This kana represents the sound 『ワ』 (wa) and is used primarily in katakana for writing loanwords, foreign names, and onomatopoeia. It is not commonly used as a grammatical particle in katakana, unlike its hiragana counterpart 『は』 which can mark the topic. For example: 『ワインを のむ』 (wain o nomu, 'to drink wine').