Small marks can change a Japanese word completely. かき is a persimmon; かぎ is a key. びょういん is a hospital; びよういん is a beauty salon. Rather than treating these details as decoration, read them as instructions for consonant choice and timing.
Two marks, two different jobs
Dakuten are the two short strokes in が. They change the sound of certain kana. Handakuten is the small circle in ぱ; it changes the h-row to the p-row. The same rules apply in hiragana and katakana.
| Basic row | With dakuten | With handakuten |
|---|---|---|
| か き く け こ | が ぎ ぐ げ ご (g) | — |
| さ し す せ そ | ざ じ ず ぜ ぞ (z / j) | — |
| た ち つ て と | だ ぢ づ で ど (d / j / z) | — |
| は ひ ふ へ ほ | ば び ぶ べ ぼ (b) | ぱ ぴ ぷ ぺ ぽ (p) |
The h-row is especially important: はな means flower or nose depending on pitch and context, while ば and ぱ begin different syllables. Learn a word with its marks present from the first review. Adding marks later as an optional correction creates avoidable spelling errors.
In standard pronunciation, じ/ぢ and ず/づ usually sound alike. Their spelling is not freely interchangeable. Most common words use じ and ず, but words such as つづく (continue) retain づ. Do not try to solve that spelling distinction by listening alone; keep the written word in your vocabulary record.
Small ゃ, ゅ and ょ combine with the previous character
After an i-row kana, these make a combined sound called yōon. The combination takes one timing unit. Thus きゃ is kya, while きや is ki-ya. The first vowel is not pronounced as a separate i.
| Small-character spelling | Reading | Compare |
|---|---|---|
| きゃ / きゅ / きょ | kya / kyu / kyo | きや / きゆ / きよ have two units each |
| しゃ / しゅ / しょ | sha / shu / sho | Not shi-ya / shi-yu / shi-yo |
| ちゃ / ちゅ / ちょ | cha / chu / cho | Not chi-ya / chi-yu / chi-yo |
| びょういん | byo-o-i-n: hospital | びよういん: bi-yo-o-i-n, beauty salon |
Small っ is a consonant hold
In きって (stamp), close for the t consonant and hold it for one unit before releasing it: ki-t-te. Do not read the small っ as a separate tsu. With an s sound, as in ざっし (magazine), sustain the consonant instead of imagining complete silence. Calling っ a “pause” is useful only if you still make the correct following consonant.
Compare さか (slope) with さっか (writer). The second has an extra timing unit. Compare きて (come, in te-form) with きって (stamp). Both are possible words, so a listener cannot always repair a missing っ from context. In katakana, カップ (cup) follows the same rule with ッ.
Count the whole word
Use a finger tap for each timing unit: きょう is kyo-o, two; きって is ki-t-te, three; りょこう (travel) is ryo-ko-o, three. The う often extends an o sound, but the spelling still matters. Do not count printed characters mechanically: a combined きょ takes one unit, whereas っ and ん each take their own.
Spot and explain the difference
1. Change は to the b sound and the p sound.
ば is ba, with dakuten. ぱ is pa, with handakuten. The circle belongs to the p-row.
2. Which word means hospital: びょういん or びよういん?
びょういん means hospital and starts with one combined byo unit. びよういん means beauty salon and begins bi-yo.
3. Read さか and さっか with timing counts.
さか is sa-ka, two units, slope. さっか is sa-k-ka, three units, writer. Hold the k for the small っ.
4. Does りょこう have three or four timing units?
Three: ryo-ko-o. Small ょ combines with り, while the final う extends the o vowel.
For a focused review, write one pair you confuse, listen to a reliable recording of each word and record yourself alternating them. Check the marks again after listening. The target is a consistent distinction, not an exaggerated gap between every sound.