The is a feature of the Japanese language in which a mora is formed with an added sound (i.e., palatalized) or, more rarely in the modern language, with an added sound (i.e., labialized).
are represented in hiragana using a kana ending in , such as or , plus a smaller version of one of the three kana: , , or . For example, is written using a small version of the よ kana. Contrast this with , which is written with a full-sized kana. In historical kana orthography, were not clearly identifiable with the smaller kana and had to be determined by context.
In earlier stages of Japanese and in certain dialects can also be formed with the kana , , , and — for example, , , , . Although obsolete in modern Japanese, and can still be found in several of the Ryukyuan languages (e.g., Okinawan) today, while is formed with the digraph . also appears in the Kagoshima dialect. Instead of the kana , these are formed with the kana for , . Some older transliterations in English follow the earlier pronunciation (e.g., , ), and such may appear in loanwords like ("Musica Antiqua Köln"). They were also used to write Hakka in Taiwan under Japanese rule (called ).
Table + Katakana ャ ya ュ yu ョ yoキ kiキャ kyaキュ kyuキョ kyoシ shiシャ shaシュ shuショ shoチ chiチャ chaチュ chuチョ choニ niニャ nyaニュ nyuニョ nyoヒ hiヒャ hyaヒュ hyuヒョ hyoミ miミャ myaミュ myuミョ myoリ riリャ ryaリュ ryuリョ ryoDakutenギ giギャ gyaギュ gyuギョ gyoジ jiジャ jaジュ juジョ joヂ jiヂャ jaヂュ juヂョ joビ biビャ byaビュ byuビョ byoHandakutenピ piピャ pyaピュ pyuピョ pyoHiragana ゃ ya ゅ yu ょ yoき kiきゃ kyaきゅ kyuきょ kyoし shiしゃ shaしゅ shuしょ shoち chiちゃ chaちゅ chuちょ choに niにゃ nyaにゅ nyuにょ nyoひ hiひゃ hyaひゅ hyuひょ hyoみ miみゃ myaみゅ myuみょ myoり riりゃ ryaりゅ ryuりょ ryoDakutenぎ giぎゃ gyaぎゅ gyuぎょ gyoじ jiじゃ jaじゅ juじょ joぢ jiぢゃ jaぢゅ juぢょ joび biびゃ byaびゅ byuびょ byoHandakutenぴ piぴゃ pyaぴゅ pyuぴょ pyo
+ – Obsoleteゎ waゐ wiゑ we く kuくゎ kwa(くゐ) kwi(くゑ) kwe ぐ guぐゎ gwa(ぐゐ) gwi(ぐゑ) gwe
Other representations Braille Yōon Yōon + Dakuten Yōon + Handakuten -w-
In Japanese Braille, Yōon is indicated with one of the yōon, yōon+dakuten, or yōon+handakuten prefixes.
Unlike in kana, Braille yōon is prefixed to the -a/-u/-o morae, rather than appending ya, yu, or yo to an -i kana (e.g., kyu: きゅ - ki + yu → - yōon + ku). Likewise, the -w- morae are indicated by a prefix of the -a/-i/-e/-o morae, rather than an -u mora (e.g., くぁ / くゎ (kwa) = -w- + ka: ).
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