Writing long vowels in hiragana
Hiragana writes a long vowel by adding a second vowel character. Two of the five have a twist: long e is usually written えい, and long o is usually written おう, because of how the words were once pronounced.
| Long vowel | Example | Written |
|---|---|---|
| ā | おかあさん okāsan, mother | add あ |
| ii | おにいさん oniisan, older brother | add い |
| ū | くうき kūki, air | add う |
| ē | せんせい sensei, teacher | usually add い; ええ in a few words (ねえさん) |
| ō | ありがとう arigatō, thank you | usually add う; おお in a few words (おおきい) |
In katakana and romaji
Katakana: one bar
Katakana uses the bar ー for every long vowel, whatever the vowel: ケーキ kēki (cake), ボール bōru (ball), スキー sukī (skiing).
Romaji: a line on top
The Hepburn system marks a long vowel with a macron (a line above): ō, ū, ā. Road signs and brand names often drop it, which is why 東京 Tōkyō appears as “Tokyo”. Long i is usually written ii: おにいさん oniisan.
Pairs that differ only in length
Each pair below is the same sounds with one beat added. Press both and listen for the held vowel.
Small っ: the silent beat
A small っ (written at half size, sitting low) is not pronounced as “tsu”. It is a beat of silence in which your mouth already makes the next consonant and holds it, like the pause in the middle of English “bookcase” or “hot tea”.
| Word | Meaning | Without っ |
|---|---|---|
| kitte | stamp | きて kite, come |
| sakka | author | さか saka, slope |
| itta | went, said | いた ita, was there |
| otto | husband | おと oto, sound |
| mittsu | three (things) | みつ mitsu, honey |
Where small っ appears
Small っ comes before k, s, t and p sounds in native words, and before almost any consonant in loanwords. It is very common in the casual て-form of verbs, which you will meet in the grammar stage.
More minimal pairs
Length changes meaning. Press each to hear the difference.
Long vowels in katakana
Katakana marks length with ー; hiragana uses a vowel letter.
Check yourself
Say each word, then open the answer to compare.
- Say “aunt”.
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obasanShort a. - Say “grandmother”.
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obāsanLong ā. - Say “stamp”.
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kitteDouble consonant. - Say “come and…”
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kiteNo pause. - Say “coffee”.
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kōhīTwo long vowels.
Length in real sentences
Clap the beats as you listen; long vowels and っ each get their own clap.