We often have doubts about why some words receive graphic accent and others don't, mainly because the accentuation rules are quite complex.
We chose, therefore, the letter “u”, which, at first, may seem like a subject with little relevance, but believe that some information is really necessary for us. Let's start with some examples, even trivial:
Itaú
pacaembu
Grajaú
itu
cashew
Paracatu
jau
Trunk
Itaú
We found that some of them received a graphic accent and others not, all in the name, as already stated previously, of the famous rules, of which we have to be aware, so that some doubts will tend to finish.
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Itaú
jau
Trunk
Grajaú
When the syllables are separated, we realize that the letter we are referring to represents a gap, because:
The stressed “i” and “u” of the hiatus are accented when isolated in the syllable or accompanied by an “s”.
The others, represented by:
pacaembu
itu
cashew
Paracatu
Once separated, they are classified as oxytones, whose last syllable is also demarcated by that letter in question. That is why:
Only oxytones ending in a, and, o, in, followed or not by “s” are accentuated.
By Vânia Duarte
Graduated in Letters
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
DUARTE, Vânia Maria do Nascimento. "Letter “U”: use or not of graphic accent"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/gramatica/letra-u-uso-ou-nao-acento-grafico.htm. Accessed on June 27, 2021.