Shi (hiragana: ãÂÂ, katakana: ã·) is one of the Japanese kana, which each represent one mora. Both represent the phonemes , reflected in the Nihon-shiki and Kunrei-shiki romanization si, although for phonological reasons, the actual pronunciation is , which is reflected in the Hepburn romanization shi. The shapes of these kana have origins in the character ä¹Â. The katakana form has become increasingly popular as an emoticon in the Western world due to its resemblance to a smiling face.
This character may be combined with a dakuten, forming ã in hiragana, 㸠in katakana, and ji in Hepburn romanization; the pronunciation becomes (phonetically or in the middle of words).
The dakuten form of this character is used when transliterating "di" occasionally, as opposed to ãÂÂ's dakuten form, or a de assigned to a small i; for example, Aladdin is written as ã¢ã©ã¸ã³ Arajin, and radio is written as ã©ã¸ãª.
In the Ainu language, ã· is used to represent the sound. It can also be written as a small ã± to represent a final s sound, pronounced .