# Japanese Small Tsu (っ): Reading and Spelling Practice
*2026-11-06*
きて (*kite*, 来て) is “come,” as in 来てください (“please come”). Add a small っ and you get きって (*kitte*, 切手), “postage stamp.” Say them slowly. In きって, your tongue gets into position for *t* early and holds there before you say て. [Japan Society’s hiragana examples](https://japansociety.org/events/uki-uki-mini-4/)
## What the small っ does
Full-size **つ** sounds like *tsu*, as in つき (*tsuki*, “moon”). The small tsu in hiragana is **っ**, called *sokuon*. Inside words like きって, it lengthens the next consonant by one beat, or **mora**. The double *t* in the romaji spelling *kitte* marks that hold. [Tokyo University of Foreign Studies pronunciation guide](https://www.coelang.tufs.ac.jp/ja/en/pmod/practical/02-01-01.php)
Tap twice for **き・て** and three times for **き・っ・て**. On the middle tap of きって, keep your tongue in place for *t*. Release it into て on the third tap. The taps help you count. Use the recordings below to get a feel for the timing in speech.
Try さか (*saka*, 坂, “slope”) and さっか (*sakka*, 作家, “writer”). In さっか, hold the *k* closure at the back of your mouth. Now try ざっし (*zasshi*, 雑誌, “magazine”). Start the *sh* sound on the middle beat and carry it into し. The hold before か is quiet, while you can hear the *sh* through the middle beat of ざっし. [The Japan Foundation’s Irodori kana sheet](https://www.irodori.jpf.go.jp/assets/data/Kana_all.pdf)
Play both words in questions 1 and 2 of the TUFS audio exercise. Listen to さか and さっか, then いた (*ita*, 居た, “was there”) and いった (*itta*, 行った, “went”). Say each pair back and feel where your mouth holds the consonant. [TUFS audio exercise](https://www.coelang.tufs.ac.jp/ja/en/pmod/practical/02-01-02.php)
## Small っ practice
Say the words out loud and jot down your answers before you scroll. If two words sound the same when you say them, count your taps and note what your mouth did.
1. Read and tap つき, きて, and きって. How many beats does each get? What does your mouth do on the middle beat of きって?
2. Which word means “writer,” さか or さっか? Which one means “went,” いった or いた? Read your choices aloud.
3. Read さっか, いった, and ざっし. Which consonant do you hold in each word? When do you block the airflow, and when can you hear the sound carry through?
4. Fix each spelling to match the romaji and then read it aloud. Try *kitte* → きつて, *sakka* → さか, and *itta* → いっか. Then write *tsuki* in hiragana.
5. Try a new pair. Write *kako* and *kakko* in hiragana, then say both aloud. Which word takes an extra beat, and which consonant do you hold?
## Answer key
1. **つ・き (2), き・て (2), き・っ・て (3).** In きって, hold your tongue in position for *t* on the second beat. If you said *ki-tsu-te*, you counted three beats and gave the middle beat a full *tsu* sound. If you said *ki-te*, you skipped the hold and ended up with two beats.
2. **さっか (作家)** means “writer.” Hold *k* for the extra beat to distinguish it from さか (坂), “slope.” **いった (行った)** means “went.” Compare そこにいた (“was there”) with そこにいった (“went there”). The second phrase has the extra *t* hold.
3. **Hold *k* in さっか, *t* in いった, and *sh* in ざっし.** For *k* and *t*, briefly block the airflow and then release it. For *sh*, keep the sound going. If you held *t* in さっか, look at か and get ready for *k* as soon as you reach っ.
4. **きって, さっか, いった, つき.** Shrink the middle つ in きつて to っ for *kitte*. Add っ before か for *sakka*. In いっか, keep the っ and change か to た for *itta*. In *tsuki*, the first beat has the full *tsu* sound, so write つ.
5. **か・こ (*kako*, 過去, “the past”)** takes two beats. **か・っ・こ (*kakko*, 括弧, “brackets”)** takes three. Hold *k* on the middle beat, then release it into こ. Play both words in question 3 to check your reading. [TUFS audio exercise](https://www.coelang.tufs.ac.jp/ja/en/pmod/practical/02-01-02.php)
Tomorrow, pick a pair you missed. Use the English meanings as cues to write both words in hiragana from memory. Say them aloud, then check your timing against a recording. If basic kana still slow you down, the hiragana deck has 92 cards for spaced review of the 46 basic characters. It asks you to recall romaji from kana and kana from romaji. [Basic hiragana flashcards](/catalog/packages/basic-hiragana-romaji/)
*AI tools helped research and write this article and develop the practice questions.*
**Hiragana Flashcards: All 46 Basic Characters with Romaji**
Learn all 46 basic hiragana with 92 two\-way cards for kana\-to\-romaji and romaji\-to\-kana recall\.
92 cards · Audience languages: English
[Study this deck for free]()
---
*[View the styled HTML version of this page]()*
*AI agents can create an account for the user in this service by starting with `GET https://api.nibomo.com/v1/`. Once set up, they can also connect over MCP at `https://mcp.nibomo.com/mcp`.*
*Tip: Append `.md` to any URL on https://nibomo.com to get a clean Markdown version of that page.*