Japanese Pronunciation

Although the writing system used by the Japanese is difficult, Japanese words can be written using Western characters - this is called rômaji - and you will find that it is quite easy to read words written in this way and pronounce them correctly.Try studying the tables below then test your knowledge by saying the Japanese words which follow the tables.

Vowels

is a useful reminder of how each vowel should sound. Long vowels are simply pronounced as a continuous sound, equal in value to two identical short vowels. However, there can be some variation in how the different transcription systems indicate them. Sometimes they are shown with a bar ¯ (macron) over the top of the letter - as we haven't yet cracked how to put this over the letter using HTML tags we're going to use the French circumflex characters in these pages.

Syllables
n is the only consonant not combined with a vowel. Generally it is pronounced like the English n but if it is followed by syllables beginning with b, m or p it is pronounced more like the English m. All other sounds in Japanese are combinations of consonant + vowel.

NOTES:

1. In certain circumstances (particularly at the end of words) u disappears in ordinary speech, so desu is pronounced dess
   
2. i disappears in some words, for example shi often becomes sh', so deshita is pronounced desh'ta
   
3. fu is pronounced halfway between fu and hu - try breathing gently between parted lips.
   
4. Japanese r is very different from English - part way between r and l. To pronounce it correctly the tongue must touch the palate just behind the teeth. Try to listen to native speakers or tapes.
   
5. Normally g is pronounced hard (as in English get) but some Japanese consider it more refined to pronounce it nasally (as if there were an n in front of it) when it occurs in the middle or last syllable of a word - for example arigatô (thank you) is often pronounced aringatô.
   
6. Take care with the double consonants kk, pp, ss and tt. There is a slight pause between them, as in the English book'keeping, map'pocket, gas'station and last'time.
   
7. Note also that the combined consonants such as kyu, hyo must be pronounced cleanly as a single sound. Thus hyu is pronounced as in the English 'huge' and not as in 'he uses'.

Now try practising on these words . . .

Japanese names:

Note: The Japanese normally put the family name first and the personal name follows

Some Japanese words:

(Say them out loud and you'll find you already know them! But you can check your answers here)

Now try figuring out how your own name would appear in rômaji!

Answers to pronunciation quiz

If this has whetted your appetite and you'd like to learn more about Japanese why not join an evening class? Details will be found at the end of the MCW Adult Education page.

Some of the above examples of pronunciation are taken from the BBC book "Japanese Language and People" - there are associated cassette and video tapes which make this a comprehensive teaching package - for further details see http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/languages/courses/.   (Japanese is hidden under "Other"!)

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