The Katakana Long Vowel Mark (ー): How and When to Use It

What Is the Long Vowel Mark?

The horizontal line ー (called the choonpu, 長音符) appears constantly in katakana text. It simply means: extend the previous vowel for one extra beat.

Examples:

• コーヒー = ko-o-hi-i = “koohii” (coffee) — both コ and ヒ are extended
• ケーキ = ke-e-ki = “keeki” (cake) — ケ is extended
• ビール = bi-i-ru = “biiru” (beer) — ビ is extended

In music notation terms, ー adds one extra “quarter beat” to the previous vowel syllable.

Why Katakana Uses ー but Hiragana Uses Full Kana

In hiragana, long vowels are spelled out with an additional kana:

• おかあさん (okaa-san, mother) — a + あ
• おにいさん (onii-san, older brother) — i + い
• こうえん (kouen, park) — o + う

Katakana — used mainly for foreign loanwords — simplifies this with a single universal mark ー, regardless of which vowel is being extended. This is because foreign word vowel lengths don’t always follow native Japanese patterns.

Choonpu Direction Changes in Vertical Text

In horizontal text, ー is written as a horizontal line: ー

In vertical Japanese text (tategumi, 縦組み), the same mark is written as a vertical line: |

You’ll see this in manga, novels, and traditional signage. The character rotates with the text direction.

Common Words with Multiple ー Marks

When the ー Is Omitted (Casual / Abbreviated Forms)

In informal writing, signs, and menus, Japanese speakers sometimes drop the ー to save space or for stylistic reasons:

• コンピュータ (without ー) — common in technical writing; both forms are correct
• プリンタ, エレベータ — technical abbreviations
• アイスクリム — colloquial shortening in speech

The Japan Industrial Standards (JIS) actually specify whether to include or omit ー for many technical terms. In everyday use, including ー is safer and more natural.

Pronunciation Practice: Long vs Short Vowels

Getting vowel length right matters in Japanese — it can change the meaning of a word:

Practice by counting mora (beats) as you pronounce: コー = 2 beats (ko + extension), ヒー = 2 beats. Never rush through a long vowel.

Yuka & Rei Master the Katakana Long Vowel Mark

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.

Yuka

Rei, in katakana I keep seeing ー everywhere. What exactly is it?

Rei

That’s the choon-fu (ー) — the long vowel mark. In katakana, instead of repeating the vowel letter, you use ー to extend any vowel by one mora. コー = ‘koo’, セー = ‘see’. It always extends the vowel of the character immediately before it.

Yuka

How long do I hold it? Is it exactly one extra beat?

Rei

Exactly one mora — the same length as any other character. Japanese is mora-timed: every mora takes equal time. コーヒー = ko-o-hi-i = 4 beats. Say it with a metronome at first: ko-[hold]-hi-[hold]. The timing difference between short and long vowels is what distinguishes words like おばさん (3) and おばあさん (4).

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.

1. コーヒー (ko-o-hi-i) — coffee (two long vowels)
2. スーパー (su-u-pa-a) — supermarket
3. バーゲン (ba-a-gen) — bargain sale
4. ケーキ (ke-e-ki) — cake
5. カード (ka-a-do) — card (credit card / playing card)

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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