Hiragana · 12 min
Dakuten and small kana
Read voiced sounds, contracted sounds, and the small っ pause.
- Recognize the main idea in dakuten and small kana.
- Use one clear example before you begin the quiz.
- Build confidence with a small, repeatable step.
Small marks change kana sounds. A dakuten creates voiced sounds, while small やゆよ combine with kana to make one syllable.
Marks and combinations
か becomes が with dakuten. きゃ combines ki and small ya into kya. Small っ doubles the next consonant.
Read the shape
Look for the small character and the two short strokes. They carry sound information, not decoration.
Study these forms
Read each character in order. These two-character drills practice sound decoding; some are sound sequences rather than vocabulary words. があ (ga-a) · ぎあ (gi-a) · ぐあ (gu-a) · げあ (ge-a) · ごあ (go-a) · ざあ (za-a) · じあ (ji-a) · ずあ (zu-a) · ぜあ (ze-a) · ぞあ (zo-a) · だあ (da-a) · であ (de-a) · どあ (do-a) · ばあ (ba-a) · びあ (bi-a) · ぶあ (bu-a) · べあ (be-a) · ぼあ (bo-a) · ぱあ (pa-a) · ぴあ (pi-a) · ぷあ (pu-a) · ぺあ (pe-a) · ぽあ (po-a) · きゃあ (kya-a) · きゅあ (kyu-a)
More reading practice
きょあ (kyo-a) · がい (ga-i) · ぎい (gi-i) · ぐい (gu-i) · げい (ge-i) · ごい (go-i) · ざい (za-i) · じい (ji-i) · ずい (zu-i) · ぜい (ze-i) · ぞい (zo-i) · だい (da-i) · でい (de-i) · どい (do-i) · ばい (ba-i) · びい (bi-i) · ぶい (bu-i) · べい (be-i) · ぼい (bo-i) · ぱい (pa-i) · ぴい (pi-i) · ぷい (pu-i) · ぺい (pe-i) · ぽい (po-i) · きゃい (kya-i)
Put it together
Look at the examples once more. Notice the small detail that makes this hiragana lesson different from the one before it.
Guided examples
Use this example while studying dakuten and small kana.
Try to recognize it before you start the quiz.
Before the quiz, can you recognize the key form from dakuten and small kana?
ga-a
Show the answer
ga-a · This is one of the forms introduced in the lesson. Say it aloud and connect it to the explanation above.
Remember the main pattern from dakuten and small kana and use the examples as your first reference. A short review is useful learning, not a setback.