Vowel length 長音

chōon · from English

What is vowel length?

Vowel length is a contrast between short and long vowels that can change meaning, as in Japanese ojisan (uncle) and ojiisan (grandfather).

Japanese long vowels count as two morae and are written with an extra kana or, in katakana, a bar ー. Hepburn romanisation marks them with macrons (Tōkyō). Thai, Lao, Khmer and Hawaiian also distinguish vowel length.

Examples

おじさん ojisan (uncle) vs おじいさん ojīsan (grandfather); 主人 shujin (husband) vs 囚人 shūjin (prisoner); Thai เข้า khâo (enter) vs ข่าว khàao (news)

Kungfucius says: Hold that vowel a beat too short and you have just called your husband a prisoner.