Japanese Hyphenated Words: Pronunciation Guide297

Japanese hyphenated words, also known as kango, are words that are made up of two or more Chinese characters. They are typically used in formal and technical writing, but can also be found in everyday speech. Hyphenated words can be tricky to pronounce, as the pronunciation of the individual characters may change when they are combined.

Pronunciation Rules

There are a few general rules to keep in mind when pronouncing hyphenated words:
The first character is usually pronounced as if it were a standalone word.
The second character is usually pronounced as a suffix.
The hyphen is not pronounced.

例外

There are a few exceptions to these general rules. For example, the first character in the word gakkō (学校, "school") is pronounced gaku, not gak. This is because the character gak is not a valid standalone word.

Another exception is the word densha (電車, "train"). The second character in this word is pronounced sha, not ta. This is because the character ta is not a valid suffix.

Pronunciation Table

The following table provides a list of common hyphenated words and their pronunciations:


Word
Pronunciation




gakkō
gaku-ko


densha
den-sha


gakusei
gaku-sei


benkyō
ben-kyō


daigaku
dai-gaku


gakka
gak-ka


kyōkasho
kyo-ka-sho


shiken
shi-ken


gakunen
gaku-nen


shūkan
shu-kan

Tips for Pronunciation

Here are a few tips for pronouncing hyphenated words correctly:
Practice saying the words aloud. The more you practice, the easier it will become.
Listen to native speakers. This will help you to get a sense of how the words are pronounced in real life.
Use a dictionary or online resource to check the pronunciation of unfamiliar words.

With a little practice, you will be able to pronounce hyphenated words like a native speaker. Just remember to keep the following rules in mind:
The first character is usually pronounced as if it were a standalone word.
The second character is usually pronounced as a suffix.
The hyphen is not pronounced.

2024-12-17

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