Meanings
nounhandakuten (plural handakuten)
- A semi-voiced diacritic (゜) used with Japanese kana to change a /h/ to a /p/.
Synonyms: maru
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA semi-voiced diacritic (゜) used with Japanese kana to change a /h/ to a /p/.
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Also see
Origin
- Middle Chinese半“half”
- Englishhandakuten
From Japanese 半濁点(はんだくてん) (handakuten), from Middle Chinese 半 (pàn, “half”) + 濁 (ɖæwk, “muddy, voiced”) + 點 (tém, “mark, spot”).
More words from Middle Chinese
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Chinese Mandarin 半濁點 /半浊点
- 半濁點 /半浊点 (bànzhuódiǎn)Japanese semi-voiced mark
French handakuten
- handakutenJapanese semi-voiced mark
Greek χαντακουτέν, μάρου
- χαντακουτέν (chantakoutén)Japanese semi-voiced mark
- μάρου (márou)Japanese semi-voiced mark
- μαρού (maroú)Japanese semi-voiced mark
Hebrew האָנדָקוּטֶן
- האָנדָקוּטֶן (handákuten)Japanese semi-voiced mark
Japanese 半濁点, 丸
- 半濁点 (handakuten)Japanese semi-voiced mark
- 丸 (maru)Japanese semi-voiced mark
- 半濁り (hannigori)Japanese semi-voiced mark
Korean 반탁점
- 반탁점 (bantakjeom)Japanese semi-voiced mark
Russian хандакутэ́н, ма́ру
- хандакутэ́н (xandakutɛ́n)Japanese semi-voiced mark
- ма́ру (máru)Japanese semi-voiced mark
- мару́ (marú)Japanese semi-voiced mark
- ханниго́ри (xannigóri)Japanese semi-voiced mark
Cite this entry
APA
handakuten. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/handakuten
MLA
“handakuten.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/handakuten. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “handakuten,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/handakuten.
Source: handakuten on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.