The small っ: double consonants
っ + consonant = double consonant
っ = a one-beat pause that doubles the next consonant. In romaji, double the letter: kitte, gakkō.
In short
A small っ (or ッ in katakana) isn't pronounced: it marks a short pause and doubles the consonant that follows. きって (stamp) is said “kit-te”, while きて (come) is said “ki-te”. In romaji, you double the letter: kitte, gakkou.
- きってkittestamp
- がっこうgakkōschool
- ざっしzasshimagazine
The basics
The small っ (small tsu, ッ in katakana) isn't pronounced “tsu”. It marks a short pause, one beat long, before the next consonant: that consonant is effectively doubled.
Compare きて (“ki-te”, come) and きって (“kit-te”, stamp): the only difference is that short silence, and it changes the word completely.
- きってkittestamp
- がっこうgakkōschool
How to write it in romaji
In romaji, you double the consonant that follows: っか → kka, っさ → ssa, った → tta, っぱ → ppa. The one exception to know: before ち, you write “tch” (まっちゃ → matcha).
On a keyboard it works the same way: typing “kitte” gives きって. To type a lone small っ, type “ltu” or “xtu”.
| Word | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ざっし | zasshi | magazine |
| きっぷ | kippu | ticket |
| まっちゃ | matcha | powdered green tea |
| コップ | koppu | glass (for drinking) |
Big つ or small っ?
Size matters. A big つ is pronounced “tsu”; a small っ is a silence. In handwriting or small print, look carefully at its size and position: the small っ sits lower and tighter.
- ちょっとchottoa little
- いっしょにissho nitogether
Common mistakes
- Pronouncing the っ as “tsu”: ざっし is said “zas-shi”, not “zatsushi”.
- Forgetting the pause when speaking: without it, きって (stamp) becomes きて (come).
- Putting it before a vowel or ん: it always goes before a consonant.
5 exercises on this point
Particles to choose, sentences to put back in order, translations: marked straight away, then reviewed at the right time. This JLPT N5 point is on the Marunouchi Line (Hiragana, part two) of the Tokyo subway.