RemloriStart free

Remlori › Japanese › Guides › Small tsu っ vs つ: how to hold the consonant

Small tsu っ vs つ: how to hold the consonant

Full-size つ is pronounced tsu. Small っ holds the next consonant for an extra beat. It does not add another tsu syllable inside an ordinary word.

Read the size before the sound

In きって (kitte, postage stamp), say ki, hold the t closure, then release te. Keep the hold about as long as one ordinary beat. You can tap three beats: ki — hold — te. In きて (kite, come), there are only two: ki — te.

The spelling difference is small but can change the word. Do not rush over it just because English writes both consonants together as tt.

Three useful examples

A hold is not always silence

Before t or k, your mouth closes briefly. Before a sound such as sh, extend that sound. The practical target is the extra timing, rather than inserting a dramatic silent gap everywhere.

At the end of an expressive utterance, っ can signal an abrupt cut-off. That is a separate use; begin with the doubled consonants inside ordinary words.

Try it before looking

  1. Which has a spoken tsu: つき or きって?
  2. How many beats does きって have?
  3. What should you hold in ざっし?
Show answers and reasons
  1. つき (tsuki, moon) has full-size つ.
  2. Three: ki, the consonant hold, te.
  3. The sh sound; do not say za-tsu-shi.

Next: long vowels also add a beat, but extend a vowel instead.

Keep practising

Listen to the hiragana chart and practise words with pictures. Read a short example, cover the reading, then say it again from the script.

Reference: The Japan Foundation: Irodori. Explanations and practice here are written by Remlori.

Practise sounds, words and sentence building in the free first chapter.

Start Japanese Lesson 1

Hear the hold in ざっし (zasshi, magazine)

Say za, extend sh, then finish shi. The hold adds a beat. Compare the timing with the full-size つ in つき below.

つき · moon

tsuki

Picture and sound mnemonic
A giant TSUNAMI turns a golden KEY that is plugged directly into the glowing MOON.
A giant Tsunami turns a golden Key that is plugged directly into the glowing Moon.

つ (tsu) → Tsunami + き (ki) → Key

Small tsu timing check

Choose a mode and a group. Each round has up to ten questions. Wrong answers go into a retry round.

Try these questions, then open the answers. The interactive version needs JavaScript.

  1. Which spelling has an extra consonant beat?
    Answer and explanation

    きって — きって has ki / hold / te: three beats. きて has two.

  2. How many beats does きって have?
    Answer and explanation

    3 — Count ki, the consonant hold, then te.

  3. Which spelling has a spoken tsu?
    Answer and explanation

    つき — つき starts with full-size つ, pronounced tsu.

  4. In ざっし, which sound is extended?
    Answer and explanation

    sh — Extend the sh sound. Do not insert tsu.

  5. Which reading matches きって?
    Answer and explanation

    kitte — The small っ holds the t closure before te.

  6. Which has two beats?
    Answer and explanation

    きて — きて is ki / te. The small っ in きって adds a beat.

  7. In がっこう, what does っ lengthen?
    Answer and explanation

    k — っ holds the k closure; the later う contributes to the long o.

  8. How many beats does がっこう have?
    Answer and explanation

    4 — ga / consonant hold / ko / long-vowel beat.

  9. Which character is small tsu?
    Answer and explanation

    っ — The smaller character marks the consonant hold.

  10. Should you always make っ completely silent?
    Answer and explanation

    No — Before a fricative such as sh, the sound itself is extended.

More Japanese guides