Japanese Pronunciation: How to Say Japanese Words125

Japanese pronunciation can be tricky for non-native speakers, but there are some basic rules that can help you get started. Here's a guide to Japanese pronunciation, with examples of how to say common Japanese words.

Vowels

Japanese has five vowels: a, i, u, e, and o. Each vowel is pronounced differently, as follows:
a: as in "father"
i: as in "machine"
u: as in "rule"
e: as in "bed"
o: as in "cone"

Vowels can be long or short. Long vowels are indicated with a macron (ー). For example, the word for "yes" is pronounced "hai" (pronounced "high-ee").

Consonants

Japanese has 18 consonants: k, g, s, z, t, d, n, h, b, p, m, y, r, w, sh, ch, ts, and j.

Consonants are pronounced as follows:
k: as in "cat"
g: as in "go"
s: as in "sun"
z: as in "zoo"
t: as in "top"
d: as in "dog"
n: as in "nose"
h: as in "hat"
b: as in "ball"
p: as in "pot"
m: as in "mom"
y: as in "yes"
r: as in "red"
w: as in "water"
sh: as in "ship"
ch: as in "chat"
ts: as in "tsunami"
j: as in "jump"

Some consonants have different pronunciations depending on where they appear in a word. For example, the letter "g" is pronounced as "g" at the beginning of a word, but as "ng" in the middle or at the end of a word. For example, the word for "dog" is pronounced "inu" (pronounced "ee-noo").

Mora

Japanese words are composed of morae, which are units of sound. Each mora consists of a vowel or a consonant followed by a vowel. For example, the word "hai" (pronounced "high-ee") consists of two morae: "ha" and "i".

The number of morae in a word determines its length. Words with more morae are longer than words with fewer morae.

Stress

Japanese words do not have stress. Instead, all syllables are pronounced with the same level of emphasis.

Pitch

Japanese has two levels of pitch: high and low. High pitch is used on the first syllable of a word, and low pitch is used on the rest of the syllables. For example, the word "hai" (pronounced "high-ee") has a high pitch on the first syllable and a low pitch on the second syllable.

Examples

Here are some examples of common Japanese words and how to pronounce them:
はい (hai): yes
いいえ (iie): no
ありがとう (arigato): thank you
こんにちは (konnichiwa): hello
さようなら (sayonara): goodbye
すみません (sumimasen): excuse me
お名前は? (o namae wa?): what's your name?
私は... です (watashi wa... desu): I am...
日本語が話せますか? (nihongo ga hanasemasu ka?): can you speak Japanese?

With practice, you'll be able to master Japanese pronunciation and speak like a native!

2024-11-04

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