Q. What is the long dash that sometimes appears in Japanese writing?
A. The normal short vowel is written with only one symbol in both hiragana and katakana. However, when writing in katakana, the long vowel is expressed with a long dash. In a text written vertically, a vertical line is used instead of a straight line.
| apaato アパート |
apartment |
| biiru ビール |
beer |
| puuru プール |
pool |
| keeki ケーキ |
cake |
| koohii コーヒー |
coffee |
Click here to learn more about katakana.
