Nihongo Ninja

You’ve mastered the base sounds of Hiragana. Now it’s time to see how dakuten and handakuten expand those sounds. With just two simple marks, dozens of new combinations appear.

Dakuten ◌゙

Dakuten are two small strokes, like quotation marks, written at the top‑right of a kana. They make the sound voiced — often a little more muffled or dampened compared to the sharper base form.

For example, 'k' sounds turn into 'g' sounds when you add dakuten.

K → G

か

き

く

け

こ

が

ぎ

ぐ

げ

ご

It's similar for 'S' → 'Z'

S → Z

さ

し

shi*

す

せ

そ

ざ

じ

ず

ぜ

ぞ

Full Dakuten Chart

が

ぎ

ぐ

げ

ご

ざ

じ

ず

ぜ

ぞ

だ

ぢ

ji*

づ

zu*

で

ど

ば

び

ぶ

べ

ぼ

* Yes, ぢ is pronounced the same as じ and づ like ず, but they’re rarely used.

Handakuten ◌゚

Handakuten are small circles that only apply to the は-row. They turn the “h” sounds into crisp “p” sounds.

So は (ha) turns into ぱ (pa) just by adding a circle?

Yep.

Full Handakuten Chart

ぱ

ぴ

ぷ

ぺ

ぽ

Why do these tiny mark variations exist? I can barely see them!

Well, variety is the spice of life 🌶️. More importantly, they let Japanese expand its range of sounds without inventing completely new kana.

Approach dakuten and handakuten with the enthusiasm of a student who proudly thought they’d mastered Hiragana—until Japanese tapped them on the shoulder and said, "Not so fast, Squidward."

In the next lesson, you'll mix and match these to create even more unique sounds.