っ What does Small Tsu Sound like?
What does the small tsu sound like? Basically the small tsu is a double consonant. It sounds like whatever sound follows it. If it is followed by k, it will sound like k, if it is followed by p it will sound like p and so on. A double kk sound in Japanese would sound like the ‘k c‘ in Here you can clearly hear there is a stop to pronounce both k and c.
INDEX
Japanese does not combine Double Consonants like English
Except for compound words like bookcase and words with prefixes like midday, English does not pronounce the double consonant sound. Though, in Japanese, it is very common. In the examples below, adding just one more consonant will make a different word. 元 – Source
もっと – More
赤 – Red
悪化 – Worsening
How the Small Tsu is used in Japanese
You write the small tsu with っ which is a smaller version of つ pronounced tsu. In Japanese the small tsu is known as the 促音. The sound never comes at the beginning of a word, nor before nasal sounds such as m or n, approximate sounds like w or y, vowels, and only in front of voiced consonants from recently borrowed words such as ベッド . This of course is bed in English.
https://japaneseuniverse.com/2024/02/18/pac-man-in-japaneseconcepts-behind-development-to-global-icon/ベッド – bed
っ sounds like a long vowel before Fricatives (s, sh, h)
Before s or sh, っ takes on the same sound of the following consonant. The result is a lengthened consonant sound where the small tsu is the same lengths as the next syllable.
さっさと – quickly
For the h sounds in Japanese, はひへほ (ha, hi, he, ho) and ふ (fu) the sokuon will become h or f but this generally is only seen in a few foreign borrowed words.
バッハ – Bach
Before Plosives(p, t, k) and Affricatives (ts, ch) っ sounds like a Silent Break
When っ is before p, t, or k it sounds like a break in the word. It is produced by making the shape of the consonant but stopping without letting any air out until the next syllable. English does this too when you have a cluster of consonants in a word like act where you don’t release the air until the t and only make the shape of c. The only difference in Japanese is that instead of having two different consonants, both are the same consonant.
言った – said
Affricatives are pronounced the same as the plosive equivalents. Before つ or ち (tsu and chi) っ is pronounced as t.
The small Tsu is still unvoiced before Voiced Consonants
Small tsu will always be unvoiced even before a voiced consonant. So if it comes before g, z, d or b it will be pronounced as k, t, t, and p.
Conclusion
っ is not so much a specific sound but a syllable which changes based on its surroundings. Kind of like a chameleon changes it’s colors. Moving forward to learn っ make sure to listen to a lot of examples to hear it correctly in words and you will have no trouble pronouncing it correctly. If you want to learn more about Japanese Pronunciation check out some of my other articles.
If you want to learn more Japanese I reviewed a dictionary of grammar series which I personally recommend and use myself.
I also have several other posts on various topics on Japanese Universe if you are interested.
