Survival kit
Pronunciation
Five vowel sounds and four rules — that's almost everything you need to be understood.
The five vowels
あ
a
ありがとう
arigatou
い
i
いいえ
iie
う
u
うどん
udon
え
e
えき
eki
お
o
おはよう
ohayou
Four rules that matter
Vowels never change
Unlike English, Japanese vowels always sound the same. Learn five sounds and you can pronounce almost any word.
Silent U at the end of "desu" and "masu"
です sounds like "des". ます sounds like "mas". The final U is nearly silent.
ですdes
ますmas
すみませんs'mimasen
Long vowels double the sound
When a vowel is followed by the same vowel (or 「う」 after o), hold the sound twice as long. Length changes the word.
おばさんobasan · aunt
おばあさんobaasan · grandmother
ゆきyuki · snow
ゆうきyuuki · courage
Doubled consonants = a tiny pause
When you see a small っ before a consonant, hold for a fraction longer — like a hiccup.
きってkitte · stamp
ちょっとchotto · a little