Da Ji Zu De Do

Katakana 2

Chapter 3 · Da Ji Zu De Do

🌸 The Dakuten on the T Row — ダヂヅデド

The dakuten on the T row turns t into d: ダヂヅデド (da ji zu de do). As in hiragana, the middle two are rare and sound the same as ジ and ズ. The three that matter are ダ, デ and ド, and they give you door, date and dance. Romaji is shown for everything.

Plain	With ゛	Sound before	Sound now
タ	ダ	ta	da
チ	ヂ	chi	ji
ツ	ヅ	tsu	zu
テ	デ	te	de
ト	ド	to	do

	a	i	u	e	o
t	タ	チ	ツ	テ	ト
d (t + ゛)	ダ	ヂ	ヅ	デ	ド

All five highlighted characters are today's: the whole D row in one chapter.

✨ Five New Characters — ダヂヅデド

ダ

like "da" in dad, with a d ("dah")

5 strokes · stroke order ▸

Memory hook: a dancer in mid-twirl: タ with two marks. Hiragana twin: だ.

ヂ

sounds exactly like ジ ("jee")

5 strokes · stroke order ▸

Memory hook: a secret twin of ジ: チ with two marks. Very rare. Hiragana twin: ぢ.

ヅ

sounds exactly like ズ ("zoo")

5 strokes · stroke order ▸

Memory hook: a secret twin of ズ: ツ with two marks. Very rare. Hiragana twin: づ.

デ

like "de" in desk ("deh")

5 strokes · stroke order ▸

Memory hook: a dentist's tool and its two cotton balls: テ with two marks. Hiragana twin: で.

ド

like "do" in dome, short ("doh")

4 strokes · stroke order ▸

Memory hook: a door with two hinges: ト with two marks. Hiragana twin: ど.

ヂ and ヅ Are Almost Never Used As in hiragana, ヂ is pronounced ji and ヅ is pronounced zu, the same as ジ and ズ. In katakana loanwords you'll almost always see ジ and ズ instead, so learn to recognise ヂ and ヅ and don't worry about writing them.

Look-Alikes: ダ, デ and ドダ is タ with marks, デ is テ with marks and ド is ト with marks. Remember the earlier warnings: タ has three strokes and looks like ク; テ has two bars; ト is a simple post with an arm. The marks at the top right are the only addition.

📖 Read It — New Words

Read the Japanese first, then check the romaji and the English word it comes from.

#	Word	Romaji	English	Note
1	ドア	doa	door	do-a
2	デート	dēto	date (romantic)	de-e-to
3	ダンス	dansu	dance	da-n-su
4	ドラマ	dorama	drama; TV drama	do-ra-ma
5	ダイヤ	daiya	diamond; train timetable	da-i-ya: two meanings, see the tip
6	ドル	doru	dollar	do-ru
7	データ	dēta	data	de-e-ta
8	デザイン	dezain	design	de-za-i-n
9	ドクター	dokutā	doctor	do-ku-ta-a
10	ラジオ	rajio	radio	ra-ji-o: review of the Z row from Chapter 2

Real Japanese Tip — ダイヤ Is Also a Timetable ダイヤ is a diamond, but in Japan it also means a train timetable, from the English diagram. When the news says that trains are running late, it may say ダイヤがみだれています ("the timetable is disrupted"). It's a good word to hear before your first trip.

ドラマ and ドル ドラマ means any TV drama series, a huge genre in Japan, and ドル is the word for the US dollar (exchange-rate boards in airports use it). Two small words, a lot of real-life use.

Review: Words from Chapter 2 ゼロ (zero) · ジム (gym) · ジーンズ (jeans) · サイズ (size) · ガレージ (garage) · ゼリー (jelly).

✍️ Try It Yourself — れんしゅう

Say each answer out loud first, then click to check.

1. Read aloud: ダ · デ · ド

Show answer

da · de · do

2. Read aloud and translate: ドア · デート · ダンス

Show answer

doa (door) · dēto (date) · dansu (dance)

3. Read aloud and translate: ドラマ · ドル · データ

Show answer

dorama (drama) · doru (dollar) · dēta (data)

4. Read aloud and translate: デザイン · ドクター · ラジオ

Show answer

dezain (design) · dokutā (doctor) · rajio (radio)

5. How are ヂ and ヅ pronounced, and how common are they?

Show answer

ji and zu, the same as ジ and ズ. They are very rare in katakana.

6. Write in katakana: doa · dansu · dēta (check the stroke order).

Show answer

ドア · ダンス · データ

Coming Up in Chapter 4 The dakuten on the H row: バビブベボ (ba bi bu be bo). You'll be able to read ビール (beer), バス (bus), ボール (ball) and ズボン (trousers).

Da Ji Zu De Do

🌸 The Dakuten on the T Row — ダ ヂ ヅ デ ド

✨ Five New Characters — ダ ヂ ヅ デ ド

📖 Read It — New Words

✍️ Try It Yourself — れんしゅう

🌸 The Dakuten on the T Row — ダヂヅデド

✨ Five New Characters — ダヂヅデド