Foreign Alphabet/Japanese/Hiragana/'a' Group

あ あ is pronounced as 'a' as in 'alright' Strokes File:あ-bw.png Examples あなた (anata) -- You あき (aki) -- Autumn Notes on Usage あ can be used to extend the 'a' sound by one beat when used after another '-a' syllable. It is important to express this one beat as words like obasan (middle-aged lady) and obāsan (pronounced "obaasan") (grandmother) have only this difference to differentiate them. い い is pronounced as 'i' as in 'itch' Strokes File:い-bw.png Examples いち (ichi) -- One いちご (ichigo) -- Strawberry Notes on Usage い can be used to extend the 'i' sound by one beat when used after another '-i' syllable. E.g.: にいがった　(Niigata) -- A prefecture (A administrative district) of Japan.