Japanese Word Pronunciation178

Japanese is a beautiful and complex language, and its pronunciation can be a bit tricky for non-native speakers. However, with a little practice, you'll be able to master the basics of Japanese pronunciation and start speaking like a native. Here are a few tips to help you get started:

1. Vowels

There are five vowels in Japanese: a, i, u, e, and o. Each vowel is pronounced differently, and it's important to get the pronunciation right in order to be understood. Here's a breakdown of how each vowel is pronounced:
a - pronounced like the "a" in "father"
i - pronounced like the "ee" in "feet"
u - pronounced like the "oo" in "boot"
e - pronounced like the "e" in "bed"
o - pronounced like the "o" in "boat"

2. Consonants

There are 21 consonants in Japanese, and each one is pronounced differently. Here's a breakdown of how each consonant is pronounced:
k - pronounced like the "k" in "kite"
s - pronounced like the "s" in "sun"
t - pronounced like the "t" in "table"
n - pronounced like the "n" in "nose"
h - pronounced like the "h" in "hat"
m - pronounced like the "m" in "mom"
y - pronounced like the "y" in "yes"
r - pronounced like the "r" in "red"
w - pronounced like the "w" in "water"
g - pronounced like the "g" in "go"
z - pronounced like the "z" in "zebra"
d - pronounced like the "d" in "dog"
b - pronounced like the "b" in "ball"
p - pronounced like the "p" in "pen"
f - pronounced like the "f" in "fish"
v - pronounced like the "v" in "voice"
sh - pronounced like the "sh" in "ship"
ch - pronounced like the "ch" in "church"
ts - pronounced like the "ts" in "tsunami"
j - pronounced like the "j" in "jump"

3. Accents

Japanese words can have one of two different accents: a high accent or a low accent. High accents are pronounced with a higher pitch than low accents. It's important to get the accents right in order to be understood. Here are a few examples of words with different accents:
Tokyo (high accent on the first syllable)
Kyoto (low accent on the first syllable)
Osaka (high accent on the second syllable)
Nagoya (low accent on the second syllable)

4. Putting it all together

Now that you know the basics of Japanese pronunciation, you can start putting it all together to form words. Here are a few examples of simple Japanese words:
こんにちは (konnichiwa) - hello
ありがとうございます (arigatou gozaimasu) - thank you
さようなら (sayounara) - goodbye
はい (hai) - yes
いいえ (iie) - no

With a little practice, you'll be able to master Japanese pronunciation and start speaking like a native. So what are you waiting for? Start practicing today!

2024-10-30

Previous：Korean Pronunciation Guide for Beginners

Next：Japanese Translation of Words