Hiragana with Diacritics and Combined Forms

Part 1: Modifying Sounds with Dakuten and Handakuten

The first concept we'll cover involves adding small marks to existing hiragana characters to change their sound. This is a very efficient system. You don't need to learn new shapes, just a new rule.

There are two marks:

1. Dakuten (゛): Looks like a small double quote. It "voices" a consonant sound. For example, it turns a 'k' sound into a 'g' sound.
2. Handakuten (゜): A small circle. It is only used with 'h' sounds, changing them to 'p' sounds.

The Tofugu guide you used in the last lesson explains this system perfectly. Let's work through it.

As you read, pay special attention to the few exceptions noted in the guide:

• し (shi) becomes じ (ji), not zi.
• ち (chi) becomes ぢ (ji), not di.
• つ (tsu) becomes づ (zu), not du.

In modern Japanese, じ and ぢ sound identical, as do ず and づ. You just need to be able to recognize them when reading.

Pronunciation Practice

Reading is one thing, but hearing the sounds is crucial. Now, listen to the correct pronunciation of these modified characters.

This chart provides a complete visual reference for the characters you've learned so far, including the ones with dakuten and handakuten.

Part 2: Combining Sounds with Yōon

The next and final modification for hiragana is combining characters to create new, blended sounds. These are called yōon (拗音).

The rule is simple: you take a hiragana character from the 'i' column (like き ki, し shi, に ni, etc.) and combine it with a small version of や (ya), ゆ (yu), or よ (yo).

For example:

• き (ki) + ゃ (small ya) → きゃ (kya). The sound is a single, quick syllable, not ki-ya.
• し (shi) + ゅ (small yu) → しゅ (shu).
• り (ri) + ょ (small yo) → りょ (ryo).

Let's return to the Tofugu guide to see all the possible combinations.

You'll encounter these sounds frequently. For instance, the word for "today" is きょう (kyō), and "hospital" is びょういん (byōin).

Pronunciation Practice

Once again, let's pair reading with listening.

A Note on the Small tsu (っ)

While reading the Tofugu article, you may have noticed a section on the small tsu (っ). This character is unique: it has no sound on its own. Instead, it creates a brief pause, effectively doubling the consonant that follows it.

• かこ (kako) vs. かっこ (kakko) - notice the slight pause before the 'k' sound.
• きた (kita) vs. きった (kitta) - notice the pause before the 't' sound.

We won't focus heavily on this today, but it's important to recognize it when you see it. Think of it as a "glottal stop" or a "hiccup" in the word.

Daily Practice

You now have a complete set of hiragana reading skills. The key to making it second nature is consistent, short practice. The tools from the last lesson are still your best bet.

The MLC Quizlet deck is particularly useful, as it includes the dakuten variants.

Conclusion

Great job! You've successfully added the final layers to your hiragana knowledge. What started as 46 characters has now expanded to cover all the sounds needed for native Japanese words.

Key Takeaways:

• The dakuten (゛) and handakuten (゜) marks modify existing hiragana to create new consonant sounds (e.g., K→G, H→P).
• Yōon are blended sounds created by combining an i-column character with a small ゃ, ゅ, or ょ.
• With these additions, you can now phonetically read almost any word written in hiragana.

Continue to use the Quizlet deck for a few minutes each day. This short, consistent practice is far more effective than a long, infrequent study session.

Preview of the next lesson:
Now that you've tackled hiragana, we will move on to the second Japanese script: katakana. You'll be pleased to know that katakana represents the exact same sounds as hiragana. The only difference is the shape of the characters and how they are used—primarily for foreign loanwords, which you'll see everywhere on signs, menus, and in stores (e.g., for words like "coffee," "hotel," and "credit card").