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ハ (ha) Japanese meaning: third in iroha order | Kotomora

ハ

ハ

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Freq.FrequencyTop 5,000

Meanings

1

third in iroha order; c; iii

Used as a sequence marker in the traditional iroha ordering system, equivalent to 'c' or 'iii' in Western contexts.

See also: いろは順

いろは順じゅんでハは3番ばん目めです。
In the iroha order, ハ is the third.

2

C (musical note)

Used mainly in key names and chord notation in music.

この曲きょくのキーはハ長ちょう調ちょうです。

Related words

ド sense 2
ハ is the Japanese letter name for the note C used in key names like ハ長調, while ド is the solfège syllable used when singing or naming a pitch informally.

Don't confuse with

ヘ
ハ and ヘ are both single-character iroha labels with visually simple katakana shapes, and beginners can mix up which one marks the third versus the sixth item.
ホ
ホ marks the 5th position (note E) in the iroha/music ordering, whereas ハ marks the 3rd position (note C), so learners can confuse their order and pitch.

The key of this piece is C major.

ニ

ハ marks the third item in the iroha ordering system, while ニ marks the fourth, so learners can mix up their sequence positions.

Etymology

The katakana character ハ is derived from the kanji 八 (eight). Its use as a sequence marker comes from the iroha poem ordering.