Start Learning Japanese in the next 30 Seconds with
a Free Lifetime Account

Or sign up using Facebook

Pronunciation of "zu" Does it change slightly?

Moderators: Moderator Team, Admin Team

aisu
New in Town
Posts: 1
Joined: December 22nd, 2006 3:31 am

Pronunciation of "zu" Does it change slightly?

Postby aisu » September 30th, 2009 5:24 am

I looked all over for an answer to this, but no one else seems to find a problem with it. It could be I have been pronouncing "zu" incorrectly all along,.
Many sources say the "zu" is pronounced like the English word "zoo," but my question is: Is it sill pronounced exactly the same way in "zutto"?

I found that all along, I've been saying "zu" in "zutto" with more of a "dzu" sound. I used the audio dictionary on this site and found that the "zu" in "zutto" does not sound quite the same as "kuzu", wherein the "zu" in "kuzu" is more of what english speakers would call a voiced "s" sound and in "zutto" the 'z' sound sounds more heavy.

I hope someone understands my problem! The bottom line is: Do you find that you pronounce the "zu" sound exactly the same way as you do in say "zutto" and "kuzu"?

jaboyak
Been Around a Bit
Posts: 28
Joined: March 31st, 2008 2:02 am

Postby jaboyak » October 6th, 2009 12:01 am

There's really not a major difference in everyday life, but in specific linguistics, the "zu" has a small pronunciation difference. The technicalities aren't too important, though.

The more you hear spoken Japanese you hear, though, the better you'll be able to tell.

Good luck!
Get 51% OFF

Return to “Learn All About Japanese”