2.1 The Japanese Sound System
In this module, we will explore the fundamental aspects of the Japanese sound system.
The Japanese sound system is relatively straightforward compared to that of English. Each syllable consists of a consonant and a vowel.
Japanese vowels
The Japanese sound system has five vowels, namely, ‘a’, ‘i’, ‘u’, ‘e’ and ‘o’.
Let’s watch this short video (about 1 minute long) created by Kokoro Communications to learn and practise how to pronounce Japanese vowels:
Each vowel sound is pronounced distinctly and clearly. For example, ‘a’ is pronounced as /ah/. It is somewhat akin to the ‘uh’ sound in English words like ‘cup’, ‘study’ and ‘tunnel’. However, remember to keep it short and not stretch out the sound.
Japanese consonants
These consonants are combined with the vowels to form syllables. Compared to English, the Japanese pronunciation system is relatively consistent and uncomplicated.
Japanese consonants are made up of a limited number of sounds, such as ‘k’, ‘s’, ‘t’, ‘n’, ‘h’, ‘m’, ‘y’, ‘r’ and ‘w’, with some variations of these sounds. They are combined with the five vowels to form syllables.
Let’s watch this short video (about 1 minute long), created by Kokoro Communications, to learn and practise how to pronounce Japanese consonants:
Please note that the chart displayed behind the presenter is oriented vertically. In vertical writing, you read from right to left and from top to bottom. Consequently, the initial hiragana character ‘あ’ (a) is located in the top right corner:
In the next module, we will explore more about the Japanese sound system using hiragana!
Exercise 1
References
Kokoro Communications. “Japanese Phonetics Part 1: Vowel Sounds.” YouTube video, 0:53. Apr 3, 2021. https://youtube.com/shorts/JOaJ2BFq-xs?si=NBT8O_FunjyAKb7k.
———. “Japanese Phonetics Part 2: Consonants.” YouTube video, 0:53. Apr 3, 2021. https://youtube.com/shorts/LWAC224J-SI?si=FLlhw0OCenZcWtla.
