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Mispronouncing or misspelling long vowels and double consonants can change the meaning words.
Unlike Chinese, context will usually make such mistakes irrelevant.
It is best, however, to make them clear from the very start.

LONG VOWELS
Aside from the usual vowels, there are also long vowels which are pronounced twice longer than usual.
Take care so as not to confuse them with English long vowels.
Here are ways in which long vowels are represented in writing:
Hiragana


There are two spellings of long E and long O and these are not interchangeable.
Words with EE and OO spelling are limited to a few words and are best memorized:

Katakana
The dash invariably follows the vowel to be lengthened.
Sometimes, dash may also be found in Hiragana.


When writing Japanese words in Katakana, long vowels are rendered as in Hiragana.

Roomaji

Several dictionaries and books also indicate the long vowel by placing a macron above the vowel.

Let's observe how long vowels affect meaning:

DOUBLE CONSONANTS
Double consonants are consonants held for a beat before being released.
English equivalents include:
fish show
cat tail
top post
Hiragana
The little TSU precedes the consonant to be held.

Katakana
The little TSU precedes the consonant to be held.

Let's observe how the presence or absence of little TSU affects meaning:

Posted: 1999-12-04 (Sat)