This is probably the most important thing you'll need to know about Japanese, cuz if you can't pronounce the words right, people won't have a clue of what you're saying! Japanese vowels are kind of like Spanish vowels, so it helps if you know a little Spanish but it doesn't matter if you don't. Vowels Here's a list of Japanese vowels and their English equivalents: 'a' sounds like father 'e' sounds like gate 'i' sounds like feet 'o' sounds like note 'u' sounds like food Here are some basic rules for the vowels: ~Japanese vowels can be either long or short, just like in English. Usually the letter is simply doubled in order to make it long. So a long 'a' would be presented as 'aa.' A 'u' is usually added to an 'o' to make the 'o' long. ~When two vowels are placed next to each other, the pronunciation would be the combination of both sounds. Like the word ai (love) is pronounced like the English word eye. In this case, the vowels are always short. ~The letters i and u are often not pronounced at all, or just barely whispered. This usually happens if they are preceded by 'voiceless' consanants such as p, t, k, ch, f, s, h, or sh. EX--> Suki is actually pronounced as ski. Consonants Most consonants are pronounced just like the English ones, but there are a few exceptions. Here's a list of basic things to remember for the consonants. ~The Japanese r is pronounced kinda like a Spanish r, minus the trill. ~There is no L in Japanese. When Japanese is converted into English, all the L's are written as r's. This doesn't mean that every r in Japanese is actually and L, however. ~The f is pronounced more like an English h, but ever breathier. ~The g is ALWAYS hard, like in Garrett, rather than soft, like George. ~The s is always hissed rather than voiced. ~If a consonant is doubled, always pronounce both consonants or you could end up saying something completly different! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Pipsi Does Japanese! Sailor Moon Home