Memorizing the Hiragana/Dakuten

Dakuten ( ﾞ ) and Handakuten ( ﾟ ) are marks placed after certain hiragana that modify the way the consonant is pronounced. These marks indicate that the consonant of the syllable should be voiced.

normal	with dakuten ( ﾞ )	with handakuten ( ﾟ )
か = ka	が = ga
さ = sa	ざ = za
た = ta	だ = da
は = ha	ば = ba	ぱ = pa

Exceptions

"Shi" (し) turns into "Ji" (じ)
"Chi" (ち) also turns into "Ji" (ぢ)
"Tsu" (つ) turns into "Zu" (づ)

Iteration marks

Iteration marks ( ゝ) indicate that a sound is to be repeated. Iteration marks can also be combined with dakuten.

normal	with iteration ( ゝ )	with dakuten iteration ( ゞ )
す = su	すゝ = susu	すゞ = suzu

Sokuon

Sokuon (っ) is a symbol consisting of a small Tsu (compare with normal Tsu: つっ). It is used to insert a slight pause.

For example: うた = song うった = hard

The Sokuon gives a pause to make a meaningful sound.

Chōonpu

Chōonpu (ー) is a symbol used to indicate a long vowel sound. Long vowels can also be written by using the corresponding vowel hiragana.

normal	with chōonpu ( ー )	is the same as
ぷ = pu	ぷー = puu	ぷう = puu