View source for Sokuon

{{short description|Japanese symbol}}
{{Distinguish|Arabic diacritics#Sukūn{{!}}Sukūn {{))!}}, an Arabic ring-shaped diacritic marking a {{!((}}schwa{{!}}mute consonant|}}
{{Japanese writing}}
{{kana gojuon sidebar}}

The {{nihongo|'''sokuon'''|[[wikt:促音|促音]]|}} is a [[Japanese typographic symbols|Japanese symbol]] in the form of a small [[hiragana]] or [[katakana]] {{Transliteration|ja|[[Tsu (kana)|tsu]]}}, as well as the various consonants represented by it. In less formal language, it is called {{Nihongo|2=小さいつ|3=chiisai tsu}} or {{Nihongo|2=小さなつ|3=chiisana tsu}}, meaning "small {{Transliteration|ja|tsu}}".<ref name="Kawahara2">{{cite web |url=http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~phonetic/pdf/sokuon.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151123195724/http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~phonetic/pdf/sokuon.pdf |archive-date=2015-11-23 |title=The phonetics of obstruent geminates, ''sokuon'' |website=Rutgers University |author=Kawahara|first=Shigeto|author-link=Shigeto Kawahara |s2cid=145942}}</ref> It serves multiple purposes in Japanese writing.

== Appearance ==
In both hiragana and katakana, the {{Transliteration|ja|sokuon}} appears as a {{Transliteration|ja|tsu}} reduced in size:
{| class="wikitable" align="center"
!
!Full-sized
!Sokuon
|-
!Hiragana
| align="center" |<big><big>{{lang|ja|つ}}</big></big>
| align="center" |<big><big>{{lang|ja|っ}}</big></big>
|-
!Katakana
| align="center" |<big><big>{{lang|ja|ツ}}</big></big>
| align="center" |<big><big>{{lang|ja|ッ}}</big></big>
|}

==Use in Japanese==
The main use of the {{Transliteration|ja|sokuon}} is to mark a [[geminate]] consonant,<ref name=" Kawahara2" /> which is represented in most [[romanization of Japanese|romanization systems]] by the doubling of the consonant, except that [[Hepburn romanization]] writes a geminate ''ch'' as ''tch''. It denotes the gemination of the initial consonant of the symbol that follows it.

Examples:
{{bulleted list
| [[Pocky]], a Japanese snack food, is written in kana as {{lang|ja|ポッキー}}, which is 
: {{nihongo krt||ポ|po}}
: {{nihongo krt||ッ||{{Transliteration|ja|sokuon}}}}
: {{nihongo krt||キ|ki}}
: {{nihongo krt||ー||{{Transliteration|ja|[[chōonpu]]}}}}
In rōmaji, this is written ''pokkī'', with the {{Transliteration|ja|sokuon}} represented by the doubled ''k'' consonant.

| {{nihongo krt||待って|matte}}, the [[Japanese verb conjugations#te form|te form]] of the verb {{nihongo krt|"wait"|待つ|matsu}}, is composed of: 
: {{nihongo krt||待|ma||([[kanji]])}}
: {{nihongo krt||っ||{{Transliteration|ja|sokuon}}}}
: {{nihongo krt||て|te}}
In the rōmaji rendering, ''matte'', the {{Transliteration|ja|sokuon}} is represented by the doubling of the ''t'' consonant.

| {{nihongo krt||こっち|kotchi}}, meaning "here", is composed of:
: {{nihongo krt||こ|ko}}
: {{nihongo krt||っ||{{Transliteration|ja|sokuon}}}}
: {{nihongo krt||ち|chi}}
In [[Hepburn romanization]], ''kotchi'', the {{Transliteration|ja|sokuon}} is represented by the ''t'' consonant, even though the following consonant is ''ch''. This is because rōmaji ''ch'' actually represents {{IPA|[t͡ɕ]}} ([[voiceless alveolo-palatal affricate]]), and the sokuon before it doubles the {{IPA|[t]}} sound. The [[Kunrei-shiki]] and [[Nihon-shiki]] romanization systems write this syllable as ''ti'' (and its geminate version as ''tti'') so the exception does not arise.
}}

The sokuon never appears at the beginning of a word or before a vowel (''a'', ''i'', ''u'', ''e'', or ''o''), and rarely appears before a syllable that begins with the consonants ''n'', ''m'', ''r'', ''w'', or ''y''. (In words and loanwords that require geminating these consonants, {{nihongo krt||ン|n}}, {{nihongo krt||ム|mu}}, {{nihongo krt||ル|ru}}, {{nihongo krt||ウ|u}}, and {{nihongo krt||イ|i}} are usually used, respectively, instead of the sokuon.) In addition, it does not appear before voiced consonants (''g'', ''z'', ''d'', or ''b''), or before ''h'', except in loanwords, or distorted speech, or dialects. However, uncommon exceptions exist for stylistic reasons: For example, the Japanese name of the [[Pokémon]] species [[Cramorant]] is {{lang|ja|ウッウ}}, pronounced {{IPA|/uʔu/}}.<ref>The pronunciation is verifiable here: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzEqIbJFD0Y&t=23m48s Nintendo Direct (September 5, 2019; 23 min 48 s)]. Retrieved 2019-09-05.</ref>

The sokuon is also used at the end of a sentence, to indicate a [[glottal stop]] (IPA {{IPA|[ʔ]}}, a sharp or cut-off articulation),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sljfaq.org/afaq/small-tsu.html|title=What is that small tsu at the end of a sentence?|publisher=sljfaq.org|access-date=2019-06-28}}</ref> which may indicate angry or surprised speech. This pronunciation is also used for exceptions mentioned before (e.g., a sokuon before a vowel kana). There is no standard way of romanizing the sokuon that is at the end of a sentence. In [[English language|English]] writing,{{clarify|reason=Does this mean romaji, or does it mean an English translation?|date=August 2014}} this is often rendered as an [[em dash]]. Other conventions are to render it as ''t'' or as an apostrophe.

In the [[International Phonetic Alphabet]], the sokuon is transcribed with either a colon-like length mark or a doubled consonant:
* {{nihongo3|"come"|来て|kite}}{{snd}}{{IPA|/kite/}}
* {{nihongo3|"postage stamp"|切手|kitte}}{{snd}}{{IPA|/kitːe/}} or {{IPA|/kitte/}} 
* {{nihongo3|"clams"|あさり|asari}}{{snd}}{{IPA|/asari/}}
* {{nihongo3|"easily"|あっさり|assari}}{{snd}}{{IPA|/asːari/}} or {{IPA|/assari/}}

The sokuon represents a [[Mora (linguistics)|mora]], thus for example the word {{nihongo3|Japan|日本|Nippon}} consists of only two syllables, but four morae: ni-p-po-n.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Apo3BAAAQBAJ|title=Motor Speech Disorders: A Cross-Language Perspective|publisher=Multilingual Matters|author=Nick Miller, Anja Lowit|isbn=978-1-78309-232-1|year=2014|page=223}}</ref>

==Etymology==
Major Japanese dictionaries list {{nihongo||促声|sokusei|{{lit|rushed voice}}}}, as a synonym for {{nihongo|sokuon|促音|4={{lit|rushed sound}}}}.<ref name=NKD>''[[Nihon Kokugo Daijiten]]''</ref><ref name=DJR>''[[Daijirin]]''</ref><ref>''[[Daijisen]]''</ref> This suggests an origin in [[Middle Chinese]] phonology, where ''sokusei'' ({{CJKV|t=[[wikt:促聲#Chinese|促聲]]}}), also known as {{nihongo||入聲|nisshō, nissei|literally "entering voice"}}, referred to a [[checked tone]], or a syllable that ends in an [[No audible release|unreleased plosive]] (see [[w:zh:促聲|促聲]]). 促聲 contrasts with [[wikt:舒聲|舒聲]] (literally "leisurely voice") which is a syllable that ends in a [[vowel]], [[semivowel]], or [[nasal consonant|nasal]] (see [[w:zh:舒聲|舒聲]]).

The [[Meiji-era]] linguist [[w:ja:大島正健|Ōshima Masatake]] used the terms ''sokuon'' ("[[plosive]]") and ''[[N (kana)#Names|hatsuon]]'' ("nasal") to describe ending consonants in Chinese (which he called {{nihongo||[[wikt:支那語#Japanese|支那語]]|Shinago}}, an outdated term used from the [[Edo period]] until after World War II<ref name=NKD/><ref name=DJR/>). These sounds were classified as {{nihongo|"[[Labial consonant|labial]]"|唇內|shinnai}}, {{nihongo|"[[Coronal consonant|lingual]]"|舌內|zetsunai}} and {{nihongo|"[[guttural]]"|喉內|kōnai}}. ''Sokuon'', in particular, were classified as follows: {{IPA|[p̚]}} is the {{nihongo|"labial plosive"|唇內促音}}, {{IPA|[t̚]}} is the {{nihongo|"lingual plosive"|舌內促音}}, and {{IPA|[k̚]}} is the {{nihongo|"guttural plosive"|喉內促音}}.<ref>{{cite book|title=音韻漫錄|date=July 1897|last=Ōshima|first=Masatake|chapter=撥音と促音|language=Japanese|pages=45–47|url=https://dl.ndl.go.jp/pid/992984/1/29}}</ref> Another of Ōshima's descriptions even more explicitly related the terms ''sokuon'' and ''hatsuon'' to the [[Four tones (Middle Chinese)|four tones of Middle Chinese]].<ref>{{cite journal|issue=21|journal=東京獨立雜誌|language=Japanese|date=5 February 1899|title=古今入聲の比較|page=13|last=Ōshima|first=Masatake|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HU9DAQAAIAAJ}}</ref>

Modern Japanese ''sokuon'' arose, in no small part, from [[Assimilation (phonology)|consonant assimilation]] that occurred when an [[Early Middle Japanese]] approximation of a Chinese ''sokuon'', such as ''pu'' (labial), ''t(i)'' (lingual) or ''ki/ku'' (guttural), was followed by an [[obstruent]] (plosive or [[fricative]]).<ref>{{cite book|last=Frellesvig|first=Bjarke|title=A History of the Japanese Language|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=2010|chapter=Part II: Early Middle Japanese}}</ref>

== Use in other languages ==
In addition to Japanese, sokuon is used in [[Okinawan languages|Okinawan]] katakana orthographies to represent glottal or ejective consonants. [[Ainu language#Writing|Ainu]] katakana uses a small {{lang|ain|ッ}} both for a final ''t''-sound and to represent a sokuon (there is no ambiguity however, as gemination is [[Allophone|allophonic]] with syllable-final ''t''). As with [[Tsu (kana)|''tsu'']], sokuon’s katatana form can be used as an [[emoticon]] due to its similar appearance to the smile emoticon.

== Computer input ==
There are several methods of [[Japanese input methods|entering the sokuon using a computer or word-processor]], such as <code>xtu</code>, <code>ltu</code>, <code>ltsu</code>, etc. Some systems, such as [[Kotoeri]] for [[macOS]] and the Microsoft IME, generate a sokuon if an applicable consonant letter is typed twice; for example <code>tta</code> generates {{lang|ja|った}}.

== Other representations ==

[[Japanese Braille|Braille]]:

{{Braille cell|type=image|sokuon|lang=japanese}}

* [[Character encoding|Computer encodings]]
{{charmap
|3063|name1=Hiragana Letter Small Tu
|30C3|name2=Katakana Letter Small Tu
|FF6F|name3=Halfwidth Katakana Letter Small Tu
|IncludeGB=1
|map1=[[Shift JIS]]<ref name="shift_jis-utc">{{cite web |url=https://www.unicode.org/Public/MAPPINGS/OBSOLETE/EASTASIA/JIS/SHIFTJIS.TXT |title=Shift-JIS to Unicode |author=Unicode Consortium |author-link=Unicode Consortium |date=2015-12-02 |orig-date=1994-03-08}}</ref>|map1char1=82 C1|map1char2=83 62|map1char3=AF
|map2=[[EUC-JP]]<ref name="euc-jp-2007">{{cite web |url=https://raw.githubusercontent.com/unicode-org/icu/master/icu4c/source/data/mappings/euc-jp-2007.ucm |title=EUC-JP-2007 |author1=Unicode Consortium |author-link1=Unicode Consortium |author2=IBM |author-link2=IBM |work=[[International Components for Unicode]]}}</ref>|map2char1=A4 C3|map2char2=A5 C3|map2char3=8E AF
|map3=[[EUC-KR]]<ref name="euc-kr-ibm970">{{cite web |url=https://raw.githubusercontent.com/unicode-org/icu/master/icu4c/source/data/mappings/ibm-970_P110_P110-2006_U2.ucm |title=IBM-970 |author1=Unicode Consortium |author-link1=Unicode Consortium |author2=IBM |author-link2=IBM |work=[[International Components for Unicode]]}}</ref> / [[Unified Hangul Code|UHC]]<ref name="uhc-ms949">{{cite web |url=https://www.unicode.org/Public/MAPPINGS/VENDORS/MICSFT/WINDOWS/CP949.TXT |title=cp949 to Unicode table |last=Steele |first=Shawn |publisher=[[Microsoft]] / [[Unicode Consortium]] |date=2000}}</ref>|map3char1=AA C3|map3char2=AB C3
|map4=[[Big5]] ([[Big5#Kana and Cyrillic|non-ETEN kana]])<ref name="big5noneten-utc">{{cite web |url=https://www.unicode.org/Public/MAPPINGS/OBSOLETE/EASTASIA/OTHER/BIG5.TXT |title=BIG5 to Unicode table (complete) |author=Unicode Consortium |author-link=Unicode Consortium |date=2015-12-02 |orig-date=1994-02-11}}</ref>|map4char1=C6 C7|map4char2=C7 5B
|map5=[[Big5]] ([[Big5#ETEN extensions|ETEN]] / [[Hong Kong Supplementary Character Set|HKSCS]])<ref name="big5hkscs-html5">{{cite web |url=https://encoding.spec.whatwg.org/big5.html |title=big5 |work=Encoding Standard |publisher=[[WHATWG]] |last=van Kesteren |first=Anne |author-link=Anne van Kesteren}}</ref>|map5char1=C7 4A|map5char2=C7 BF
}}

==See also==
*[[Japanese phonology]] gives a detailed description of the sound system of Japanese.
*[[Gemination]]
*[[Chōonpu]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}
* {{cite book|title=Easy hiragana: first steps to reading and writing basic Japanese|publisher=Passport Books|year=1989|author=Fujihiko Kaneda, Rika Samidori|pages=74−78}}

==External links==
{{Wiktionary|促音|っ|ッ}}

[[Category:Kana]]
[[Category:Japanese phonology]]
[[Category:Japanese writing system terms]]