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Definition 2024


U+30F2, ヲ
KATAKANA LETTER WO

[U+30F1]
Katakana
[U+30F3]

Japanese

Stroke order

Syllable

(romaji wo, alternative romaji o)

  1. (obsolete) The katakana syllable (wo). Its equivalent in hiragana is (wo). It is the forty-seventh syllable in the gojūon order; its position is (wa-gyō o-dan, row wa, section o).
  2. (used as a particle) The katakana syllable (o). Its equivalent in hiragana is (o). It is the forty-seventh syllable in the gojūon order; its position is (wa-gyō o-dan, row wa, section o).

Usage notes

  • Unlike the hiragana system, used for Japanese language words that kanji does not cover, the katakana syllabary is used primarily for transcription of foreign language words into Japanese and the writing of loan words (collectively gairaigo), as well as to represent onomatopoeia, technical and scientific terms, and the names of plants, animals, and minerals. Names of Japanese companies, as well as certain Japanese language words, are also sometimes written in katakana rather than the other systems. [edit]
  • Because the hiragana equivalent, , is used almost exclusively as the direct object particle, and particles are usually written in hiragana, is seldom used.

See also