SSU: Review - Long Vowels in Katakana and Japanese Typing Chart

Review - Long Vowels in Katakana and Japanese Typing Chart

Please review how to write long vowels in katakana and check your understanding by choosing the correct Roomaji for the following katakana words with long vowels. After you review the information, click Quiz Group to begin.

Long vowels in katakana:

Each long vowel in katakana is written with the symbol for the single vowel followed by a horizontal line. Each long vowel requires twice the length of time to produce it as does its single counterpart.

  • アー is twice as long as ア
  • イー is twice as long as イ

Here are some examples of gairaigo which have long vowels in them.

  • コンピューター
  • konpyuutaa

When Japanese is written vertically, the long mark is written vertically below the vowel.

keeki
ケーキ

Practice Activity

Japanese Typing Chart

Please download and refer regularly to the Japanese Typing Chart Links to an external site. handout.

This is a useful resource, so be sure to keep it somewhere that you can find it again when it is needed.

[CC BY 4.0] UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED | IMAGES: LICENSED AND USED ACCORDING TO TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION | IRASSHAI VIDEO SERIES COURTESY OF GPB, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.