These smaller versions of the kana are used in sokuon (double consonant) and yōon (glide) sounds, as well as being used to represent sounds from foreign languages better than they can be represented in the usual Japanese kana.
| small kana | full-sized kana | notes |
|---|---|---|
| small vowels | ||
| ぁ | あ | |
| ぃ | い | |
| ぅ | う | |
| ぇ | え | |
| ぉ | お | |
| sokuon | ||
| っ | つ | |
| yōon | ||
| ゃ | や | |
| ゅ | ゆ | |
| ょ | よ | |