In some Japanese compounds, the beginning of the second word becomes voiced. Learn the whole word and its reading together.
The idea
This change is called rendaku: 紙（かみ） becomes がみ in 手紙（てがみ）, 島（しま） becomes じま in 小島（こじま）, and 空（そら） becomes ぞら in 星空（ほしぞら）. In kana, dakuten marks the voiced sound; the kanji itself stays the same.
| Standalone | Compound |
|---|---|
| 紙（かみ） | 手紙（てがみ） |
| 島（しま） | 小島（こじま） |
| 空（そら） | 星空（ほしぞら） |
Examples
- 紙に名前を書きます。I write my name on the paper.
- 友達に手紙を書きます。I write a letter to a friend.
- 海に小さい島があります。There is a small island in the sea.
- 地図で小島を探します。I look for a small island on the map.
- 夜に星空を見ます。I look at the starry sky at night.
- 空に星がたくさんあります。There are many stars in the sky.
Read-aloud uses a synthetic Japanese voice available on your device. Voice quality and availability vary; it does not assess your pronunciation.
No Japanese device voice is available. You can still read the text and use the linked listening resources.
Watch out
Rendaku does not occur in every compound, and a kanji can have other readings. Do not add dakuten automatically: check and memorise each word’s reading.
Try it yourself
手紙の読み：て＿み（か／が）
Show answer or example answer
が
が: 紙 is かみ alone, but 手紙 is てがみ.
小島の読み：こ＿ま（し／じ）
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じ
じ: 島 is しま alone, but 小島 is こじま.
星空の読み：ほし＿ら（そ／ぞ）
Show answer or example answer
ぞ
ぞ: 空 is そら alone, but 星空 is ほしぞら.
Practice round
Answer questions, then rebuild Japanese sentences where available. We keep your score.
手紙の読み：て＿み（か／が）
小島の読み：こ＿ま（し／じ）
星空の読み：ほし＿ら（そ／ぞ）
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
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Compare each standalone word with the compound in the examples. Read both aloud, then write the compound readings in kana.