The five vowels
English has around twenty vowel sounds; Japanese has five, always in the order a, i, u, e, o. Keep them short, pure and steady: English “o” in “go” slides into a w, Japanese お does not.
The mora: one beat per kana
English stretches stressed syllables and swallows the others (“BA-na-na”). Japanese gives every beat the same length and the same weight. Long vowels, small っ and ん each count as a full beat, which is why word length changes meaning.
| Word | Meaning | Beats |
|---|---|---|
| neko | cat | 2: ne-ko |
| sakura | cherry blossom | 3: sa-ku-ra |
| nihon | Japan | 3: ni-ho-n |
| tōkyō | Tokyo | 4: to-o-kyo-o |
| kitte | stamp | 3: ki-t-te |
| arigatō | thank you | 5: a-ri-ga-to-o |
Whispered vowels: です sounds like “dess”
In standard Tokyo speech, い and う often become whispered (said without voice) when they sit between two unvoiced consonants such as k, s, t, h, p, or at the end of a phrase after one. It is not a rule you must apply, but it is how natives sound.
The four consonants English does differently
The sounds of ん
ん is written one way but pronounced to match whatever comes next. You do this in English already: the n in “input” drifts toward m. Japanese simply does it every time.
Japanese sounds compared with English
Most Japanese consonants are close to English ones. These are the matches and near-matches to keep in mind.
| Japanese | Close English sound | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| k, s, t, n, m, y, w, b, p | the same letters | p, t, k have less puff of air than in English |
| し shi | “she” | tongue a little flatter |
| ち chi | “cheese” | none worth worrying about |
| じ ji | “jeep” | can also sound like the s in “vision” |
| ひ hi | “he” | a light hiss, like a quiet German ich |
| ふ fu | “who” with blown lips | no teeth on lip |
| ら-row r | t in American “water” | a tap, never a growl |
| を o | “o” in “port” | same as お |
Whispered vowels
In standard Japanese, i and u between voiceless consonants (k, s, t, h, p) are often whispered or dropped. です sounds like “dess”, and すき like “ski”.
The Japanese r
Japanese r is a light tap of the tongue behind the top teeth, between English r, l and d. It is the sound in the middle of American “water”.
The many sounds of ん
ん changes with the sound after it: m before m, b, p; ng before k, g; and a nasal vowel at the end of a word.
| Word | Meaning | ん sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| sanpo | a walk | m (before p) |
| ginkō | bank | ng (before k) |
| onna | woman | n (before n) |
| hon | book | nasal, at the end |
Check yourself
Say each word, then open the answer to compare.
- Say “is” (polite).
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desuSounds like “dess”: the u is whispered. - Say “thank you”.
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arigatōLight tapped r; long ō at the end. - Say “a walk”.
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sanpoん sounds like m before p. - Say “bank”.
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ginkōん sounds like ng before k. - Say “stamp”.
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kittePause for one beat at っ.
Practise with whole sentences
Clap the beats as you listen, then say each sentence with the same even rhythm.