Editing Classical Japanese (section)

==== Geminate ({{nihongo2|促音}}, ''sokuon'') rule ====

The other use of small kana in modern Japanese is in the geminate consonant mark ({{nihongo2|促音}} ''Sokuon''), {{nihongo2|っ/ッ}}, which is a small version of {{nihongo2|つ/ツ}} (''tsu''). In native Japanese words, this symbol can be used before kana of the K-, S-, T-, and P-rows. For example,

* {{nihongo2|か'''っか'''}} (''ka'''kka''''' "burning hotly")
* {{nihongo2|真'''っ'''直ぐ (ま'''っす'''ぐ)}} (''ma'''ssu'''gu'' "straight")
* {{nihongo2|屹度 (き'''っと''')}} (''ki'''tto''''' "surely")
* {{nihongo2|葉'''っぱ''' (は'''っぱ''')}} (''ha'''ppa''''' "leaf")

Voiced geminates are generally prohibited by Japanese phonological rules, but they occur in a few loanwords (although they are sometimes pronounced by native speakers as if they were their voiceless counterparts). For example:

* {{nihongo2|スラ'''ッガー'''}} (''sura'''ggā''''' "slugger")
* {{nihongo2|キ'''ッド'''}} (''ki'''ddo''''' "kid")

Kana of the N- and M-rows can also be geminate, but they are preceded by {{nihongo2|ん}} (''n'') to indicate gemination instead.

Gemination can occur in Japanese for a variety of reasons. In native words, it occurs either when a historical long vowel elides, as in the aforementioned {{nihongo2|真っ直ぐ}} (''ma'''ssu'''gu'', originally {{nihongo2|ま'''あす'''ぐ}} ''ma'''asu'''gu''), or randomly, as in the aforementioned {{nihongo2|屹度}} (''ki'''tto''''', originally {{nihongo2|き'''と'''}} ''ki'''to'''''). These examples of the geminate consonant marker, along with those found in loanwords, are written with large {{nihongo2|つ}} (''tsu'') in historical kana. Therefore,

* {{nihongo2|か'''つか'''}} (written ''ka'''tsuka''''', but pronounced ''ka'''kka''''')
* {{nihongo2|真'''つ'''直ぐ (ま'''つす'''ぐ)}} (written ''ma'''tsusu'''gu'', but pronounced ''ma'''ssu'''gu'')
* {{nihongo2|屹度 (き'''つと''')}} (written ''ki'''tsuto''''', but pronounced ''ki'''tto''''')
* {{nihongo2|葉'''つぱ''' (は'''つぱ''')}} (written ''ha'''tsupa''''', but pronounced ''ha'''ppa''''')
* {{nihongo2|スラ'''ツガー'''}} (written ''sura'''tsugā''''', but pronounced ''sura'''ggā''''')
* {{nihongo2|キ'''ツド'''}} (written ''ki'''tsudo''''', but pronounced ''ki'''ddo''''')

In these cases, the historical usage is not reflecting any historical pronunciation. However, in Sino-Japanese words, geminate consonants are produced by different, more regular processes, and the historical usage for these words reflects historical pronunciations.

The most common way for geminates to be produced in Sino-Japanese words is by the elision of a vowel from the kana {{nihongo2|き}}, {{nihongo2|く}}, {{nihongo2|ち}}, or {{nihongo2|つ}} (''ki'', ''ku'', ''chi'', or ''tsu''). For example:

* {{nihongo2|適格 (て'''っか'''く)}} (''te'''kka'''ku'' "eligible", from ''teki'' + ''kaku'')
* {{nihongo2|学期 (が'''っき''')}} (''ga'''kki''''' "semester", from ''gaku'' + ''ki'')
* {{nihongo2|日程 (に'''って'''い)}} (''ni'''tte'''i'' "schedule", from ''nichi'' + ''tei'')
* {{nihongo2|雑誌 (ざ'''っし''')}} (''za'''sshi''''' "magazine", from ''zatsu'' + ''shi'')

In historical kana, where the geminate mark is used in the first, second, and fourth examples, a full-sized version of the '''''original''''' kana is used. However, in the third example, {{nihongo2|つ}} (''tsu'') is used, even though an {{IPA|/i/}} has been elided. The reason for this is that in Early Middle Japanese, when these sounds were borrowed from Middle Chinese, the Japanese language acquired a final {{IPA|/t/}} in the Sino-Japanese morphemes that currently end in {{nihongo2|ち}} (''chi'', {{IPA|/ti/}}) or {{nihongo2|つ}} (''tsu'', {{IPA|/tu/}}). Later on, these acquired two forms, one with {{IPA|/i/}} and one with {{IPA|/u/}} (although in syllables beginning with {{IPA|/ni/}}, one form usually begins with {{IPA|/zi/}}, as is the case with {{nihongo2|日}}). So the semantic difference between Sino-Japanese syllables ending in {{IPA|/ti/}} or {{IPA|/tu/}} is almost always trivial, and the historical pronunciation was identical, so they were not distinguished in writing. Therefore, the previous examples would be written:

* {{nihongo2|適格 (て'''きか'''く)}}  (''te'''kika'''ku'')
* {{nihongo2|學期 (が'''くき''')}} (''ga'''kuki''''') (note the old character form)
* {{nihongo2|日程 (に'''つて'''い)}} (''ni'''tsute'''i'')
* {{nihongo2|雜誌 (ざ'''つし''')}} (''za'''tsusi''''') (note the old character form)

Occasionally, gemination may also result from a loss of a vowel after {{nihongo2|ふ}} (''fu'', originally {{IPA|/pu/}}). These cases are complicated by the H-row rule, and perhaps because of that, are also written with {{nihongo2|つ}} in historical kana. For example,

* {{nihongo2|法師 (ほ'''っし''')}} (''ho'''sshi''''' "Buddhist priest", from ''hofu'' + ''shi'')

is written

* {{nihongo2|法師 (ほ'''つし''')}} (''ho'''tsushi''''')

in historical kana.

While this usage does reflect a historical pronunciation, it, like the Y-row rule, produces ambiguity. Furthermore, since these vowels are elided in some compounds but not others, this usage obscures the difference in a way that is essentially impossible to predict.

While there are a few other processes that can cause geminates in Sino-Japanese words, they all apply to N- and M-row kana, and are not written differently in historical and modern kana.