Da Ji Zu De Do

Katakana 2

Chapter 3 Β· Da Ji Zu De Do

🌸 The Dakuten on the T Row β€” ダ ヂ γƒ… デ ド

The dakuten on the T row turns t into d: ダ ヂ γƒ… デ ド (da ji zu de do). As in hiragana, the middle two are rare and sound the same as γ‚Έ and γ‚Ί. The three that matter are ダ, デ and ド, and they give you door, date and dance. Romaji is shown for everything.

PlainWith γ‚›Sound beforeSound now
tada
chiji
tsuzu
tede
todo
aiueo
tγ‚Ώγƒγƒ„γƒ†γƒˆ
d (t + γ‚›)ダヂヅデド

All five highlighted characters are today's: the whole D row in one chapter.

✨ Five New Characters β€” ダ ヂ γƒ… デ ド

ダ
da
like "da" in dad, with a d ("dah")
5 strokes Β· stroke order β–Έ
Memory hook: a dancer in mid-twirl: γ‚Ώ with two marks. Hiragana twin: だ.
ヂ
ji
sounds exactly like γ‚Έ ("jee")
5 strokes Β· stroke order β–Έ
Memory hook: a secret twin of γ‚Έ: チ with two marks. Very rare. Hiragana twin: げ.
γƒ…
zu
sounds exactly like γ‚Ί ("zoo")
5 strokes Β· stroke order β–Έ
Memory hook: a secret twin of γ‚Ί: ツ with two marks. Very rare. Hiragana twin: γ₯.
デ
de
like "de" in desk ("deh")
5 strokes Β· stroke order β–Έ
Memory hook: a dentist's tool and its two cotton balls: テ with two marks. Hiragana twin: で.
ド
do
like "do" in dome, short ("doh")
4 strokes Β· stroke order β–Έ
Memory hook: a door with two hinges: γƒˆ with two marks. Hiragana twin: ど.
ヂ and γƒ… Are Almost Never Used As in hiragana, ヂ is pronounced ji and γƒ… is pronounced zu, the same as γ‚Έ and γ‚Ί. In katakana loanwords you'll almost always see γ‚Έ and γ‚Ί instead, so learn to recognise ヂ and γƒ… and don't worry about writing them.
Look-Alikes: ダ, デ and ド ダ is γ‚Ώ with marks, デ is テ with marks and ド is γƒˆ with marks. Remember the earlier warnings: γ‚Ώ has three strokes and looks like γ‚―; テ has two bars; γƒˆ is a simple post with an arm. The marks at the top right are the only addition.

πŸ“– Read It β€” New Words

Read the Japanese first, then check the romaji and the English word it comes from.

#WordRomajiEnglishNote
1doadoordo-a
2dΔ“todate (romantic)de-e-to
3dansudanceda-n-su
4doramadrama; TV dramado-ra-ma
5daiyadiamond; train timetableda-i-ya: two meanings, see the tip
6dorudollardo-ru
7dΔ“tadatade-e-ta
8dezaindesignde-za-i-n
9dokutādoctordo-ku-ta-a
10rajioradiora-ji-o: review of the Z row from Chapter 2
Real Japanese Tip β€” ダむダ Is Also a Timetable ダむダ is a diamond, but in Japan it also means a train timetable, from the English diagram. When the news says that trains are running late, it may say γƒ€γ‚€γƒ€γŒ γΏγ γ‚Œγ¦γ„γΎγ™ ("the timetable is disrupted"). It's a good word to hear before your first trip.
γƒ‰γƒ©γƒž and ドル γƒ‰γƒ©γƒž means any TV drama series, a huge genre in Japan, and ドル is the word for the US dollar (exchange-rate boards in airports use it). Two small words, a lot of real-life use.
Review: Words from Chapter 2 (zero) Β· (gym) Β· (jeans) Β· (size) Β· (garage) Β· (jelly).

✍️ Try It Yourself β€” γ‚Œγ‚“γ—γ‚…γ†

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

1. Read aloud: Β· Β·

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da Β· de Β· do

2. Read aloud and translate: Β· Β·

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doa (door) Β· dΔ“to (date) Β· dansu (dance)

3. Read aloud and translate: Β· Β·

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dorama (drama) Β· doru (dollar) Β· dΔ“ta (data)

4. Read aloud and translate: Β· Β·

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dezain (design) · dokutā (doctor) · rajio (radio)

5. How are and pronounced, and how common are they?

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ji and zu, the same as γ‚Έ and γ‚Ί. They are very rare in katakana.

6. Write in katakana: doa Β· dansu Β· dΔ“ta (check the stroke order).

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Β· Β·

Coming Up in Chapter 4 The dakuten on the H row: バ ビ γƒ– ベ γƒœ (ba bi bu be bo). You'll be able to read ビール (beer), バス (bus), γƒœγƒΌγƒ« (ball) and γ‚Ίγƒœγƒ³ (trousers).