What Are Voiced Sounds (濁音) in Katakana?
Just like hiragana, katakana uses two diacritical marks to add voiced and semi-voiced sounds. Mastering these is essential for writing loanwords — and almost every katakana word you encounter will contain at least one.
- Dakuten (゛) — two short strokes, top-right corner. Turns an unvoiced consonant voiced: k→g, s→z, t→d, h→b.
- Han-dakuten (゜) — a small circle, top-right corner. Only used with the H-row: h→p.
Katakana Dakuten Chart
| Base (unvoiced) | + dakuten (voiced) | Sound | Example loanword |
|---|---|---|---|
| カ ka | ガ ga | /ga/ | ガム (gamu) = chewing gum |
| キ ki | ギ gi | /gi/ | ギター (gitaa) = guitar |
| ク ku | グ gu | /gu/ | グラス (gurasu) = glass |
| ケ ke | ゲ ge | /ge/ | ゲーム (geemu) = game |
| コ ko | ゴ go | /go/ | ゴール (gooru) = goal |
| サ sa | ザ za | /za/ | ザ (za) = “The” (in band names) |
| シ shi | ジ ji | /ji/ | ジャズ (jazu) = jazz |
| ス su | ズ zu | /zu/ | ズボン (zubon) = trousers |
| セ se | ゼ ze | /ze/ | ゼロ (zero) = zero |
| ソ so | ゾ zo | /zo/ | ゾーン (zoon) = zone |
| タ ta | ダ da | /da/ | ダンス (dansu) = dance |
| チ chi | ヂ ji | /ji/ | Rare; usually ジ is used. |
| ツ tsu | ヅ zu | /zu/ | Rare; usually ズ is used. |
| テ te | デ de | /de/ | デート (deeto) = date |
| ト to | ド do | /do/ | ドア (doa) = door |
| ハ ha | バ ba | /ba/ | バナナ (banana) = banana |
| ヒ hi | ビ bi | /bi/ | ビル (biru) = building |
| フ fu | ブ bu | /bu/ | ブルー (buruu) = blue |
| ヘ he | ベ be | /be/ | ベッド (beddo) = bed |
| ホ ho | ボ bo | /bo/ | ボール (booru) = ball |
Han-Dakuten (Semi-Voiced) — P Sounds
| Base | + han-dakuten | Sound | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| ハ ha | パ pa | /pa/ | パーティー (paatii) = party |
| ヒ hi | ピ pi | /pi/ | ピアノ (piano) = piano |
| フ fu | プ pu | /pu/ | プール (puuru) = pool |
| ヘ he | ペ pe | /pe/ | ペン (pen) = pen |
| ホ ho | ポ po | /po/ | ポスト (posuto) = post/mailbox |
Special Katakana Combinations for Foreign Sounds
Modern loanwords from English and other languages include sounds that don’t exist in standard Japanese. Katakana handles these with small-letter combinations:
| Combination | Sound | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ファ ফィ フェ フォ | fa, fi, fe, fo | ファン (fan) = fan |
| ヴァ ヴィ ヴ ヴェ ヴォ | va, vi, vu, ve, vo | ヴァイオリン = violin |
| ティ | ti (as in “tea”) | パーティー (paatii) = party |
| ディ | di | ディスク = disc |
| トゥ | tu (as in “two”) | トゥルー = true |
| デュ | dyu | デュオ = duo |
Practice: Decode These Loanwords
Try reading each katakana word below — all use dakuten or han-dakuten:
- ベースボール
- ガールフレンド
- パスポート
- ドラマ
- ジュース
Answers: 1. beesubooru (baseball) / 2. gaarufurendo (girlfriend) / 3. pasupooto (passport) / 4. dorama (drama) / 5. juusu (juice)
Yuka & Rei Add Dakuten to Katakana
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 see ガ and ザ in katakana words. Are those the same dakuten rule as hiragana?
ReiExactly the same! The dakuten (゛) rule applies equally to katakana: カ → ガ, サ → ザ, タ → ダ, ハ → バ. And the handakuten (゜) circle on the ハ row: ハ → パ. The voicing rule is universal across both scripts.
YukaHow do I type these in katakana on my keyboard?
ReiIn romaji input, type the voiced sound directly: ‘ga’ → ガ, ‘ba’ → バ, ‘pa’ → パ. The IME handles the dakuten automatically. You never need to manually add the ゛ mark — just type the correct romaji and conversion happens. Same workflow as hiragana!
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.
- ガム (gamu) — chewing gum (ガ = カ + dakuten)
- ザ・ベスト (za besuto) — The Best (ザ = サ + dakuten)
- バナナ (banana) — banana (バ = ハ + dakuten)
- パン (pan) — bread (パ = ハ + handakuten)
- ドア (doa) — door (ド = ト + dakuten)
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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