク | ケ | コ | |
| **s** | サ | シ | ス | セ | ソ | |
| **t** | タ | チ | ツ | テ | ト | |
| **n** | ナ | ニ | ヌ | ネ | ノ | |
| **h** | ハ | ヒ | フ | ヘ | ホ | |
| **m** | マ | ミ | ム | メ | モ | |
| **y** | ヤ | 𛄠 | ユ | 𛄡 | ヨ | |
| **r** | ラ | リ | ル | レ | ロ | |
| **w** | ワ | ヰ | 𛄢 | ヱ | ヲ | |
-->
### Diacritics
| | **g** | **z** | **d** | **b** | **p** | **ng** | **l** |
| :---: | :-------------------------------------------------------------: | :---------------------------------------------------------------: | :---------------------------------------------------------------: | :-------------------------------------------------------------: | :-------------------------------------------------------------: | :---------------------------------------------------------------: | :---------------------------------------------------------------: |
| **a** | [がガ](<https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ka_(kana)> "Ka (kana)") | [ざザ](<https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sa_(kana)> "Sa (kana)") | [だダ](<https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ta_(kana)> "Ta (kana)") | [ばバ](<https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ha_(kana)> "Ha (kana)") | [ぱパ](<https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ha_(kana)> "Ha (kana)") | [か゚カ゚](<https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ka_(kana)> "Ka (kana)") | [ら゚ラ゚](<https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ra_(kana)> "Ra (kana)") |
| **i** | [ぎギ](<https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ki_(kana)> "Ki (kana)") | [じジ](<https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shi_(kana)> "Shi (kana)") | [ぢヂ](<https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chi_(kana)> "Chi (kana)") | [びビ](<https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hi_(kana)> "Hi (kana)") | [ぴピ](<https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hi_(kana)> "Hi (kana)") | [き゚キ゚](<https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ki_(kana)> "Ki (kana)") | [り゚リ゚](<https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ri_(kana)> "Ri (kana)") |
| **u** | [ぐグ](<https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ku_(kana)> "Ku (kana)") | [ずズ](<https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Su_(kana)> "Su (kana)") | [づヅ](<https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsu_(kana)> "Tsu (kana)") | [ぶブ](<https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fu_(kana)> "Fu (kana)") | [ぷプ](<https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fu_(kana)> "Fu (kana)") | [く゚ク゚](<https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ku_(kana)> "Ku (kana)") | [る゚ル゚](<https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ru_(kana)> "Ru (kana)") |
| **e** | [げゲ](<https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ke_(kana)> "Ke (kana)") | [ぜゼ](<https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Se_(kana)> "Se (kana)") | [でデ](<https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Te_(kana)> "Te (kana)") | [べベ](<https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/He_(kana)> "He (kana)") | [ぺペ](<https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/He_(kana)> "He (kana)") | [け゚ケ゚](<https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ke_(kana)> "Ke (kana)") | [れ゚レ゚](<https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Re_(kana)> "Re (kana)") |
| **o** | [ごゴ](<https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ko_(kana)> "Ko (kana)") | [ぞゾ](<https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/So_(kana)> "So (kana)") | [どド](<https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/To_(kana)> "To (kana)") | [ぼボ](<https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_(kana)> "Ho (kana)") | [ぽポ](<https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_(kana)> "Ho (kana)") | [こ゚コ゚](<https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ko_(kana)> "Ko (kana)") | [ろ゚ロ゚](<https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ro_(kana)> "Ro (kana)") |
In modern standard Japanese, **じ and ぢ** are generally pronounced alike, as are **ず and づ**. Their spellings remain distinct because of historical and orthographic conventions, including particular lexical and rendaku patterns.
### Digraphs
| | **k** | **s** | **t** | **n** | **h** | **m** | **r** |
| :----: | :-------------------------------------------------------------: | :-------------------------------------------------------------: | :-------------------------------------------------------------: | :-------------------------------------------------------------: | :-------------------------------------------------------------: | :-------------------------------------------------------------: | :-------------------------------------------------------------: |
| **ya** | [きゃ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%81%8D%E3%82%83 "きゃ") | [しゃ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%81%97%E3%82%83 "しゃ") | [ちゃ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%81%A1%E3%82%83 "ちゃ") | [にゃ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%81%AB%E3%82%83 "にゃ") | [ひゃ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%81%B2%E3%82%83 "ひゃ") | [みゃ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%81%BF%E3%82%83 "みゃ") | [りゃ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%82%8A%E3%82%83 "りゃ") |
| **yu** | [きゅ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%81%8D%E3%82%85 "きゅ") | [しゅ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%81%97%E3%82%85 "しゅ") | [ちゅ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%81%A1%E3%82%85 "ちゅ") | [にゅ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%81%AB%E3%82%85 "にゅ") | [ひゅ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%81%B2%E3%82%85 "ひゅ") | [みゅ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%81%BF%E3%82%85 "みゅ") | [りゅ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%82%8A%E3%82%85 "りゅ") |
| **yo** | [きょ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%81%8D%E3%82%87 "きょ") | [しょ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%81%97%E3%82%87 "しょ") | [ちょ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%81%A1%E3%82%87 "ちょ") | [にょ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%81%AB%E3%82%87 "にょ") | [ひょ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%81%B2%E3%82%87 "ひょ") | [みょ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%81%BF%E3%82%87 "みょ") | [りょ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%82%8A%E3%82%87 "りょ") |
- There are no digraphs for the [semivowel](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semivowel "Semivowel") _y_ and _w_ columns.
- The digraphs are usually transcribed with three letters, leaving out the _i_: CyV. For example, きゃ is transcribed as _kya_\* to distinguish it from the two-kana きや, _kiya_.
- _si_+_y_\* and _ti_+_y_\* are often transcribed _sh\*_ and _ch\*_ instead of _sy\*_ and _ty\*_. For example, しゃ is transcribed as _sha_, and ちゅ is transcribed as _chu_.
- In earlier Japanese, digraphs could also be formed with _w_-kana. Although obsolete in modern Japanese, the digraphs くゎ (/kʷa/) and くゐ/くうぃ(/kʷi/), are preserved in certain Okinawan orthographies. In addition, the kana え can be used in Okinawan to form the digraph くぇ, which represents the /kʷe/ sound.
- In loanwords, digraphs with a small _e_-kana [can be formed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katakana#Extended_katakana "Katakana"). For example, キェ (or きぇ in hiragana), which is transcribed as _kye_.
| | **g** | **j (z)** | **j (d)** | **b** | **p** | **ng** |
| :----: | :---------------------------------------------------------------: | :---------------------------------------------------------------: | :---------------------------------------------------------------: | :---------------------------------------------------------------: | :---------------------------------------------------------------: | :--------------------------------------------------------------------------: |
| **ya** | [ぎゃ](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%81%8E%E3%82%83 "ぎゃ") | [じゃ](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%81%98%E3%82%83 "じゃ") | [ぢゃ](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%81%A2%E3%82%83 "ぢゃ") | [びゃ](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%81%B3%E3%82%83 "びゃ") | [ぴゃ](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%81%B4%E3%82%83 "ぴゃ") | [き゚ゃ](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%81%8D%E3%82%9A%E3%82%83 "き゚ゃ") |
| **yu** | [ぎゅ](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%81%8E%E3%82%85 "ぎゅ") | [じゅ](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%81%98%E3%82%85 "じゅ") | [ぢゅ](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%81%A2%E3%82%85 "ぢゅ") | [びゅ](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%81%B3%E3%82%85 "びゅ") | [ぴゅ](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%81%B4%E3%82%85 "ぴゅ") | [き゚ゅ](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%81%8D%E3%82%9A%E3%82%85 "き゚ゅ") |
| **yo** | [ぎょ](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%81%8E%E3%82%87 "ぎょ") | [じょ](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%81%98%E3%82%87 "じょ") | [ぢょ](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%81%A2%E3%82%87 "ぢょ") | [びょ](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%81%B3%E3%82%87 "びょ") | [ぴょ](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%81%B4%E3%82%87 "ぴょ") | [き゚ょ](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%81%8D%E3%82%9A%E3%82%87 "き゚ょ") |
- Note that the き゚ゃ, き゚ゅ and き゚ょ, though they exist, [are not used in standard Japanese orthography](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dakuten_and_handakuten#Phonetic_shifts "Dakuten and handakuten").
- _zi_+_y_\* and _di_+_y_\* are often transcribed _j_\* instead of _zy_\* and _dy_\*, according to contemporary pronunciation. The form [_jy_\*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W%C4%81puro_r%C5%8Dmaji#Spelling_conventions "Wāpuro rōmaji") is also used in some cases.
### Uncommon Kana
https://dl.ndl.go.jp/pid/854017/1/22
#### あ゙ (ア゙) ゔ ん゙
In informal writing, dakuten is occasionally used on vowels to indicate a shocked or strangled articulation; for example, on あ゙ or ゔ. Dakuten can also be occasionally used with ん (ん゙) to indicate a guttural hum, growl, or similar sound.
In one example from an outdoor sign at the Kinugawa Onsen area in Tochigi Prefecture, “あ゙” is used to represent the relaxed sound one might make when soaking in a hot bath.
#### wu
うぅ/ウゥ instead of the obsolete wu kana
#### va vi vu ve vo
Usually, [va], [vi], [vu], [ve], [vo] are represented respectively by バ[ba], ビ[bi], ブ[bu], ベ[be], and ボ[bo], for example, in loanwords such as バイオリン (baiorin "violin"), but (less usually) the distinction can be preserved by using [w-] with voicing marks or by using [wu] and a vowel kana, as in
- ヴァ (ヷ) (va)
- ヴィ (ヸ) (vi)
- ヴ (vu)
- ヴェ (ヹ) (ve)
- ヴォ (ヺ) (vo)
hiragana:
- ゔぁ (わ゙) (va)
- ゔぃ (ゐ゙) (vi)
- ゔ (vu)
- ゔぇ (ゑ゙) (ve)
- ゔぉ (を゙) (vo)
#### small e
In loanwords, digraphs with a small e-kana can be formed. For example, キェ (or きぇ in hiragana), which is transcribed as kye.
#### kwa kwi kwe
In earlier Japanese, digraphs could also be formed with w-kana. Although obsolete in modern Japanese, the digraphs くゎ (/kʷa/) and くゐ/くうぃ(/kʷi/), are preserved in certain Okinawan orthographies. In addition, the kana え can be used in Okinawan to form the digraph くぇ, which represents the /kʷe/ sound.
- くゎ (kwa)
- くゐ / くうぃ (kwi)
- くぇ (kwe)
#### l
- ら゚ (la)
- り゚ (li)
- る゚ (lu)
- れ゚ (le)
- ろ゚ (lo)
katakana:
- ラ゚ (la)
- リ゚ (li)
- ル゚ (lu)
- レ゚ (le)
- ロ゚ (lo)
#### 鼻濁音 (ng)
- か゚ (カ゚)
- き゚ (キ゚)
- く゚ (ク゚)
- け゚ (ケ゚)
- こ゚ (コ゚)
and therefore also:
- き゚ゃ
- き゚ゅ
- き゚ょ
These are phonetic/extended forms rather than part of standard written Japanese; they may appear in dialectal or phonetic notation, including descriptions of older speech in Yamagata Prefecture (山形弁).
### ん
The kana **ん** represents a moraic nasal. Its exact phonetic realization changes according to the following sound and its position in the phrase.
Common realizations include:
- **[n]** before alveolar consonants such as /n, t, d, r, ts, z/
- **[m]** before /m, p, b/
- **[ŋ]** before /k, g/
- **[ɲ]** in contexts before palatal consonants, such as /ɲ, tɕ, dʑ/
- **[ɴ]** at the end of an utterance or in other contexts where a uvular realization occurs
- **Nasalization of the preceding vowel** or related nasal realizations can occur in other environments
The exact phonetic realization is context-dependent; the important orthographic point is that **ん counts as one mora**.
### おう / えい
In modern Japanese pronunciation, sequences such as **おう** and **えい** often correspond approximately to long vowels, [oː] and [eː], respectively. The spelling normally remains **おう** or **えい**.
Examples:
- 昨日（きのう） is commonly pronounced approximately *kinō*.
- 行こう（いこう） is commonly pronounced approximately *ikō*.
- 先生（せんせい） is commonly pronounced approximately *senseː*.
This is a pronunciation pattern, not a rule that changes the written kana. Individual words and dialects can differ, so **おう → おー** and **えい → えー** should not be treated as universal spelling rules.
A sequence such as におう（匂う） remains written **におう**; pronunciation does not change the orthography.
### 一ヶ
note that ヶ is not ケ \
一ヶ is pronounced 一カ \
ヶ a graphical abbreviation of 箇
### は / へ / を
Some grammatical particles have pronunciations that differ from their ordinary kana readings:
- **は** is pronounced **/wa/** when it is the topic particle.
- これは本です。(*Kore wa hon desu.*)
- **へ** is pronounced **/e/** when it is the directional particle.
- 東京へ行く。(*Tōkyō e iku.*)
- **を** is pronounced **/o/** in modern standard Japanese when it is the object particle.
- 本を読む。(*Hon o yomu.*)
### Haku（拍）or Mōra（モーラ）
A **mora** is a unit of timing used in Japanese phonology. It is not identical to a written kana character: some kana combinations contain two characters but count as a single mora.
- **Ordinary kana** generally represent one mora.
- かき (*ka-ki*) has **two morae**.
- **ん** counts as one mora.
- ほん (*ho-n*) has **two morae**.
- **っ** counts as one mora and marks consonant gemination.
- かった (*ka-t-ta*) has **three morae**.
- **Long vowels** add a mora when the vowel is lengthened.
- おおきい (*o-o-ki-i*) has **four morae**.
- **Yōon combinations** such as きゃ, しゅ, and ちょ count as **one mora**, even though they use two kana characters.
- きゃく (*kya-ku*) has **two morae**.
Examples:
1. **おと（oto）** vs. **おっと（otto）**
- **音（おと）**: sound
- **夫（おっと）**: husband
2. **かき（kaki）**
- **柿（かき）**: persimmon
- **牡蠣（かき）**: oyster
3. **きて（kite）** vs. **きって（kitte）**
- **きて**: forms such as “come and ...” or “wear and ...”, depending on context
- **切手（きって）**: postage stamp
Morae are relevant to **haiku, tanka, pitch accent, rhythm, and aspects of Japanese music**. In traditional poetry, what is counted is morae rather than English-style syllables.
### W kana
The historical **w-kana** ゐ, ゑ, and を are obsolete in modern standard orthography. Their modern pronunciations have merged with vowels in ordinary speech:
- ゐ → **い / i**
- ゑ → **え / e**
- を → **お / o**
- わ → **わ / wa**
The modern kana **を** is still actively used as the object particle, even though it is pronounced /o/.
## Rendaku
**Rendaku (連濁)** is a phenomenon in which the initial consonant of the second element of a compound becomes voiced.
Examples:
- 手 + 紙 → 手紙（てがみ, *tegami*）
- 山 + 火 → 山火事（やまかじ, *yamakaji*）
- 折り + 紙 → 折り紙（おりがみ, *origami*）
Rendaku is not completely predictable. Some compounds do not undergo rendaku, and there are important restrictions such as **Lyman's law**, which generally blocks rendaku when the second element already contains a voiced obstruent.
## Pitch Accent
Japanese is generally described as having a **pitch-accent** system rather than the stress-accent system familiar from English. Morae can be realized with different relative pitch levels, and the location of a pitch drop can distinguish words or grammatical forms.
For example, in Tokyo Japanese, **はし** can have different pitch patterns for:
- 箸（はし）: chopsticks
- 橋（はし）: bridge
The exact pitch pattern depends on the word and can also vary by dialect. Pitch accent is therefore a property of pronunciation, not a change in spelling.
## Functional Marks
| mark | name | effect |
| -------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| [っ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/っ) | _[sokuon](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sokuon "Sokuon")_ (促音, "double consonant") | Marks consonant gemination. For example, かた /kata/ becomes かった /katta/, and ショク /shoku/ becomes ショック /shokku/ |
| [ッ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ッ) | _[sokuon](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sokuon "Sokuon")_ (促音, "double consonant") | Marks consonant gemination. For example, かた /kata/ becomes かった /katta/, and ショク /shoku/ becomes ショック /shokku/ |
| ー | _[chōonpu](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ch%C5%8Donpu "Chōonpu")_ (長音符, "long sound symbol") <br>_onbiki_ (音引き) <br>_bōbiki_ (棒引き) <br>_bōsen_ (棒線, "bar line") | Indicates a lengthened vowel sound. Often used with katakana. The direction of writing depends on the direction of text. |
| ゛ | _[dakuten](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dakuten "Dakuten")_ (濁点, "voiced point") <br>_nigori_ (濁り, "voiced") <br>_ten-ten_ (点[々](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%80%85 "々"), "dots") | Used with both hiragana and katakana to indicate a [voiced](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voice_(phonetics)> "Voice (phonetics)") sound. For example, _ta_ (た) becomes _da_ (だ), _shi_ (し) becomes _ji_ (じ). |
| ゜ | _[handakuten](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handakuten "Handakuten")_ (半濁点, "half-voice point") <br>_handaku_ (半濁, "half-voiced") <br>_maru_ (丸, "circle") | Used with hiragana and katakana to indicate a change from a _hahifuheho_ sound to a _papipupepo_ sound. |
### Iteration marks
| mark | name | effect | origin | notes |
| ----------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | --------------------------------------------------------------- |
| [々](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/々#Japanese) | _noma_ (ノマ) <br>_kuma_ (クマ) <br>_kurikaeshi_ (繰り返し) <br>_dō no jiten_ (同の字点) | [Kanji iteration mark](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanji_iteration_mark "Kanji iteration mark"). For example, 様様 could be written 様々. From 仝 (below). | [仝](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E4%BB%9D "wikt:仝"), a **va**riant of "**sa**me" ([同](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E5%90%8C "wikt:同")) | |
| 仝 | _dō no jiten_ (同の字点) | Kanji repetition mark | | |
| [〻](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/〻#Japanese) | | repeat the previous kanji (vertical writing only) | | |
| [ゝ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ゝ#Japanese) | _hiraganagaeshi_ (ひらがながえし)<br> | [_Hiragana_ iteration mark](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kana_iteration_mark "Kana iteration mark"). For example, はは (_haha_) could be written はゝ. | | can be combined with dakuten (denoting that it is voiced): ゞ |
| ゞ | _kurikaeshi_ (くりかえし) | Hiragana iteration mark with a dakuten (voiced consonant). For example, はば (_haba_) could be written はゞ. | | |
| [ヽ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ヽ#Japanese) | _katakanagaeshi_ (かたかながえし) | [_Katakana_ iteration mark](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kana_iteration_mark "Kana iteration mark") | | can be combined with a dakuten (denoting that it is voiced): ヾ |
| ヾ | _kurikaeshi_ (くりかえし) | Katakana iteration mark with a [dakuten](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dakuten "Dakuten") (voiced consonant) | | |
| 〃 | _nonoten_ (ノノ点) | Ditto mark. The name originates from resemblance to two katakana _no_ characters (ノノ). | | |
| 〱 | | Kana vertical repetition mark | | |
| 〲 | | Kana vertical repetition mark with a dakuten | | |
| 〳 <br>〵<br> | _kunojiten_ (くの字点) | Repetition mark used in [vertical writing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horizontal_and_vertical_writing_in_East_Asian_scripts "Horizontal and vertical writing in East Asian scripts"). It means repeat the previous two or more kana. | | |
| 〴 <br>〵<br> | _kunojiten_ (くの字点) | Kunojiten with a dakuten | | |
## Kanji
### Readings
Kanji readings are commonly classified into **on'yomi (音読み)**, **kun'yomi (訓読み)**, and **nanori (名乗り)**. These are categories rather than a three-reading limit: a kanji can have multiple readings within one category, and not every kanji has all three types.
| | **on'yomi (音読み)** | **kun'yomi (訓読み)** | **nanori (名乗り)** |
| --------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **description** | A reading derived historically from Chinese pronunciation and adapted to Japanese. It is common in compounds (熟語), although it is not restricted to compounds. | A native Japanese reading associated with a kanji's meaning, often used for standalone words or with okurigana (送り仮名). | A specialized reading used especially in proper names, particularly personal names and place names. It can differ from the ordinary on'yomi or kun'yomi. |
| **examples:** | -------------------------- | ----------------------- | ------------------------- |
| **山** | さん | やま | は |
| **学** | がく | まなぶ | まな |
| **水** | すい | みず | み |
| **大** | だい | おおきい | まさ、おお |
| **石** | せき | いし | あら |
### Weird Kanji
々
〆
#### Kanji that are unique in JP (different from both traditional and simplified chinese)
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