Katakana II: Dakuten & Handakuten characters

20 Basic Dakuten Katakana characters

Animated guides coming soon.

H → B

When dakuten markers are added, h sounds become b sounds.

• ば

  ba

• び

  bi

• ぶ

  bu

• べ

  be

• ぼ

  bo

K → G

When dakuten markers are added, k sounds become g sounds.

• が

  ga

• ぎ

  gi

• ぐ

  gu

• げ

  ge

• ご

  go

S → Z

When dakuten markers are added, s sounds become z sounds (with one exception, where shi becomes ji).

• ざ

  za

• じ

  ji

• ず

  zu

• ぜ

  ze

• ぞ

  zo

T → D

When dakuten markers are added, t sounds become d sounds.

• だ

  da

• ぢ

  ji*

• づ

  zu*

• で

  de

• ど

  do

* - ぢ and づ are almost never used for ji and zu, so use じ and ず instead.

Writing Practice

Write each of the 23 basic Dakuten & Handakuten Katakana characters from memory

1. ba, bi, bu, be, bo
2. ga, gi, gu, ge, go
3. za, ji, zu, ze, zo
4. da, de, do
5. pa, pi, pu, pe, po