Gemination 促音

sokuon · from Latin

What is gemination?

Gemination is a doubled (lengthened) consonant; in Japanese it is written with a small っ and adds a one-beat pause before the consonant.

The small っ (sokuon) is a full mora of silence or held consonant, so きて kite (come) and きって kitte (stamp, or cut) are different words. Italian and Finnish also contrast long consonants. English speakers tend to swallow it entirely.

Examples

来て kite (come) vs 切手 kitte (postage stamp); 学校 gakkō (school); ちょっと chotto (a bit)

Kungfucius says: A tiny っ that demands a whole beat. Small but entitled.