Tools2026-05-31 · 5 min read

How to Type Japanese: Small つ, ん, を, づ, and the Long Vowel ー

Once you install a Japanese keyboard, you type in romaji and it converts to kana and kanji. Most of it is intuitive, but a handful of characters (っ, ん, を, づ, ー) confuse everyone at first. Here is exactly which keys to press.

JLPT N1 Certified Teacher

Written and reviewed by a Japanese language teacher (JLPT N1) with experience teaching learners from Vietnam, Indonesia, and Mongolia.

Updated 2026-05-31

How Romaji Input Works

With a Japanese IME (input method) set to “Hiragana,” you type the romaji and it becomes kana automatically: type ka → か, sushi → すし. Then press the space bar to convert to kanji, and Enter to confirm.

That conversion step is the secret weapon we’ll come back to at the end.

The Tricky Keys

っ (small tsu)(double the next consonant)

kitte → きって, gakkou → がっこう

ん(type nn (or n + consonant))

honn → ほん, kangae → かんがえ

を (particle)(wo)

wo → を

づ / ぢ(du / di)

tsuduku → つづく, hanadi → はなぢ

ー (long vowel)(the hyphen key)

ko-hi- → コーヒー

Small Kana & Loanword Sounds

Small ゃゅょ: just type them together, so kya → きゃ, sho → しょ.
Standalone small vowels (ぁぃぅぇぉ): prefix with l or x: la → ぁ, xtu → っ.
Loanword sounds: fa → ファ, ti → ティ, va → ヴァ.

Common Typing Mistakes

Typing った instead of っ + た when the wrong stroke conjugated. If a verb conversion looks wrong, check whether you doubled the correct consonant for that verb group.
Forgetting to double the space bar for multiple kanji choices. The first space bar press picks the most likely candidate; a second press opens the full list when the word you want is not the default.
Typing ぢ/づ where じ/ず was meant, or the reverse. These sound identical, so the IME will not catch the mistake for you; you have to already know which spelling the word uses.

Typing as a Free Spell-Checker

Here is the trick most learners miss: the IME confirms your readings. Type genin and 原因 appears; type geiin and it won’t convert correctly. If the kanji you expect doesn’t come up, your reading is wrong.

Use this constantly. It’s a free, instant check on every word you think you know.

Teacher’s Note

Typing Japanese trains reading and spelling at the same time, because you must produce the correct reading to get the right kanji. I tell students to switch their phone to a Japanese keyboard early, because texting then becomes daily, painless practice.

げんいん, not げいいん →

Let typing check you

Hiragana Guide →

The kana you type

Practice reading, the input way

Nihongo Pass builds the reading recognition you need to type and convert correctly, designed by a JLPT N1 teacher.

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