Table 1 - The 46 Syllables of the Japanese Syllabary (romanized)

akasatanahamarayawanikishichinihimiriukusutsunufumuruyuekesetenehemereokosotonohomoroyowo

あかさたなはまらやわんいきしちにひみりうくすつぬふむるゆえけせてねへめれおこそとのほもろよを

The above are the 46 syllables of the Japanese Syllabary. Individually they are calledmora. Plurally they are called morae. One mora in particular is the focus of this article.The Tsu mora.When the tsu syllable is added before the consonants k,p, and t, a hardened doubleconsonant sound is produced. You spit out the words Like the sound of the doubled k in bookkeeper, adding the syllable tsu to ka, ki, ku, ke, ko . This special pronunciation of thedoubled consonant is denoted by lowered case or subscript tsu in either hiragana or katakana. Some examples are as follows:1.makka – deep red2.jikken – experiment or test3.shuppan – publish , shuppatsu – departure4.zettai – suredly, absoluteness5. tokkyo – not the city toukyou which has the elongated6.

happi

– the English word happy in katakana Note the use of the doubled consonant sound in Japanese is indicated by a lower case tsu followed by the doubled consonant sound.When n is not connected to a vowel as in the very last syllable of the Japanesesyllabary which in fact is just n or , it is like a syllable unto itself. It receives a full