# Kana Sounds

https://langs123.com/en/japanese/foundations/kana-sounds/
CEFR A0 · 2026-10-24 · CC BY 4.0, langs123 contributors (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

> Dakuten and handakuten, contracted sounds like きゃ, the small っ, long vowels and ん: the sounds the basic table gains. A small **っ** doubles the next consonant, and a small **ゃ** joins the kana before it: き**っ**て *kitte*, **きゃ**く *kyaku*

## Summary

| Point | Rule | Example |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Dakuten | **゛** voices the K, S, T and H rows | **が** / **ざ** / **だ** / **ば** *ga, za, da, ba* |
| Handakuten | **゜** turns the H row into the P sounds | **ぱ** / **ぴ** / **ぷ** / **ぺ** / **ぽ** *pa, pi, pu, pe, po* |
| Contracted | a kana of the I column plus a small **ゃ**, **ゅ** or **ょ** is one sound | **きゃ** / **きゅ** / **きょ** *kya, kyu, kyo* |
| Small っ | **っ** doubles the next consonant | き**っ**て *kitte* |
| Long vowels | a vowel kana follows: **ああ**, **いい**, **うう**, **えい**, **おう** | お**かあ**さん *okāsan* |
| ん | **ん** is one mora, written *n*; before a vowel or **や**, *n'* | こ**ん**や *kon'ya* |
| Trap | small **ゃ** makes **きゃ** one sound; full-size **や** makes **きや** two | **きゃ**く *kyaku* / **きや**き *kiyaki* |
| Trap | short and long vowels make different words | お**ば**さん *obasan* / お**ばあ**さん *obāsan* |

## Dakuten: voiced sounds

- The mark **゛**, the **だくてん**, stands at the top right of a kana of the K, S, T or H row and voices its consonant. か → **が** *ka* → *ga* / さ → **ざ** *sa* → *za* / た → **だ** *ta* → *da* / は → **ば** *ha* → *ba*

| Kana | Sound | Example |  |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| **が** | *ga* /ɡa/ | **が**くせい *gakusei* /ɡakɯsei/ | student |
| **ぎ** | *gi* /ɡi/ | み**ぎ** *migi* /miɡi/ | right (side) |
| **ぐ** | *gu* /ɡɯ/ | す**ぐ** *sugu* /sɯɡɯ/ | soon, right away |
| **げ** | *ge* /ɡe/ | **げ**んき *genki* /ɡeɴki/ | well, healthy |
| **ご** | *go* /ɡo/ | **ご**はん *gohan* /ɡohaɴ/ | cooked rice, meal |
| **ざ** | *za* /dza/ | **ざ**んねん *zannen* /dzaɴneɴ/ | too bad |
| **じ** | *ji* /dʑi/ | **じ**かん *jikan* /dʑikaɴ/ | time |
| **ず** | *zu* /dzɯ/ | み**ず** *mizu* /mizɯ/ | water |
| **ぜ** | *ze* /dze/ | か**ぜ** *kaze* /kaze/ | wind, a cold |
| **ぞ** | *zo* /dzo/ | か**ぞ**く *kazoku* /kazokɯ/ | family |
| **だ** | *da* /da/ | とも**だ**ち *tomodachi* /tomodatɕi/ | friend |
| **で** | *de* /de/ | **で**んわ *denwa* /deɴwa/ | telephone |
| **ど** | *do* /do/ | **ど**こ *doko* /doko/ | where |
| **ば** | *ba* /ba/ | か**ば**ん *kaban* /kabaɴ/ | bag |
| **び** | *bi* /bi/ | く**び** *kubi* /kɯbi/ | neck |
| **ぶ** | *bu* /bɯ/ | **ぶ**た *buta* /bɯta/ | pig |
| **べ** | *be* /be/ | た**べ**る *taberu* /tabeɾɯ/ | to eat |
| **ぼ** | *bo* /bo/ | **ぼ**く *boku* /bokɯ/ | I (said by a boy or a man) |

- **ぢ** and **づ** sound like **じ** and **ず** and appear in a few words. つづく *tsuzuku* /tsɯzɯkɯ/ · はなぢ *hanaji* /hanadʑi/ (to continue / nosebleed)

## Handakuten: the P sounds

- The mark **゜**, the **はんだくてん**, on a kana of the H row gives the P sound. は → **ぱ** *ha* → *pa* / ひ → **ぴ** *hi* → *pi*

| Kana | Sound | Example |  |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| **ぱ** | *pa* /pa/ | **ぱ**ん *pan* /paɴ/ | bread |
| **ぴ** | *pi* /pi/ | えん**ぴ**つ *enpitsu* /eɴpitsɯ/ | pencil |
| **ぷ** | *pu* /pɯ/ | **ぷ**りん *purin* /pɯɾiɴ/ | pudding |
| **ぺ** | *pe* /pe/ | **ぺ**ん *pen* /peɴ/ | pen |
| **ぽ** | *po* /po/ | さん**ぽ** *sanpo* /saɴpo/ | walk, stroll |

## Contracted sounds

- A small **ゃ**, **ゅ** or **ょ** after a kana of the I column forms one sound: **き** + **ゃ** = **きゃ**.
- The small kana is written smaller, low and to the right in horizontal text.
- The pair is one mora, one beat of rhythm: **きゃ** is *kya*, while **きや** with a full-size **や** is *ki-ya*, two morae.

| Kana | Sound | Example |  |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| **きゃ** / **きゅ** / **きょ** | *kya* / *kyu* / *kyo* /kʲa/ · /kʲɯ/ · /kʲo/ | きゃく *kyaku* /kʲakɯ/ · きゅう *kyū* /kʲɯː/ · きょう *kyō* /kʲoː/ | guest, customer / nine / today |
| **しゃ** / **しゅ** / **しょ** | *sha* / *shu* / *sho* /ɕa/ · /ɕɯ/ · /ɕo/ | しゃしん *shashin* /ɕaɕiɴ/ · しゅみ *shumi* /ɕɯmi/ · しょくじ *shokuji* /ɕokɯdʑi/ | photograph / hobby / meal |
| **ちゃ** / **ちゅ** / **ちょ** | *cha* / *chu* / *cho* /tɕa/ · /tɕɯ/ · /tɕo/ | おちゃ *ocha* /otɕa/ · ちゅうごく *Chūgoku* /tɕɯːɡokɯ/ · ちょきん *chokin* /tɕokiɴ/ | tea / China / savings |
| **にゃ** / **にゅ** / **にょ** | *nya* / *nyu* / *nyo* /ɲa/ · /ɲɯ/ · /ɲo/ | こんにゃく *konnyaku* /koɴɲakɯ/ | konjac |
| **ひゃ** / **ひゅ** / **ひょ** | *hya* / *hyu* / *hyo* /ça/ · /çɯ/ · /ço/ | ひゃく *hyaku* /çakɯ/ · ひょう *hyō* /çoː/ | one hundred / table, chart |
| **みゃ** / **みゅ** / **みょ** | *mya* / *myu* / *myo* /mʲa/ · /mʲɯ/ · /mʲo/ | みょうじ *myōji* /mʲoːdʑi/ | family name |
| **りゃ** / **りゅ** / **りょ** | *rya* / *ryu* / *ryo* /ɾʲa/ · /ɾʲɯ/ · /ɾʲo/ | りゅう *ryū* /ɾʲɯː/ · りょこう *ryokō* /ɾʲokoː/ | dragon / trip |
| **ぎゃ** / **ぎゅ** / **ぎょ** | *gya* / *gyu* / *gyo* /ɡʲa/ · /ɡʲɯ/ · /ɡʲo/ | ぎゃく *gyaku* /ɡʲakɯ/ · ぎゅうにゅう *gyūnyū* /ɡʲɯːɲɯː/ · ぎょうざ *gyōza* /ɡʲoːza/ | opposite / milk / dumpling (gyōza) |
| **じゃ** / **じゅ** / **じょ** | *ja* / *ju* / *jo* /dʑa/ · /dʑɯ/ · /dʑo/ | じゃがいも *jagaimo* /dʑaɡaimo/ · じゅう *jū* /dʑɯː/ · じょうず *jōzu* /dʑoːzɯ/ | potato / ten / good at, skilful |
| **びゃ** / **びゅ** / **びょ** | *bya* / *byu* / *byo* /bʲa/ · /bʲɯ/ · /bʲo/ | さんびゃく *sanbyaku* /saɴbʲakɯ/ · びょういん *byōin* /bʲoːiɴ/ | three hundred / hospital |
| **ぴゃ** / **ぴゅ** / **ぴょ** | *pya* / *pyu* / *pyo* /pʲa/ · /pʲɯ/ · /pʲo/ | ぴょんぴょん *pyonpyon* /pʲoɴpʲoɴ/ | hopping |

## The small っ

- A small **っ** doubles the consonant that follows it: **きって** is *kitte*. きって *kitte* /kitːe/ (postage stamp)
- It is a mora of its own: the mouth closes on the consonant for one mora before it opens.
- In romaji, **っ** writes the consonant twice, and *ch* becomes *tch*.

| Before | Romaji | Example |  |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| *k* | *kk* | がっこう *gakkō* /ɡakːoː/ | school |
| *s*, *sh* | *ss*, *ssh* | ざっし *zasshi* /zaɕːi/ | magazine |
| *t* | *tt* | ちょっと *chotto* /tɕotːo/ · きって *kitte* /kitːe/ | a little / postage stamp |
| *ch* | *tch* | まっちゃ *matcha* /matːɕa/ | matcha tea |
| *p* | *pp* | きっぷ *kippu* /kipːɯ/ | ticket |

## Long vowels

- A long vowel lasts two morae: the kana of the vowel is followed by a vowel kana.
- **あ**, **い** and **う** repeat their vowel; **え** adds **い**, and **お** adds **う**.
- A few words write **ええ** and **おお**, such as **おねえさん** and **おおきい**.
- A short and a long vowel make different words: **おばさん** is “aunt”, **おばあさん** is “grandmother”. おばさん *obasan* /obasaɴ/ · おばあさん *obāsan* /obaːsaɴ/ (aunt / grandmother)
- Katakana writes the long vowel with **ー**, see Katakana.

| Kana | Sound | Example |  |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| **ああ** | *ā* /aː/ | おかあさん *okāsan* /okaːsaɴ/ | mother |
| **いい** | *ī* /iː/ | おにいさん *onīsan* /oniːsaɴ/ | older brother |
| **うう** | *ū* /ɯː/ | くうき *kūki* /kɯːki/ | air |
| **ええ** | *ē* /eː/ | おねえさん *onēsan* /oneːsaɴ/ | older sister |
| **えい** | *ei* /eː/ | せんせい *sensei* /seɴseː/ | teacher |
| **おお** | *ō* /oː/ | おおきい *ōkii* /oːkiː/ · とおい *tōi* /toːi/ | big / far |
| **おう** | *ō* /oː/ | ありがとう *arigatō* /aɾiɡatoː/ | Thank you. |

## The kana ん

- **ん** is a mora of its own, never the first kana of a word. ほん *hon* /hoɴ/ (book)
- Modified Hepburn writes **ん** as *n*, also before *b*, *m* and *p*. えんぴつ *enpitsu* /eɴpitsɯ/ (pencil)
- Its sound shifts with the next consonant, see Pronunciation.

| Position | Romaji | Example |  |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| End of a word | *n* | ほん *hon* /hoɴ/ · しんぶん *shinbun* /ɕiɴbɯɴ/ | book / newspaper |
| Before a consonant | *n* | おんな *onna* /oɴna/ · えんぴつ *enpitsu* /eɴpitsɯ/ | woman / pencil |
| Before a vowel or y | *n'* | こんや *kon'ya* /koɴja/ · ほんや *hon'ya* /hoɴja/ | tonight / bookshop |

## Typical errors

| ✗ | ✓ |  |
| --- | --- | --- |
| ともたち | とも**だ**ち *tomodachi* | **゛** changes *t* to *d*; without it the word is another one |
| きやく | **きゃ**く *kyaku* | a full-size **や** adds a mora; the small **ゃ** joins the kana before it |
| きて | き**って** *kitte* | without the small **っ** the word is **きて**, “come”, not “stamp” |
| せんせ | せんせ**い** *sensei* | the long *e* of this word takes **い** |
| おばさん | お**ばあ**さん *obāsan* | “grandmother” is written with the long vowel **ああ**; **おばさん** means “aunt” |