Once you know the basic 46 hiragana characters, you unlock 25 more by adding two small marks: the dakuten (゛) for voiced sounds, and the handakuten (゜) for the P-sounds.
Dakuten (゛) — The Voiced Mark
Add dakuten to transform unvoiced consonants (k, s, t, h) into voiced ones (g, z, d, b). The mark goes in the upper right corner of the character.
| Base | +゛ | Sound | Common word |
|---|---|---|---|
| か | が | ga | がくせい (gakusei, student) |
| き | ぎ | gi | ぎんこう (ginkou, bank) |
| く | ぐ | gu | くぐ (kugu, to pass under) |
| け | げ | ge | げんき (genki, healthy/fine) |
| こ | ご | go | ごはん (gohan, rice/meal) |
| さ | ざ | za | ざっし (zasshi, magazine) |
| し | じ | ji | じかん (jikan, time) |
| す | ず | zu | ずっと (zutto, always/all along) |
| せ | ぜ | ze | ぜひ (zehi, by all means) |
| そ | ぞ | zo | ぞう (zou, elephant) |
| た | だ | da | だいがく (daigaku, university) |
| て | で | de | でんしゃ (densha, train) |
| と | ど | do | どこ (doko, where) |
| は | ば | ba | ばんごはん (bangohan, dinner) |
| ひ | び | bi | びょういん (byouin, hospital) |
| ふ | ぶ | bu | ぶんか (bunka, culture) |
| へ | べ | be | べんきょう (benkyou, study) |
| ほ | ぼ | bo | ぼく (boku, I, male) |
Handakuten (゜) — The P-Sounds
The handakuten is a small circle added to the は-row to create the P-sounds. These only apply to は, ひ, ふ, へ, ほ.
| Base | +゜ | Sound | Common word |
|---|---|---|---|
| は | ぱ | pa | ぱんだ (panda) |
| ひ | ぴ | pi | ぴかぴか (pikapika, sparkling) |
| ふ | ぷ | pu | プール (puuru, pool — usually katakana) |
| へ | ぺ | pe | ぺらぺら (perapera, fluent) |
| ほ | ぽ | po | ぽかぽか (pokapoka, warm and cozy) |
Common Beginner Confusion
- じ vs ず: Both are written with dakuten but have different base characters (し vs す). Make sure you learn the base character first.
- ち + ゛ = ぢ: This exists but is rare. It sounds like じ and is mostly found in compound words like ちぢむ (to shrink).
- つ + ゛ = づ: Also rare, sounds like ず. Found in づつ (each).
Practice Reading
- げんき (genki) — Are you healthy? / Fine
- ざんねん (zannen) — Too bad / What a shame
- ぼくたち (bokutachi) — We (masculine)
- だいじょうぶ (daijoubu) — It’s okay / No problem
- ぺらぺら (perapera) — Fluent (speech)
Yuka & Rei Discover Dakuten
Learning kana feels abstract until you see how real learners talk about it. Here is Yuka working through the tricky parts — and Rei making the explanations click. Their questions are probably the same ones you have.
YukaRei, I learned all 46 basic hiragana but now I’m seeing characters with two little marks on them. What are those?
ReiThose are dakuten (゛) — the voicing marks. They turn unvoiced consonants into voiced ones. か → が, さ → ざ, た → だ, は → ば. It’s like adding vibration to the sound. The shape of the character stays the same — just the sound changes.
YukaAnd there’s a circle too, not just the two marks?
ReiThe circle is handakuten (゜) — only used on the は row. は → ぱ, ひ → ぴ, ふ → ぷ, へ → ぺ, ほ → ぽ. The ‘p’ sound family. So from 46 base characters, you get 25 more with dakuten and 5 more with handakuten — suddenly you can write almost anything!
5 Practice Examples — Read These Aloud
These examples use the characters from this article in real words. Say each one aloud and try to recall the article’s rules as you read.
- がっこう (gakkou) — school (が is か + dakuten)
- ざっし (zasshi) — magazine (ざ is さ + dakuten)
- でんしゃ (densha) — train (で is て + dakuten)
- ばなな (banana) — banana (ば is は + dakuten)
- ぱん (pan) — bread (ぱ is は + handakuten circle)
Your Turn! Write Your Own Example in the Comments
The fastest way to remember kana is to write words you already know in Japanese script. Try writing your name, your hometown, or your favourite food using the characters from this article.
Share what you wrote in the comments — other learners will see it, and writing for an audience makes the learning stick twice as fast. Log in to save your comment history and join the Top Commenters ranking!
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