Learn some Japanese tongue twisters
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Intro |
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| Michael: What are some Japanese tongue twisters? |
| Risa: And are many Japanese words hard to pronounce? |
| Michael: At JapanesePod101.com, we hear these questions often. Sasha Lee is curious to learn some Japanese tongue twisters and asks her friend, |
| "Please tell me a tongue twister." |
| Sasha Lee: 早口言葉を一つ教えてください。 (Hayakuchi kotoba o hitotsu oshiete kudasai.) |
| Dialogue |
| Sasha Lee: 早口言葉を一つ教えてください。 (Hayakuchi kotoba o hitotsu oshiete kudasai.) |
| Shin Ishikawa: 「生麦生米生卵」 ("Namamugi namagome namatamago.") |
| Michael: Once more with the English translation. |
| Sasha Lee: 早口言葉を一つ教えてください。 (Hayakuchi kotoba o hitotsu oshiete kudasai.) |
| Michael: "Please tell me a tongue twister." |
| Shin Ishikawa: 「生麦生米生卵」("Namamugi namagome namatamago.") |
| Michael: "Raw wheat, raw rice, raw egg." |
Lesson focus |
| Michael: In Japanese, just like in English and many other languages, tongue twisters are a fun way to practice your pronunciation. When you’re first learning a language, and even when you reach a more advanced level, tongue twisters are a great way to perfect your enunciation. Challenge yourself by speeding up the tongue twister every time or compete against a friend to see how many times you can repeat the phrase without making a mistake. |
| Michael: Let’s look at a few other Japanese tongue twisters and their translations. First, we have |
| Risa: 青巻紙赤巻紙黄巻紙 (Aomakigami akamakigami kimakigami) |
| Michael: Let’s hear that one more time. |
| Risa: 青巻紙赤巻紙黄巻紙 (Aomakigami akamakigami kimakigami) |
| Michael: It means “Blue scroll, red scroll, yellow scroll” in English. Here’s our second example: |
| Risa: 新春シャンソン・ショー (Shinshun shanson shō) |
| Michael: Let’s hear that a second time. |
| Risa: 新春シャンソン・ショー (Shinshun shanson shō) |
| Michael: This tongue twister translates to “New Year's Chanson show,” which is difficult to pronounce because of the “sh” and “s” sounds present in most of the syllables. Let’s try another one, |
| Risa: 竹屋の竹薮に竹立てかけたのは，竹立てかけたかったから，竹立てかけた。 (Takeya no takeyabu ni take tatekaketa no wa, take tatekaketakatta kara, take tatekaketa.) |
| Michael: Let’s hear that one more time. |
| Risa: 竹屋の竹薮に竹立てかけたのは，竹立てかけたかったから，竹立てかけた。 (Takeya no takeyabu ni take tatekaketa no wa, take tatekaketakatta kara, take tatekaketa.) |
| Michael: This lengthy Japanese tongue twister translates to “The reason I have leaned this bamboo against a bamboo grove at the bamboo shop is that I just wanted to lean a bamboo against it!” |
| Michael: That’s a challenging one! Can you think of any other tongue twisters? You could practice a new tongue twister each week and improve your pronunciation in a fun way! |
| Practice Section |
| Michael: Now, let's review. Respond to the prompts by speaking aloud. Then, repeat after the native speaker focusing on pronunciation. |
| Do you remember how Sasha Lee says "Please tell me a tongue twister?" |
| [Beep. Pause 5 seconds.] |
| Risa as Sasha: 早口言葉を一つ教えてください。 (Hayakuchi kotoba o hitotsu oshiete kudasai.) |
| Michael: Listen again and repeat. |
| Risa as Sasha: 早口言葉を一つ教えてください。 (Hayakuchi kotoba o hitotsu oshiete kudasai.) |
| [Beep. Pause 5 seconds.] |
| Risa as Sasha: 早口言葉を一つ教えてください。 (Hayakuchi kotoba o hitotsu oshiete kudasai.) |
| Michael: And do you remember how Sasha’s friend says,"Raw wheat, raw rice, raw egg?" |
| [Beep. Pause 5 seconds.] |
| Chrissi as Shin Ishikawa: 「生麦生米生卵」 ("Namamugi namagome namatamago.") |
| Michael: Listen again and repeat. |
| Chrissi as Shin Ishikawa: 「生麦生米生卵」 ("Namamugi namagome namatamago.") |
| [Beep. Pause 5 seconds.] |
| Chrissi as Shin Ishikawa: 「生麦生米生卵」 ("Namamugi namagome namatamago.") |
| Expansion |
| Michael: Since we’re talking about tongue twisters, or |
| Risa: 早口言葉 (hayakuchi kotoba) |
| Michael: it has probably come across your mind that for English native speakers it’s often difficult to pronounce the Japanese r-sound. Let’s hear the Japanese r-group sounds |
| Risa: ら、り、る、れ、ろ (ra, ri, ru, re, ro) |
| Michael: When you say "r" in Japanese, you lightly tap the teethridge that's just behind your top row of teeth with the tongue. It's very different from the English r-sound. It's actually similar to the "l" sound. Don't roll your tongue. Let’s hear it one more time. |
| Risa: ら、り、る、れ、ろ (ra, ri, ru, re, ro) |
Outro |
| Michael: Do you have any more questions? We’re here to answer them! |
| Risa: またね！ (Mata ne!) |
| Michael: See you soon! |
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