Pronuncation: Consonants Part 2

This is a continuation on pronouncing Japanese consonants. If you have any questions or feedback, you can leave it in the comments section or send me an email. Happy studies!



M

   　ま (ma)　み (mi)　む (mu)　め (me)　も (mo)

• This sound is similar to an 'M' as heard in the word "mom" and is represented by an "M" in Romaji.

Y

   　や (ya)　ゆ (yu)　よ (yo)

• This sound is similar to a 'Y' as heard in the word "yes" and is represented by a "Y" in Romaji.

R

   　ら (ra)　り (ri)　る (ru)　れ (re)　ろ (ro)

• This sound is the most difficult for foreigners to grasp. The sound is similar to an 'R' and an 'L' blended together. I found the most effective way to say it is to shape your mouth as though you were going to make an 'R' sound and make an 'L' sound. It will not sound correct without a vowel following it because the sound does not hold.

W

   　わ (wa)　を (wo)

• This sound is similar to a 'W' as heard in the word "word" and is represented by a "W" in Romaji. In the case of を, the 'W' sound is very soft and makes almost no sound at all.

N

   　ん (n)

• This sound is similar to an 'N' and an 'M' at the same time. Depending on the sound following it, ん will sound more like an 'N' or an 'M'.