Three things in this lesson change how kana sound on the page: the small っ, long vowels, and the kinship terms built from them.
The small つ促音 sokuon
To mark the short, sharp pause inside a double consonant, write a small っ. It is roughly half the size of a normal つ, is silent on its own, and doubles the consonant that follows it.
Long vowels長音 chōon
Two patterns stretch a vowel long. A kana ending in o followed by う makes a long ō: おとうさん is otōsan. A kana ending in e followed by い makes a long ē: せんせい sounds like sensē.
Addressing older family家族 kazoku
Older relatives are addressed with set kinship terms, wrapped in the polite お…さん. Younger relatives are usually called by name or nickname instead.
Takeaways
- Small っ doubles the consonant that follows it and adds a clipped pause.
- おう and えい lengthen vowels to ō and ē; ああ / いい / うう / ええ do the same for the other vowels.
- Older family take a fixed お…さん term; younger family go by name.
Read each example aloud until it is smooth, then tap Hide readings and test yourself. If a raw kana still feels slow, drill it in the practice app first.