a = "ahh"
i = "ee"
u = "oo"
e = "eh"
o = "oh" or "ouh" *o is not pronounced the same way as in English. In contrast to the English "oh", o is more like a soft "aww" sound. It's not really explainable without verbal examples, so try watching subtitled Japanese anime and listening for that "ouh" sound.
Okay! So now, since you know these pronunciations, you can pronounce almost any Japanese word, since all the phoenetic symbols besides the vowels are just a consonant plus one of the vowels. There are just a few more things to know!
- S row: There is no si character; it is pronounced shi.
Subsequently, shi modified is not zi, but ji. - T row: There is no ti character; it is pronounced chi. There is no tu character, either; it is pronounced tsu.
Subsequently, chi modified is not di, but ji (different from the other ji originating from shi), and tsu modified is not du, but zu. - H row: There is no hu character; it is pronounced fu. However fu modifies regularly, becoming bu and pu when a " or º is added.
"I WOULD LIKE SOME RORRIPOPS, PLEASE."
Maybe you or someone around you has laughed at how people with Japanese accents can't pronounce their "l"'s (thus, "rorripop" instead of "lollipop"). Well, stop laughing now. The reason for this inability is simply that there is no "r" sound in the Japanese language, just as there are no rolled r's in English. Let's see if you can pronounce the Japanese "r" sound. There are many words in Japanese which contain the letter "r" when spelled out in English. This "r" is not pronounced in the English way; it is actually more like an "l" sound, but softer. Say, "Meeluu-meeluu-meeluu." Notice how your tongue stays "lazy" in your mouth, and how the sides of your tongue are resting flat and limp on your back molars. Also notice how your bottom lip moves forward and your mouth purses (puckers) at the "uu" sound, and how the tip of your tongue touches the backs of your front teeth when you say "luu." To pronounce the Japanese "r", try to consciously raise the sides of your tongue so that it is almost rolled (about halfway) instead of flat. Now, instead of hitting the backs of your front teeth, hit the area just in front of the ridge behind your front teeth. Also, don't purse your lips as much when you pronounce the "luu" part. Only slightly pursed lips are needed. All of this will produce the desired softer Japanese "r" sound. Refer to the diagram below if you are confused. Don't worry if you don't get it; this is a very confusingly-worded explanation, and I apologize ^^;. Once I figure out how to make sound clips, I will make them available for reference; for now, please remain patient with this simple explanation.
English "r" vs. Japanese "r":
THE BIG "SU"
Su in Japanese is, in modern-day speech, NOT pronounced "soo" when it is not the first syllable of a word. This may be contrary to what you might reasonably think from what I just explained about vowels. It is pronounced, "suh", with a barely detectable "u" sound. Another way to explain this is to say that su is pronounced the same way as if you were saying "ssssssssss", like a snake, only shorter in sound. The "u" in su is pronounced to a certain degree, but it is very soft and short.
"TSU", AS WELL
In the same way, tsu, when it is not the first syllable in a word, is NOT pronounced "tsoo". In case you don't actually know how to pronounce "tsoo", I will attempt to explain, although this usually doesn't work. Say the word "ritz" out loud. Do you notice how you make a little noise like popping a soda can open at the "tz" part? That noise is the "tsu" noise that you want to accomplish when speaking Japanese. If you are still confused, let's try to say the word kitsune, or "fox". Say "ritzneh". Now, say "Keetzneh". You have now pronounced kitsune in a semi-accurate way, making only a slight "tz" sound. Congratulations! I may possibly have sound clips later on when I figure out how, but for now, please watch Japanese shows and listen intently!!
THE GENERAL "-U" RULE
In general, unless you are from a rural part of Japan, all words that end in u have the same softer, blunted sound as su and tsu, meaning that the u is barely pronounced. Labu-labu, for example, is Japanese slang for, guess what, love-love. For example, someone can have a labu-labu relationship with another person. The word labu is not pronounced "lah-boo", but instead has a shortened "u" sound, so that it comes across more like "lahbb-lahbb". This is the general "-u" rule. Think of it this way: just emphasize the last consonant. For example, gaku would be pronounced "gakk", and hapu would be pronounced "hahpp".
Let's move on to shi. The same rule applies to shi as did to su and tsu: When it is not the first syllable in a word, it is not pronounced "shee". Rather, it is pronounced "shh", just as if you were shushing someone. Try to pronounce the word Shimatta. Since shi is the first syllable in this word, you would pronounce it "sheemat-ta", with a double "t" sound. With kakashi, however, you would say, "kahkahshh".
Wait, though!! This does NOT apply to all symbols that end with i!! It only applies to shi. So with chi, ji, and ki, just pronounce them using the normal vowel sounds!!
DOUBLE LETTERS
Here's an important point: with double consonants (shimatta, onna, etc.), emphasize the doubled consonant by ending the first one and then beginning that consonant's sound again quickly afterwards. In other words, stop your tongue right after you pronounce the first consonant, and then continue onto the second a split-second later. With double vowels (hontou, daijoubu, etc. Ou is also sometimes spelled oo because it creates an "oh" sound, but is written with the o and u symbols.), simply hold out that vowel a fraction longer than if there were only one vowel. Be careful not to hold double vowels out for too long, though. You will sound like you're speaking very slow Japanese.
HOMONYMS
Of course there are homonyms in Japanese, just as there are in English! Homonyms are words that sound the same, but have different meanings. For example, "great" and "grate" both sound the same when spoken, but the two words mean totally different things. Please don't become confused while learning Japanese words just because two words sound the same. This does not mean that they are the same word. While they may be written the same way in hirigana, the kanji equivalents of those words (if they have any; some words cannot be written with kanji) may be different. An example of a Japanese homonym is the word go. This can mean a variety of things: go is a popular Japanese board game traditionally played with flat stones, and go can also mean "language." Keep this in mind for every language, as any given one is likely to contain many homonyms.
That takes care of the majority of the words you will run into in the Japanese language! If I can think of anything else, I'll be sure to update!
- Back to Main -
poster
EXCEPTIONS IN CHARACTER PRONUNCIATION
There are some exceptions to the normal character pronunciations. Not all characters are one consonant plus one vowel (a, i, u, e, o); some have two consonants. Also, some modified characters do not have the same consonant sound as the other modified characters in that same particular row.