Pronunciation of Japanese

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Contents

[edit] Reading

Optional:

[edit] Discussion

List any questions or comments here.

[edit] Examples

Follow along reading while you listen to the Japanese narration from the beginning of Natsume Soseki's classic novel Botchan.

Listen to the audio source (OggVorbis, 674KB)

Oyayuzuri no muteppou de kodomo no toki kara son bakari shite iru. Shougakkou ni iru jibun gakkou no nikai kara tobiorite isshuukan hodo koshi o nukashita koto ga aru. Naze sonna muyami o shita to kiku hito ga aru kamoshirenu. Betsudan fukai riyuu demo nai. Shinchiku no nikai kara kubi o dashite itara, doukyuusei no hitori ga joudan ni, "Ikura ibatte mo, soko kara tobioriru koto wa dekimai. Yowamushi yaai," to hayakashita kara de aru. Kozukai ni obusatte kaette kita toki, oyaji ga ookina me o shite "Nikai gurai kara tobiorite koshi o nukasu yatsu ga aru ka," to itta kara, "Kono tsugi wa nukasazu ni tonde misemasu," to kotaeta.
Shinrui no mono kara seiyousei no naifu o moratte kirei na ha o hi ni kazashite, tomodachi ni misete itara, hitori ga "Hikaru koto wa hikaru ga, kiresou mo nai," to itta. "Kirenu koto ga aru ka, nandemo kitte miseru," to ukeatta. "Sonnara, kimi no yubi o kitte miro," to chuumon shita kara, "Nan da yubi gurai kono toori da," to migi no te no oyayubi no kou o hasu ni kirikonda. Saiwai naifu ga chiisai no to, oyayubi no hone ga katakatta node, imadani oyayubi wa te ni tsuite iru. Shikashi kizuato wa shinu made kienu.
おやゆずりのむてっぽうでこどものときからそんばかりしている。しょうがっこうにいるじぶんがっこうのにかいからとびおりていっしゅうかんほどこしおぬかしたことがある。なぜそんなむやみおしたときくひとがあるかもしれぬ。べつだんふかいりゆうでもない。しんちくのにかいからくびおだしていたら、どうきゅうせいのひとりがじょうだんい、『いくらいばっても、そこからとびおりることわできまいよわむしやあい、』とはやかしたからである。こずかいにおぶさってかえってきたとき、おやじがおおきなめおした『にかいぐらいからとびおりてこしおぬかすやつがあるか、』といったから、『ほのつぎわぬかさずにとんでみせます、”とこたえた。
しんるいのものからせいようせいのないふおもらってきれいなはおひにかざして、ともだちにみせていたら、ひとりが『ひくることわひかるが、くれそうもない、』といった。『きれぬことがあるか、なんでもきってみせる、”とうけあった。『そんあら、きみのゆびおきってみろ、』とちゅうもんしたから、『なんだゆびぐらいこのとおりだ、』とみぎのてのおやゆびのこうおはすにきりこんだ。さいわいないふがちいさいのと、おやゆびのほねがかったかったので、いまだにおやゆびわてについている。しかしきずあとわしぬまできえぬ。

[edit] Practice

  1. Practice pronouncing these following words.
    1. aka 【あか】 赤 "red"
    2. iro 【いろ】 色 "color"
    3. egaku 描く "draw (a picture)"
    4. utsu 打つ "hit", "beat"
    5. osameru 治める "govern"
    6. oya 親 "parents"
    7. wabi 佗び (the Japanese aesthetic of subdued refinement)
    8. pari パリ "Paris (France)"
    9. tomodachi 【ともだち】 友達 "friend"
    10. hana 【はな】 花 "flower"
    11. shiji 指示 "instruction"
    12. hiza 膝 "knee"
    13. tsumori 積もり "intention"
  2. Pronounce the following words with double vowels.
    1. saa さあ "come now"
    2. ai 【あい】 愛 "love"
    3. au 会う "meet"
    4. hae 蝿 "fly (insect)"
    5. ao 青 "blue", "green"
    6. ii いい "good"
    7. iu 言う "say"
    8. ie 家 "house"
    9. shio 塩 "salt"
    10. shurui 種類 "type", "kind"
    11. nuu 縫う "sew"
    12. ue 上 "above"
    13. uo 魚 "fish"
    14. rei 例 "example"
    15. supein スペイン "Spain"
    16. urei 憂い "grief"
    17. deiri (de + iri) 出入り "coming and going"
    18. deeta データ "data"
    19. oi 甥 "nephew"
    20. sou そう "that way", "so"
    21. omou 思う "think"
    22. koushi (ko + ushi) 【こうし】 子牛 "calf (baby cow)"
    23. moeru 燃える "burn"
    24. hoo 頬 "cheek (facial)"
  3. Pronounce the following words with double consonants
    1. makka 真っ赤 "bright red"
    2. hissori ひっそり "quietly"
    3. irasshai いらっしゃい "Come in!"
    4. settei 設定 "settings"
    5. dotchi どっち "which one"
    6. kuttsuku くっ付く "get stuck to"
    7. kappa 合羽 "raincoat"
  4. Pronounce the following words with compound consonants
    1. toukyou 東京 "Tokyo"
    2. gyouza 餃子 "pot-stickers" (Chinese dumplings)
    3. gyuunyuu 牛乳 "milk (from a cow)"
    4. hyou 表 "chart"
    5. byouin 病院 "hospital"
    6. denpyou 伝票 "voucher"
    7. myou 妙 "strange"
    8. muryou 無料 "free (as in beer)"
    9. ryuu 龍 "dragon"
    10. takkyuu 卓球 "table tennis"
    11. happyou 発表 "announcement"
  5. Pronounce the following words with moraic n
    At the end of a word:
    1. dan 段 "level"
    2. kin 【きん】 金 "gold"
    3. fun 糞 "dung"
    4. zen 善 "goodness"
    5. hon 本 "book"
    Directly before a consonant:
    1. banzai 万歳 "hurrah," "long live (the Emperor)"
    2. kingyo 金魚 "goldfish"
    3. kunrei 訓令 "directive"
    4. zenchi 全知 "omniscience"
    5. honten 本店 "main office"
    Before m, b, p
    1. genmai 玄米 "unmilled rice"
    2. honbu 本部 "headquarters"
    3. tenpura 天ぷら (battered and fried vegetables or fish)
    Before a, i, e, y
    1. zen'aku 善悪 "good and evil"
    2. ken'i 権威 "authority"
    3. han'ei 反映 "reflection"
    4. sen'you 専用 "exclusive use"
    Note that before a, i, e, and y, moraic n is written n' (with an apostrophe). This is to distinguish it from the regular consonant n, which is pronounced differently and can produce different words. Some examples of cases where this becomes important are:
    • kani 蟹 "crab" versus kan'i 簡易 "simplicity"
    • kinyuu 記入 "fill in" versus kin'yuu 金融 "finances"
    • konyakku コニャック "cognac" versus kon'yaku 婚約 "engagement (to be married)"
  6. Pronounce the following pairs of words
    1. yuki 雪 "snow" and yuuki 勇気 "courage"
    2. soto 外 "outside" and souto 僧徒 "Buddhist disciple"
    3. soto 外 "outside" and sotou 粗糖 "unrefined sugar"
    4. soto 外 "outside" and soutou 相当 "suitable"
    5. soto 外 "outside" and sotto そっと "softly"
    6. sotto そっと "softly" and sottou 卒倒 "fainting"
    7. maki 巻 "scroll" and makki 末期 "last period"
    8. hako 箱 "box" and hakkou 発行 "publish"
    9. issei 一斉 "all at once" and isei 異性 "opposite sex"
    10. tani 谷 "valley" and tan'i 単位 "unit", "(course) credit"
    11. san'en 三円 "three yen" and sannen 三年 "three years"
    12. kinyuu 記入 "fill out" and kin'yuu 金融 "finances"
    13. kinen 記念 "commemoration" and kin'en 禁煙 "no smoking"

[edit] Discussion

List any questions or comments here please.

Q: How do I play the audio files?

A: Just click next to the audio file name where it says "source" in superscript (you might want to open it in another tab or window) and you can play it right from that page without having to download it.

[edit] Learning Activity


Project: Introduction to Japanese
Previous: Introduction to Japanese Language — Pronunciation of Japanese — Next: Introduction to the Japanese Writing System
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