Japanese Sounds and Pronunciation

あ えい う お

Three types of writing

私　は　カナダ　に　行きます。• Kanji• Hiragana• Katakana

Kanji 　漢字• Chinese or native-Japanese origin• used for whole words • used for parts of words such as verbs

中国 行きます勉強します

日本練習

Hiragana 　ひらがな• 48 characters• phonetic syllabary• used for Japanese words with no kanji• used for grammar such as prepositions,

verb conjugations

こんにちは 話しますから

Katakana 　カタカナ• 48 characters• phonetic syllabary• used for foreign words • used to show emphasis ie onomatopoeia

ジュース オーストラリアピカピカ

Romaji 　ローマ字• roman alphabet used to show the

pronunciation of Japanese words• used for learners of Japanese only

benkyō go-shujin

Igirisu-jin

Pronunciation 　はつおん• 5 short vowels pronounced

• Similar to: Ah, we soon get old.

a あi いu うe えo お

• long vowel sounds

• doubling of a single vowel so should have a long continuous sound

ā ああii or ī いいū ううē or ei ええ　えいō おう　おお

• all other sounds are formed with a consonant and a vowel

k ka ki ku ke ko かきくけこs sa shi su se so さしすせそt ta chi tsu te to たちつてとn na ni nu ne no なにぬねのh ha hi fu he ho はひふへほm ma mi mu me mo まみむめもy ya yu yo や　ゆ　よr ra ri ru re ro らりるれろg ga gi gu ge go がぎぐげごz za ji zu ze zo ざじずぜぞd da ji zu de do だぢづでどb ba bi bu be bo ばびぶべぼp pa pi pu pe po ぱぴぷぺぽ

• ん　‘ n’ 　 is the only independent sound

• nasal sound• syllables beginning with b,m,p the ‘n’

sound is more like ‘m’

nan-ban なんばんべんきょうbenkyō

• four double consonants - kk, pp, ss, and tt • in hiragana they are represented by a small

tsu っ • double consonants indicate a small pause so

the mouth can prepare for the pronunciation of the next syllable

kekkon

massugukippu

kitte

けっこん

• consonants combine with ya, yu and yok kya kyu kyo きゃ　きゅ　きょs sha shu sho しゃ　しゅ　しょc cha chu cho ちゃ　ちゅ　ちょn nya nyu nyo にゃ　にゅ　にょh hya hyu hyo ひゃ　ひゅ　ひょm mya myu myo みゃ　みゅ　みょr rya ryu ryo りゃ　りゅ　りょg gya gyu gyo ぎゃ　ぎゅ　ぎょj ja ju jo じゃ　じゅ　じょb bya byu byo びゃ　びゅ　びょp pya pyu pyo ぴゃ　ぴゅ　ぴょ