Editing Hiragana (section)

==Spelling rules==
{{see also|Kanazukai}}

With a few exceptions, such as for the three [[grammatical particles|particles]] は (pronounced {{IPA|ja|wa|}} instead of {{IPA|ja|ha|}}), へ (pronounced {{IPA|ja|e|}} instead of {{IPA|ja|he|}}) and {{IPA|ja|o|}} (written を instead of お), Japanese when written in kana is [[Phonemic principle|phonemically orthographic]], i.e. there is a one-to-one correspondence between kana characters and sounds, leaving only words' [[Japanese pitch accent|pitch accent]] unrepresented. This has not always been the case: a previous system of spelling, now referred to as [[historical kana usage]], differed substantially from pronunciation; the three above-mentioned exceptions in modern usage are the legacy of that system.

There are two hiragana pronounced ''ji'' (じ and ぢ) and two hiragana pronounced ''zu'' (ず and づ), but to distinguish them, particularly when [[Wāpuro rōmaji|typing Japanese]], sometimes ぢ is written as ''di'' and づ is written as ''du''. These pairs are not interchangeable. Usually, ''ji'' is written as じ and ''zu'' is written as ず. There are some exceptions. If the first two syllables of a word consist of one syllable without a ''[[dakuten]]'' and the same syllable with a ''dakuten'', the same hiragana is used to write the sounds. For example, ''chijimeru'' ('to boil down' or 'to shrink') is spelled ちぢめる and ''tsuzuku'' ('to continue') is {{nowrap|つづく}}.

For compound words where the dakuten reflects ''[[rendaku]]'' voicing, the original hiragana is used. For example, ''chi'' ({{lang|ja|血}} 'blood') is spelled ち in plain hiragana. When {{lang|ja|鼻}} ''hana'' ('nose') and {{lang|ja|血}} ''chi'' ('blood') combine to make ''hanaji'' ({{lang|ja|鼻血}} 'nose bleed'), the sound of {{lang|ja|血}} changes from ''chi'' to ''ji''. So ''hanaji'' is spelled {{nowrap|はなぢ}}. Similarly, ''tsukau'' ({{lang|ja|使う/遣う}}; 'to use') is spelled {{nowrap|つかう}} in hiragana, so ''kanazukai'' ({{lang|ja|仮名遣い}}; 'kana use', or 'kana orthography') is spelled {{nowrap|かなづかい}} in hiragana. However, there are cases where ぢ and づ are not used, such as the word for 'lightning', ''inazuma'' ({{lang|ja|稲妻}}). The first component, {{lang|ja|稲}}, meaning 'rice plant', is written いな (''ina''). The second component, {{lang|ja|妻}} (etymologically {{lang|ja|夫}}), meaning 'spouse', is pronounced {{nowrap|つま}} (''tsuma'') when standalone or often as づま (zuma) when following another syllable, such in {{lang|ja|人妻}} (''hitozuma'', 'married woman'). Even though these components of {{lang|ja|稲妻}} are etymologically linked to 'lightning', it is generally arduous for a contemporary speaker to consciously perceive ''inazuma'' as separable into two discrete words. Thus, the default spelling {{nowrap|いなずま}} is used instead of {{nowrap|いなづま}}. Other examples include ''kizuna'' ({{nowrap|きずな}}) and ''sakazuki'' ({{nowrap|さかずき}}). Although these rules were officially established by a Cabinet Notice in 1986 revising the [[modern kana usage]], they have sometimes faced criticism due to their perceived arbitrariness.

Officially, ぢ and づ do not occur word-initially pursuant to modern spelling rules. There were words such as {{nowrap|ぢばん}} ''jiban'' 'ground' in the [[historical kana usage]], but they were unified under じ in the [[modern kana usage]] in 1946, so today it is spelled exclusively {{nowrap|じばん}}. However, {{nowrap|づら}} ''zura'' 'wig' (from {{nowrap|かつら}} ''katsura'') and {{nowrap|づけ}} ''zuke'' (a sushi term for lean tuna soaked in soy sauce) are examples of word-initial づ today.

No standard Japanese words begin with the kana ん (''n''). This is the basis of the word game [[shiritori]]. ん ''n'' is normally treated as its own syllable and is separate from the other ''n''-based kana (''na'', ''ni'' etc.).

ん is sometimes directly followed by a vowel (''a'', ''i'', ''u'', ''e'' or ''o'') or a palatal approximant (''ya'', ''yu'' or ''yo''). These are clearly distinct from the ''na'', ''ni'' etc. syllables, and there are [[minimal pair]]s such as {{nowrap|きんえん}} ''kin'en'' 'smoking forbidden', {{nowrap|きねん}} ''kinen'' 'commemoration', {{nowrap|きんねん}} ''kinnen'' 'recent years'. In Hepburn romanization, they are distinguished with an apostrophe, but not all romanization methods make the distinction. For example, past prime minister [[Junichiro Koizumi]]'s first name is actually {{nowrap|じゅんいちろう}} ''Jun'ichirō'' pronounced {{IPA|[dʑɯɰ̃itɕiɾoː]}}

There are a few hiragana that are rarely used. Outside of Okinawan orthography, [[ゐ]] ''wi'' {{IPA|ja|i|}} and [[ゑ]] ''we'' {{IPA|ja|e|}} are only used in some proper names. 𛀁 ''e'' was an alternate version of え ''e'' before spelling reform, and was briefly reused for ''ye'' during initial spelling reforms, but is now completely obsolete. ゔ ''vu'' is a modern addition used to represent the /v/ sound in foreign languages such as English, but since Japanese from a phonological standpoint does not have a /v/ sound, it is pronounced as /b/ and mostly serves as a more accurate indicator of a word's pronunciation in its original language. However, it is rarely seen because [[loanword]]s and [[Transliteration|transliterated]] words are usually written in [[katakana]], where the corresponding character would be written as ヴ. The digraphs {{nowrap|ぢゃ}}, {{nowrap|ぢゅ}}, {{nowrap|ぢょ}} for ''ja''/''ju''/''jo'' are theoretically possible in [[rendaku]], but are nearly never used in [[modern kana usage]]; for example, the word {{lang|ja|夫婦茶碗}}, ''meoto-jawan'' (couple bowls), spelled {{nowrap|めおとぢゃわん}}, where {{lang|ja|茶碗}} alone is spelled {{nowrap|ちゃわん}} (''chawan'').

The {{nowrap|みゅ}} ''myu'' kana is extremely rare in originally Japanese words; linguist [[Haruhiko Kindaichi]] raises the example of the Japanese family name Omamyūda {{nowrap|({{lang|ja|小豆生田}})}} and claims it is the only occurrence amongst pure Japanese words. Its [[katakana]] counterpart is used in many loanwords, however.