せ゚

• IPA^(key): [t͡ɕe̞̞]

• IPA^(key): [t͡ɕɰᵝe̞̞]

(obsolete)

せ゚ (romaji chwe, alternative romaji che)

1. (obsolete) The hiragana syllable せ゚ (chwe). Its equivalent in katakana is セ゚ (chwe).

During the Edo period, this character's pronunciation was commonly referred to in books as the combined pronunciation of the two characters ち (chi) and ゑ (we). It was mostly used in tōon books and dictionaries to transcribe the Chinese sound /qie/ or /qia/. For example, 錢／钱 was transcribed as せ゚ん (chwen).

This character was used to transcribe the /che/ sound, which is now done with modern-day ちぇ.

This character is not present in JIS X 0213, however its katakana version is.

• IPA^(key): [t͡se̞̞]

• IPA^(key): [t͡sɰᵝe̞̞]

(obsolete)

せ゚ (romaji tswe, alternative romaji tse)

1. (obsolete) The hiragana syllable せ゚ (tswe). Its equivalent in katakana is セ゚ (tswe).

By the 1800s, the pronunciation of せ゚ had shifted from ちゑ (chwe) to つゑ (tswe). As the character slowly transitioned into obsolescence, as well as the disappearance of the sound ゑ, it shifted to つぇ. Today, it is commonly read as either ちぇ or つぇ.