How to Speak Japanese: A Pronunciation Guide

Unlike English, learning to speak Japanese, in terms of pronunciation, is actually not too difficult. The Japanese language only contains 21 phonemes -- essentially, 21 distinctive sounds, each which indicate a distinction in meaning -- a far cry from the 44 phonemes the English language possesses. Furthermore, in virtually every case, each letter contains only one pronunciation, meaning that there is little confusion, when confronted with a new word in Japanese, as to how to pronounce that word.

While it may seem complicated at first, most people can get the hang of speaking Japanese with just a little practice. Read further to find more about how to correctly pronounce the letters of the Japanese alphabet.

The Japanese language has 5 separate vowel sounds: a, i, u, e, o. They are pronounced in only one way. 'A' is pronounced like the "ah" sound in "father"; 'I' is pronounced like the "ee" sound in "tree"; 'U' is pronounced like the "oo" sound in "glue"; 'E' is pronounced like the "eh" sound in "let"; and 'O' is pronounced like the "oh" sound in "over". It is important to keep in mind that the pronounciation of Japanese vowels, unlike in English, are not drawn out and are rather stopped quite short. Too long a (or too short) vowel can change the meaning of a word.

Examples: "keana" (pores) = keh-ah-nah. "hondana" (bookshelf) = hoh-n-dah-nah. "minasan" (everyone) = mi-nah-san. "ooyoso" (about) = ooh-yoh-soh.

Vowels can be combined to produce different sounds. While the combinations are various, there are some which produce a distinct sound: ai, au, iu, ue, ei, ou. 'Ai', is not pronounced "ah-ee", but rather as in the "ie" sound in "lie". 'Au' is pronounced similar to "ow"; 'iu' sounds similar to "you"; 'ue' sounds similar to the "whe" part in "when"; 'ei' is like the "ai" in "again"; and 'ou' is like the "o" in "old", but with a slight, almost indistuinguishable "u" sound at the end.

Examples: "arigatou" (thank you) = ah-ri-gah-toh-u. "kawaii" = kah-wah-ee. "kirei" (pretty/clean) = ki-reh-i.

Since Japanese vowel sounds are the basis of almost every letter of the Japanese alphabet, it's important to know how to pronounce them precisely.

The Japanese language has a number of distinct consonant sounds. These include: k, g, s, sh, t, ch, ts, d, j, z, n, m, h, f, b, p, y, r & w. Each constant is not pronounced independently, but rather with a vowel sound attached to it. For example: ka, ki, ku, ke, ko are all letters within in the Japanese alphabet. The alphabet, unlike our own alphabet, does not contain any independent vowel except for one.

The Japanese alphabet is broken down into these categories:
k - ka, ki, ku, ke, ko; g - ga, gi, gu, ge, go; s - sa, shi, su, se, so; t - ta, chi, tsu, te, to; d - da, ji, zu, de, do; n - na, ni, nu, ne, no; m - ma, mi, mu, me, mo; h - ha, hi, fu, he, ho; b - ba, bi, bu, be, bo; p - pa, pi, pu, pe, po; r - ra, ri, ru, re, ro; y - ya, yu, yo; w - wa, wo; and finally, n.

Most of the consonant sounds are pronounced similar to those in English. The sounds for k, s, t, d, j, z, n, m, h, b, p, y and w, for the most part, all correspond relatively close to those in our language.

However, differences arise in vowel sounds such as g, r, f, and many others. "G" is only ever prononced like the "g" in "good". It is never pronounced like the "g" in "generation". In some areas, it will also be pronounced with a bit of a nasal sound, like "ng".

"Shi" is pronounced as the word "she" and "chi" is like the "chee" in "cheek". The "ts" sound in "tsu" is made by pressing your tongue against your teeth and blowing air. "Fu" is pronounced similar to "f", but without the teeth touching the bottom lip. It is a light, airy sound. "Wo" in most parts is pronounced identical to the letter "o".

The most difficult sound for English language speakers to pick up is that of the "r" sound. It is sort of a mix of both the letters "l" and "r".

Some Japanese consonants can also be paired with the y characters to create new sounds, such as "Kya, kyu, kyo" or "jya", "jyu" and "jyo". While the former can be pronounced following the rules in this hub, "jya", "jyu" and "jyo" as similar to the sounds "jah", "ju" and "joh".

While not an official term, consonants in Japanese can be "doubled". Words such as "iroppoi" and "kakkoi" are examples of a "double consonant". Essentially, there is a momentary stop in sound.