Sokuon

(In words and loanwords that require geminating these consonants, ン (n), ム (mu), ル (ru), ウ (u), and イ (i) are usually used, respectively, instead of the sokuon.)

However, uncommon exceptions exist for stylistic reasons: For example, the Japanese name of the Pokémon species Cramorant is ウッウ, pronounced /uʔu/.

[2] The sokuon is also used at the end of a sentence, to indicate a glottal stop (IPA [ʔ], a sharp or cut-off articulation),[3] which may indicate angry or surprised speech.

In the International Phonetic Alphabet, the sokuon is transcribed with either a colon-like length mark or a doubled consonant: The sokuon represents a mora, thus for example the word Nippon (日本, Japan) consists of only two syllables, but four morae: ni-p-po-n.[4] Major Japanese dictionaries list sokusei (促声, lit.

Ainu katakana uses a small ッ both for a final t-sound and to represent a sokuon (there is no ambiguity however, as gemination is allophonic with syllable-final t).