Pa Pi Pu

Hiragana 2

Chapter 9 · Pa Pi Pu

🌸 The Little Circle ゜ — ぱ ぴ ぷ

Here is the second mark: the little circle ゜ (handakuten, or maru, "circle"). It works on the H row only, turning h into p, to give ぱ (pa), ぴ (pi) and ぷ (pu). P sounds are rarer in native Japanese words than the sounds you've learned so far, so this chapter also shows you where to expect them. Romaji is shown for everything.

PlainWith ゜Sound beforeSound now
hapa
hipi
fupu
aiueo
hはひふへほ
p (h + ゜)ぱぴぷぺぽ

The three highlighted characters are today's. ぺ and ぽ come in Chapter 10.

✨ Three New Characters — ぱ ぴ ぷ

ぱ
pa
like "pa" in papa ("pah")
4 strokes · stroke order ▸
Memory hook: a parachute: は with a small round canopy. Three strokes plus one for the circle.
ぴ
pi
like "pea", short ("pee")
2 strokes · stroke order ▸
Memory hook: a pea beside a pod: ひ with a small round pea. One stroke plus one for the circle.
ぷ
pu
like "poo" in pool, relaxed lips ("poo")
5 strokes · stroke order ▸
Memory hook: a poodle with a round pom-pom: ふ with a small circle. Four strokes plus one for the circle.
Two Marks, Two Jobs The two dots ゛ (dakuten) voice a consonant: k→g, s→z, t→d, h→b. The little circle ゜ (handakuten) has just one job: h→p. Only the H row ever takes the circle. The circle is written as one small, round stroke at the top right.
Where You'll Meet P Sounds Native Japanese words rarely start with p. You'll find it in three places: mimetic words that imitate sounds and looks (ぴかぴか, shiny; ぱくぱく, munching), numbers and counters after ん (さんぷん, 3 minutes) and, above all, foreign loanwords, which are written in katakana, as in パン (bread); the katakana versions of ゛ and ゜ come in Katakana 2.

📖 Read It — New Words

Read the Japanese first, then check the romaji.

#WordRomajiEnglishNote
1enpitsupencile-n-pi-tsu
2sanpunthree minutessa-n-pu-n: ふん (minute) becomes ぷん after ん
3yonpunfour minutesyo-n-pu-n: the same change
4panbreadpa-n: usually written パン in katakana, but this is how it sounds
5papadad; daddypa-pa
6pikapikashiny; sparklingpi-ka-pi-ka: a mimetic word
7pakupakumunch munch (eating)pa-ku-pa-ku: a mimetic word
8onpumusical noteo-n-pu
9tenpuratempurate-n-pu-ra
10punpunfuming; angry (mimetic)pu-n-pu-n
Real Japanese Tip — Minutes: ふん or ぷん? The word for "minute" is ふん, but after a number ending in ん it changes to ぷん: さんぷん (3 minutes), よんぷん (4 minutes). After ご (5) and に (2) it stays ふん: ごふん, にふん. You'll practise this properly when you reach telling the time in Japanese Basic Conversation 1.
Mimetic Words Are Fun Japanese has thousands of mimetic words that imitate sounds and states, such as ぴかぴか (shiny), ぱくぱく (eating with big bites) and ぷんぷん (steaming with anger). They're usually repeated syllables, so they're easy to read and a good place to practise the P row.
Review: Words from Chapter 8 (to eat) · (food) · (boxed lunch) · (convenient) · (wall) · (hat).

✍️ Try It Yourself — れんしゅう

Say each answer out loud first, then click to check.

1. Read aloud: · ·

Show answer

pa · pi · pu

2. Read aloud and translate: · ·

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enpitsu (pencil) · tenpura (tempura) · onpu (musical note)

3. Read aloud and translate: ·

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sanpun (3 minutes) · yonpun (4 minutes)

4. Which row can take the little circle ゜, and which consonant results?

Show answer

Only the H row: h → p (は→ぱ, ひ→ぴ, ふ→ぷ).

5. Read aloud and translate: ·

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pikapika (shiny) · pakupaku (munch munch)

6. Write in hiragana: enpitsu · papa · pikapika (check the stroke order).

Show answer

· ·

Coming Up in Chapter 10 The last two characters of the course: ぺ (pe) and ぽ (po), plus a Course Complete recap. You'll be able to read さんぽ (a walk) and たんぽぽ (dandelion).