3.2. Double hiragana used only for imported words


Some phonemes for the double hiragana shown here are not available because their pronunciation is out of standard pronunciation of Japanese. You don't have to memorize these hiragana now, because they don't appear in Japanese grammar.

Instead of the smaller hiragana of (ya), (yu), and (yo), the smaller hiragana of (a), (i), (u), (e), and (o) (hiragana for vowels) are often used.

Since katakana are used for imported words, these syllables are commonly written with katakana, not hiragana as shown here. I will explain katakana later.

HiraganaPhonemeRomanizationDescription
(i)(small e)/ye/"ye" Japanese "y" + Japanese "e".
(u)(small i)/wi/"wi" Japanese "w" + Japanese "i".
(u)(small e)/we/"we" Japanese "w" + Japanese "e".
(u)(small o)/wo/"wo" Japanese "w" + Japanese "o".
(ki)(small e)/kye/"kye" English "k" + Japanese "y" + Japanese "e".
(gi)(small e)/gye/"gye" English "g" + Japanese "y" + Japanese "e".
(si)(small e)/sye/"she" English "sh" + Japanese "e".
(zi)(small e)/zye/"je" English "j" + Japanese "e".
(su)(small i)-"si" English "s" + Japanese "i".
(zu)(small i)-"zi" English "dz" + Japanese "i".
You can pronounce it as English "z" + Japanese "i".
(ti)(small e)/tye/"che" English "ch" + Japanese "e".
(tu)(small a)-"tsa" English "ts" + Japanese "a".
(tu)(small i)-"tsi" English "ts" + Japanese "i".
(tu)(small e)-"tse" English "ts" + Japanese "e".
(tu)(small o)-"tso" English "ts" + Japanese "o".
(te)(small i)-"ti" English "t" + Japanese "i".
(de)(small i)-"di" English "d" + Japanese "i".
(te)(small yu)-"tyu" English "t" + Japanese "y" + Japanese "u".
(de)(small yu)-"dyu" English "d" + Japanese "y" + Japanese "u".
(to)(small u)-"tu" English "t" + Japanese "u".
(do)(small u)-"du" English "d" + Japanese "u".
(ni)(small e)/nye/"nye" English "ny" + Japanese "e".
(hi)(small e)/hye/"hye" German "ch" + Japanese "e".
(bi)(small e)/bye/"bye" English "b" + Japanese "y" + Japanese "e".
(pi)(small e)/pye/"pye" English "p" + Japanese "y" + Japanese "e".
(hu)(small a)-"fa" Greek "ph" + Japanese "a".
You can pronounce it as English "f" + Japanese "a".
(hu)(small i)-"fi" Greek "ph" + Japanese "i".
You can pronounce it as English "f" + Japanese "i".
(hu)(small e)-"fe" Greek "ph" + Japanese "e".
You can pronounce it as English "f" + Japanese "e".
(hu)(small o)-"fo" Greek "ph" + Japanese "o".
You can pronounce it as English "f" + Japanese "o".
(hu)(small yu)-"fyu" Greek "ph" + Japanese "y" + Japanese "i".
You can pronounce it as English "fy" + Japanese "u".
(mi)(small e)/mye/"mye" English "m" + Japanese "y" + Japanese "e".
(ri)(small e)/rye/"rye" Japanese "r" + Japanese "y" + Japanese "e".


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