Thread:Yatalu/@comment-6152051-20130517144533/@comment-4142476-20130517160359

It depends on the kanji usually. If one kanji's pronunciation ends in -o and the next starts with u-, it is usually written "ou" still. But then again ō is not always "ou", but it is sometimes also the transcribed "oo".

Learning the hiragana alphabet is however way more convenient for students of the Japanese language. Then you think right from word to translation and don't have to do that step in between.