Pronunciation

促音 (sokuon) refers to the small つ(っ) in Japanese, which is a special character that represents a double consonant or glottal stop. It indicates that the consonant that follows it is doubled, meaning it should be pronounced with a slight pause or a doubling of the consonant sound.

How to Pronounce 促音 (sokuon):

• The small つ (っ) is not pronounced on its own; instead, it causes the consonant that follows it to be doubled or held for a slight pause.

• When you see っ in a word, the following consonant is pronounced with more emphasis and a slight "stopping" or "catching" sound.

Examples of 促音 (Sokuon):

1. きって (kitte) - "stamp"

• The tt sound is doubled, so it’s pronounced "kit-teh" with a pause between the "t" sounds.

2. さっき (sakki) - "a little while ago"

• The kk sound is doubled, pronounced as "sak-kee."

3. がっこう (gakkō) - "school"

• The kk sound is doubled, pronounced as "gak-koh."

How to Recognize 促音:

• The small つ (っ) will always be before a consonant (not a vowel). It’s typically found before k, s, t, p, and h sounds, but can also appear before other consonants in certain cases.

促音 in Romanization:

• In romaji, a doubled consonant is often represented by repeating the consonant (e.g., tt, ss, kk).

• For example:

きって (kitte) becomes "kitte" in romaji.

がっこう (gakkō) becomes "gakkō" in romaji.

Common Mistakes:

• Not doubling the consonant enough: The sound after the small つ(っ) should be distinctly held for a moment longer, so don’t rush it.

• Forgetting the small つ: Missing the small つ(っ) can drastically change the meaning of a word (e.g., きて (kite) "come" vs. きって (kitte) "stamp").