How to Pronounce Japanese Words245

Japanese is a phonetic language, meaning that each syllable is pronounced the same way, regardless of its context. This makes it relatively easy to pronounce Japanese words, once you know the basic rules.

Vowels

There are five vowels in Japanese: a, i, u, e, and o. They are pronounced as follows:* a - like the "a" in "father"
* i - like the "i" in "machine"
* u - like the "u" in "put"
* e - like the "e" in "get"
* o - like the "o" in "so"

Note that Japanese vowels are always pronounced short, even when they are followed by a consonant.

Consonants

There are 21 consonants in Japanese: k, s, t, n, h, m, y, r, w, g, z, d, b, p, v, j, ch, sh, ts, and f.* k - like the "k" in "kick"
* s - like the "s" in "sit"
* t - like the "t" in "ten"
* n - like the "n" in "no"
* h - like the "h" in "hat"
* m - like the "m" in "mom"
* y - like the "y" in "yes"
* r - like the "r" in "red"
* w - like the "w" in "wet"
* g - like the "g" in "get"
* z - like the "z" in "zip"
* d - like the "d" in "dog"
* b - like the "b" in "boy"
* p - like the "p" in "pot"
* v - like the "v" in "van"
* j - like the "j" in "jump"
* ch - like the "ch" in "church"
* sh - like the "sh" in "ship"
* ts - like the "ts" in "cats"
* f - like the "f" in "fish"

Note that Japanese consonants are always pronounced with a clear sound, even when they are followed by a vowel.

Syllables

Japanese words are made up of syllables. Each syllable consists of a consonant followed by a vowel. For example, the word "sushi" is made up of the syllables "su" and "shi".

Syllables can be either open or closed. Open syllables end in a vowel, while closed syllables end in a consonant.

Accent

Japanese words have a pitch accent. This means that the pitch of the voice rises or falls on certain syllables.

There are two main types of pitch accents in Japanese: high pitch and low pitch. High pitch syllables are pronounced with a higher pitch than low pitch syllables.

The pitch accent of a word can change its meaning. For example, the word "hashi" can mean either "bridge" or "chopsticks", depending on the pitch accent.

Putting it all together

Now that you know the basic rules of Japanese pronunciation, you can start practicing pronouncing Japanese words.

Here are some tips:* Start by practicing individual syllables.
* Once you can pronounce individual syllables, start practicing pronouncing words.
* Pay attention to the pitch accent of words.
* Don't be afraid to make mistakes. Everyone makes mistakes when they are learning a new language.

With a little practice, you will be able to pronounce Japanese words like a native.

2024-12-14

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