Pronunciation of "e" and "ei"

[sai361]

I apologize in advance if this has already been answered. I couldn't find a similar topic in the forums.

On beginner lesson #15 at 6 minutes 33 seconds, natsuko pronounces "kare" (as in curry rice) and the "e" sounds like it is being pronounced like the "a" in "late," not like the "e" in "met." I was told this is because that "e" is a long vowel and it's pronounced that way. I was also told the Japanese language does not contain the sound for the English dipthong "ei." I am very confused as to when the "a" as in "late" sound is used.

I was also told the Japanese "ei" is pronounced like the "a" in "late." However, I have heard a lot of words that end in "ei" and sound more like a prolonged "e" in "met" than "a" in "late." Ex. Kirei (pretty)

I'm very confused on this issue and it is somewhat hindering my learning. If someone could clarify this issue I would be eternally grateful. Arigatou Gozaimasu.

[jemstone]

the basic vowel pronunciations are as follows,

a - like "ah"
i - like "eeee" but not so long. if you're spanish, it's the same pronunciation as "y".
u - like "ooh" in "ooh la la"
e - like "eh"
o - like "oh" in "oh! i understand that now!"

so when natsuko say "kare" for curry, she pronounces it more like ka-reh.

as for -ei in "kirei", there is a short "ee" at the end, ki-reh-i <-- short "ee" sound. when you say the japanese -ei is like a in late, the person who told you that probably was pronouncing "late" as "lay-t", where there is a short "i" sound before the "t". -ei sounds more like "ay" in english.

[sai361]

That really cleared things up. Thanks a lot.