っ

Hiragana 5: small っ doubles a sound, and long vowels

The extra beat of っ, and vowels held for two beats.

要点The idea

A small っ adds a beat that doubles the next consonant, and a long vowel holds its sound for two beats.

kipputicketBefore k, t or p, っ is a short silent stop: ki-p-pu, kippu.

zasshimagazineBefore s or sh, っ is a held hiss: za-s-shi, zasshi.

okaasanmotherThe あ holds the a: o-ka-a-sa-n.

hikoukiairplaneこう sounds like a long o: hi-ko-o-ki (spelled hikouki).

eigamovieえい usually sounds like a long e: e-e-ga (spelled eiga).

Aotosoundo-to: two beats.

Bottohusbando-t-to: three beats, with a short stop.

The small っ adds a beat: a short stop, like the catch in hot tub. In romaji it doubles the consonant: otto.

Long vowels

Aobasanaunt, middle-aged woman

Bobaasangrandmother, elderly woman

One extra beat of あ adds a generation. Hold long vowels for their full length.

Written	Sounds like	Example
ああ · いい · ううaa · ii · uu	a, i, u held	おいしい (tasty), くうき (air)
えい · ええei · ee	usually a long e	せんせい (teacher), おねえさん (older sister)
おう · おおou · oo	a long o	ありがとう (thank you), おおきい (big)

Inside a word, おう is a long o (ありがとう, and the “let's” form いきましょう). The exception is a verb's dictionary form, where the う is the verb's own ending and is usually said as u: おもう (to think) is o-mo-u.

確認Check yourself

1How do you read がっこう (school)?
2How do you read いっぱい (full; a lot)?
3How do you read おにいさん (older brother)?
4How do you read とおい (far)?

Drill hiraganaStart with the first row — new rows open as you learn them.