Foreign Alphabet/Japanese/Hiragana/'a' Group

あ
あ is pronounced as 'a' as in 'alright'

Examples

 * あなた (anata) -- You
 * あき (aki) -- Autumn

Notes on Usage
あ can be used to extend the 'a' sound by one beat when used after another '-a' syllable. It is important to express this one beat as words like obasan (middle-aged lady) and obāsan (pronounced "obaasan") (grandmother) have only this difference to differentiate them.

い
い is pronounced as 'i' as in 'itch'

Examples

 * いち (ichi) -- One
 * いちご (ichigo) -- Strawberry

Notes on Usage
い can be used to extend the 'i' sound by one beat when used after another '-i' syllable. E.g.: にいがった　(Niigata) -- A prefecture (A administrative district) of Japan.