What ｲ means
It has the same /i/ sound as イ, in a half-width form. The two are distinct characters in raw text, though compatibility normalization can convert ｲ to イ. “Half-width” names a legacy width category; the font and layout determine how wide it looks on screen.
This form belongs to a Japanese computing tradition built around fitting kana into single-byte text alongside Latin characters. Japan’s 1969 JIS C 6220 standard, later renamed JIS X 0201, included single-byte kana. The broader two-byte JIS C 6226 standard followed in 1978. Unicode retains ｲ as a compatibility form so older text can be preserved or normalized.
Why did someone use ｲ?
Usually for a width or style cue, not a different sound. In a form, it may be the Japanese input the field expects. In free text, it can suggest older computer text, a compact look, or deliberate retro styling.
As of 2026, Japanese IT reference material describes half-width kana in banking systems and in deliberate ASCII art, kaomoji, and old-looking online text.
Neutral as data; in free text, it can read as legacy or deliberately retro.
Use イ in ordinary Japanese prose; use ｲ when a field expects it or the visual style calls for it.
Part of the collection
Who writes ｲ
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What it means when someone sends it to you
3 readingsLiteral half-width Japanese input, possibly required by the field or system.
Don't confuse it with
3
Questions people ask
1Will ｲ and イ compare as the same character?
No. Raw text comparisons distinguish them. Compatibility normalization can convert ｲ to イ, which removes the width distinction.
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How to type or find ｲ
- Search it as
- ｲ · hankaku · hankaku-kana · halfwidth kana · halfwidth katakana i · katakana i · 半角カナ · 半角イ
- Shows up in
- Anything that takes text · its shape is whatever your font draws
ｲ\FF72Codes and encoding1 code points
A visible symbol can contain several code points. JS .length counts UTF-16 units; UTF-8 counts bytes.