Practice the vowels あ, い, う, え, お
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| Welcome to our Perfect Japanese Pronunciation Lesson! In this first lesson, we'll focus on the five vowels in Japanese: あ (a), い (i), う (u), え (e), お (o). |
| These vowels are the foundation of Japanese pronunciation, and mastering them will greatly help you learn the consonants afterward. |
| Let's get started! |
| I'm Risa, and this is Japanese Pronunciation Through Minimal Pairs. |
| The first vowel is あ (a). |
| To make the あ sound: open your mouth wide, keeping your tongue low and in the center of your mouth. It's similar to the /a/ sound in "father," but with the tongue slightly more forward. |
| あ |
| [3 sec pause] |
| あ (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| あ |
| あ |
| [3 sec pause] |
| あ (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| あ |
| The next vowel is い (i). |
| To make the い sound: smile slightly and raise your tongue high in the front of your mouth. It's similar to the double e sound in "meet," but shorter. |
| い |
| [3 sec pause] |
| い (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| い |
| い |
| [3 sec pause] |
| い (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| い |
| The next vowel is う (u). |
| To make the う sound: purse your lips slightly as if you're going to whistle, then release a short /u/ sound. |
| Compared to the English /u:/ sound in "food," when producing Japanese う, the lips are more relaxed and unrounded. |
| う |
| [3 sec pause] |
| う (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| う |
| う |
| [3 sec pause] |
| う (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| う |
| The next vowel is え (e). |
| Japanese え is between the sound /ei/ in English "mate" and /ɛ/ in "mess." |
| To make the え sound: open your mouth and slightly raise your lips as if you're starting to smile, then release a short /e/ sound. |
| え |
| [3 sec pause] |
| え (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| え |
| え |
| [3 sec pause] |
| え (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| え |
| The final vowel is お (o). |
| Japanese お is similar to o in "moss," but the tongue position is a little bit higher. |
| To make the お sound: round your lips as if you're surprised, then release a round o sound. |
| お |
| [3 sec pause] |
| お (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| お |
| お |
| [3 sec pause] |
| お (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| お |
| Listen and repeat or speak along with me. |
| Ready? |
| あく/いく |
| (space for repetition) |
| あく/いく |
| あす/いす |
| (space for repetition) |
| あす/いす |
| いた/うた |
| (space for repetition) |
| いた/うた |
| うる/える |
| (space for repetition) |
| うる/える |
| える/おる |
| (space for repetition) |
| える/おる |
| Let's review. Respond to the prompts by speaking aloud. Then, repeat after me, focusing on pronunciation. |
| Do you remember the sound that’s similar to the a sound in "father," but with the tongue slightly more forward? |
| (3) |
| (2) |
| (1) |
| あ |
| (1) |
| あ |
| Do you remember the sound that’s similar to the double e sound in "feet," but shorter? |
| (3) |
| (2) |
| (1) |
| い |
| (1) |
| い |
| Do you remember the sound that’s similar to English /u:/ in "food," but the lips are more relaxed, and unrounded? |
| (3) |
| (2) |
| (1) |
| う |
| (1) |
| う |
| Do you remember the sound that's between the sound /ei/ in English "mate" and /ɛ/ in "mess?" |
| (3) |
| (2) |
| (1) |
| え |
| (1) |
| え |
| Do you remember the sound that’s similar to o in "moss," but the tongue position is slightly higher? |
| (3) |
| (2) |
| (1) |
| お |
| (1) |
| お |
| Let's practice. |
| あお "blue" |
| あ・お |
| あお |
| いえ "house" |
| い・え |
| いえ |
| うえ "up" |
| う・え |
| うえ |
| Now, listen carefully as I pronounce the following words, focusing on the different vowel sounds. |
| かま |
| かみ |
| かむ |
| かめ |
| かも |
| (3 sec pause) |
| かま "sickle" |
| かみ "deity" |
| かむ "bite" |
| かめ "turtle" |
| かも "duck" |
| Did you notice their differences? |
| kama, kami, kamu, kame, kamo |
| Japanese vowels may seem simple, but mastering them is a crucial first step. |
| Almost every syllable from here is formed based on these vowels; accurately distinguishing and reproducing them is essential. |
| Mispronouncing these vowels can lead to confusion, as you can see from the different meanings of each word. |
| By the way, if you watched til the end |
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| Just click the link in the comments section. |
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