Kana
| ∅ | k | s | t | n | h | m | y | r | w | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| a | あア | かカ | さサ | たタ | なナ | はハ | まマ | やヤ | らラ | わワ |
| i | いイ | きキ | しシ | ちチ | にニ | ひヒ | みミ | 𛀆𛄠* | りリ | ゐヰ |
| u | うウ | くク | すス | つツ | ぬヌ | ふフ | むム | ゆユ | るル | 𛄟𛄢* |
| e | えエ | けケ | せセ | てテ | ねネ | へヘ | めメ | 𛀁𛄡* | れレ | ゑヱ |
| o | おオ | こコ | そソ | とト | のノ | ほホ | もモ | よヨ | ろロ | をヲ |
| (n) | んン |
kana marked with * are obsolete
Archaic 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 kanji 江. There was an archaic Hiragana (
) derived from the 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. 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” (
) 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 tables published during the 19th century list additional Katakana in the ye (
), wu (
) and yi (
) 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 
(Unicode U+1B006, 𛀆) in the Hiragana yi position, and in the ye position.
- 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 kanji 江. There was an archaic Hiragana (
-
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, and Yebisu, a brand of beer named after Ebisu. Hiragana wi and we are preserved in certain Okinawan scripts, while katakana wi and we are preserved in the Ainu language.
-
wo is preserved only as the accusative particle, 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 or small tsu (っ/ッ) indicates gemination and is romanized by repeating the following consonant. For example, って is romanized tte (exception: っち becomes tchi).
Hiragana Ligature
| historical/Hepburn | image | character | origin |
|---|---|---|---|
| かしこ/kashiko |  | - | 𛀚しこ |
| こと/koto |  | - | こと |
| ごと/goto | ゙ | - | ごと |
| さま/sama |  | - | さ𛃅 |
 | - | ||
| まゐらせさうらふ/mairasesōrō |  | - | 参らせ候ふ |
 | - | ||
| より/yori |  | ゟ | より |
Polysyllabic hiragana
| historical/Hepburn | image | character | origin |
|---|---|---|---|
| なり/nari |  | 𬼂 | 也 |
Katakana ligature
| historical/Hepburn | image | character | origin |
|---|---|---|---|
| トイフ/toyū |  | - | ト云 |
| トキ/toki |  | - | トキ |
| トテ/tote |  | - | トテ |
| トモ/tomo |  | 𪜈 | トモ |
| ドモ/domo |  | - | ドモ |
| ヨリ/yori |  | - | ヨリ |
Polysyllabic katakana
| historical/Hepburn | image | character | origin |
|---|---|---|---|
| イフ/yū |  | - | 云 |
| コト/koto |  | ヿ | 事 |
| シテ/shite |  | 𬼀 | 為 |
| トキ/toki |  | - | 時 |
| ナリ/nari |  | 𬻿 | 也 |
| | | | | |
|---|
Origin of Hiragana and Katakana
diacritics
| g | z | d | b | p | ng | l | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| a | がガ | ざザ | だダ | ばバ | ぱパ | か゚カ゚ | ら゚ラ゚ |
| i | ぎギ | じジ | ぢヂ | びビ | ぴピ | き゚キ゚ | り゚リ゚ |
| u | ぐグ | ずズ | づヅ | ぶブ | ぷプ | く゚ク゚ | る゚ル゚ |
| e | げゲ | ぜゼ | でデ | べベ | ぺペ | け゚ケ゚ | れ゚レ゚ |
| o | ごゴ | ぞゾ | どド | ぼボ | ぽポ | こ゚コ゚ | ろ゚ロ゚ |
digraphs
- There are no digraphs for the 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. For example, キェ (or きぇ in hiragana), which is transcribed as kye.
- Note that the き゚ゃ, き゚ゅ and き゚ょ, though they exist, are not used in standard Japanese orthography.
- zi+y* and di+y* are often transcribed j* instead of zy* and dy*, according to contemporary pronunciation. The form jy* 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 only used in spoken, not written language, for example by older people in the Yamagata Prefecture (山形弁)
ん
the pronounciation of ん changes: These are a few of the ways it can change:
- n (before n, t, d, r, ts, and z)
- m (before m, p and b)
- ŋ (before k and g)
- ɲ (before ni, ch and j)
- ɴ (at the end of utterances)[a]
- ɯ͍̃ (before vowels, palatal approximants (y), consonants h, f, s, sh and w)
- ĩ (after the vowel i if another vowel, palatal approximant or consonant f, s, sh, h or w follows
おう/えい
a sequence of おう becomes おー
so
(き)のう as in 昨日 is pronounced きのー
行こう → 行こー
会おう → あおー
unless the お is the core vowel like in 匂う(におう) it won’t be におー
the same is true for えい → えー
一ヶ
note that ヶ is not ケ
一ヶ is pronounced 一カ
ヶ a graphical abbreviation of 箇
は
は is pronounced わ if it’s used as a grammatical particle (topic marker)
haku（拍）or mōra（モーラ）
- Single Kana = One Mora: Each kana (e.g., あ, か, し) represents one mora.
- Example: かき (ka-ki) has two morae.
- Nasal Sound (ん): The nasal sound “ん” (n) is a single mora on its own.
- Example: ほん (ho-n) has two morae.
- Double Consonants (っ): The small “っ” (sokuon) counts as a mora and represents a pause or glottal stop.
- Example: かった (ka-t-ta) has three morae.
- Long Vowels: A long vowel (e.g., おう or えい) counts as two morae.
- Example: おおきい (o-o-ki-i) has four morae.
- Combination Sounds (e.g., きゃ): These are considered one mora because they are a single sound unit.
- Example: きゃく (kya-ku) has two morae.
Examples:
- おと (oto) vs. おっと (otto)
- おと (oto): Sound
- おっと (otto): Husband
- かき (kaki) vs. かっき (kakki)
- かき (kaki): Persimmon or oyster (context-dependent)
- かっき (kakki): Vigor or liveliness
- はし (hashi) vs. はっし (hasshi) vs. はっしー (hasshī)
- はし (hashi): Bridge or chopsticks (context-dependent)
- はっし (hasshi): Abbreviation of 発信 (hasshin, transmission)
- はっしー (hasshī): A nickname, often informal or casual.
this is important for haikus, tanka and Pitch Accent and sometimes japanese music
w kana
when pronouncing some kana that start with a w speakers only pronounce the vowel
を ー＞ お
ゑ ー＞ え
but
わ（は）ー＞ わ（wa）
Rendaku
Pitch accent
Functional Marks
| mark | name | effect |
|---|---|---|
| っ | sokuon (促音, “double consonant”) | Doubles the sound of the next consonant. For example, “かた” /kata/ becomes “かった” /katta/, and “ショク” /shoku/ becomes “ショック” /shokku/ |
| ッ | sokuon (促音, “double consonant”) | Doubles the sound of the next consonant. For example, “かた” /kata/ becomes “かった” /katta/, and “ショク” /shoku/ becomes “ショック” /shokku/ |
| ー | chōonpu (長音符, “long sound symbol”) onbiki (音引き) bōbiki (棒引き) 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 (濁点, “voiced point”) nigori (濁り, “voiced”) ten-ten (点々, “dots”) | Used with both hiragana and katakana to indicate a voiced sound. For example, ta (た) becomes da (だ), shi (し) becomes ji (じ). |
| ゜ | handakuten (半濁点, “half-voice point”) handaku (半濁, “half-voiced”) 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 | noma (ノマ) kuma (クマ) kurikaeshi (繰り返し) dō no jiten (同の字点) | Kanji iteration mark. For example, 様様 could be written 様々. From 仝 (below). | 仝, a variant of “same” (同) | |
| 仝 | dō no jiten (同の字点) | Kanji repetition mark | ||
| 〻 | repeat the previous kanj (vertical writing only) | |||
| ゝ | hiraganagaeshi (ひらがながえし) | Hiragana 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 | katakanagaeshi (かたかながえし) | Katakana 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 (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 〵 | kunojiten (くの字点) | Repetition mark used in vertical writing. It means repeat the previous two or more kana. | ||
| 〴 〵 | kunojiten (くの字点) | Kunojiten with a dakuten |
Kanji
Readings
kanji can have up to three different types of readings
| on’yomi (音読み) | kun’yomi (訓読み) | nanori (名乗り) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| description | The Chinese reading of a kanji, used primarily in compound words (熟語). It often reflects the original Chinese pronunciation when the character was borrowed. | The native Japanese reading of a kanji, used for standalone words or when combined with okurigana (kana suffixes). | A specialized reading used for proper nouns, especially names (given names and family names). It often deviates from standard readings. |
| 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