ザ

See also: サ, and サ゚

ザ U+30B6, ザ KATAKANA LETTER ZA Composition: サ [U+30B5] + ◌゙ [U+3099] ← サ [U+30B5] Katakana シ → [U+30B7]

Japanese

Stroke order

Etymology 1

The katakana character サ (sa) with a dakuten (゛).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [d͡za̠]

Syllable

ザ • (za) 

1. The katakana syllable ザ (za). Its equivalent in hiragana is ざ (za).

Usage notes

The katakana syllabary is used primarily for transcription of foreign language words into Japanese and the writing of gairaigo (loan words), as well as to represent onomatopoeias, technical and scientific terms, and the names of plants, animals, and minerals. It is also occasionally used in some words for emphasis, or to ease reading; katakana may be preferred for words becoming buried in the text if they are written under their canonical form in hiragana. Names of Japanese companies, as well as certain Japanese language words such as colloquial terms, are also sometimes written in katakana rather than the other systems. Formerly, female given names were often written in katakana.^[edit]

See also

• (Katakana) 片仮名; アァ, イィ, ウゥヴ, エェ(𛀀), オォ, カヵガ, キギ, クㇰグ, ケヶゲ, コ𛅕 (𛅕)ゴコ゚, サザ, シㇱジ, スㇲズ, セゼ, ソゾ, タダ, チヂ, ツッヅ, テデ, トㇳド, ナ, ニ, ヌㇴ, ネ, ノ, ハㇵバパ, ヒㇶビピ, フㇷブプ, ヘㇸベペ, ホㇹボポ, マ, ミ, ムㇺ, メ, モ, ヤャ, 𛄠 (𛄠), ユュ, エ/𛄡 (𛄡), ヨョ, ラㇻラ゚, リㇼリ゚, ルㇽル゚, レㇾレ゚, ロㇿロ゚, ワヮヷ, ヰ𛅤 (𛅤)ヸ, 𛄢 (𛄢), ヱ𛅥 (𛅥)ヹ, ヲ𛅦 (𛅦)ヺ, ン𛅧 (𛅧), ー, ヽ, ヾヿ

• (Southern Min additional) ウ̅ゥ̅, オ̅, カ̣,キ̣, ク̣, ケ̣, コ̣, サ̅サ̣̅, セ̅セ̣̅, ソ̅ソ̣̅, タ̣, チ̣, チ̅チ̣̅, ツ̣ツ̅ツ̣̅, テ̣, ト̣, パ̣, ピ̣, プ̣, ペ̣, ポ̣, 𚿰𚿷, 𚿱𚿸, 𚿲𚿺, 𚿳𚿻, 𚿵𚿽, 𚿶𚿾,

Etymology 2

Borrowed from English the.

Particle

ザ • (za) 

1. (colloquial) Used to add emphasis to a noun and imply that it is a classic example of something.

Quotations

For quotations using this term, see Citations:ザ.

See also

• of(オブ) (obu, with similar function, literally “of”)

Further reading

• Victor Mair (2013 October 30) “Za stall in Newtown”, in Language Log‎