section_path: Phonology/Vowels
section_name: Vowels
paragraph_text: Vowels
  
  Japanese has five vowels, and vowel length is phonemic, with each having both a short and a long version. Elongated vowels are usually denoted with a line over the vowel (a macron) in rōmaji, a repeated vowel character in hiragana, or a chōonpu succeeding the vowel in katakana. /u/ () is compressed rather than protruded, or simply unrounded.