1.

Apart from the long [U] and [O] sounds, in Japanese we have long [A], [I], [E] sounds as well.

When the word is written in the hiragana script, we just write あ,い or え correspondingly in accordance
with the vowel in a syllable which we want to prolong. For example:

おかあさん mother (when talking to your own mother or about someone’s mother)

おにいさん elder brother (when talking to your own brother or about someone’s brother)

おねえさん elder sister (when talking to your own sister or about someone’s sister)

However, such words are not very common. Mostly they are onomatopoeia or toponyms.

2. We have already mentioned that there are words, in which a syllable with the [O] sound can be
prolonged with the letter お.The reason is that historically in these words there were sounds
different from just [O], and these sounds were written with either ほ or を. With the flow of
time, the phonetic system of the language has changed and ほ and を turned into just [O]. In
order to simplify the written language during one of the spelling reforms (1946) the Japanese
government declared that all the words should be written as they sound.

Let’s consider these words as exceptions and learn them by heart (especially those which are
written in red)

氷 こおり ice
凍る こおる to freeze
通り とおり street
通る とおる to pass through, to go by
通す とおす to let pass through
大きい おおきい big
多い おおい numerous
蟋蟀 こおろぎ (more frequently cricket (insect)
written as コオロギ)
頬 ほお cheek
炎 ほのお flame
十日 とおか the 10th day of the month
滞る とどこおる to stagnate
催す もよおす to hold (a meeting)
催し もよおし event
遠い とおい remote, distant
狼 おおかみ (more frequently wolf
written as オオカミ)
仰せ おおせ wish (of a superior)
鬼灯 ほおずき ground cherry
憤る いきどおる to be angry
憤り いきどおり anger
覆う おおう to cover
大阪 おおさか Osaka (and most of the
toponyms with the character 大
 in hiragana are written with
double お)
公 おおやけ public, formal
朴の木 ほおのき magnolia