Learn the Perfect Pronunciation of The 5 Japanese Vowels
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| Hi everyone! I’m Michelle Yamamoto. |
| Welcome back to The Ultimate Japanese Pronunciation Guide. |
| In this lesson, you'll master perfect pronunciation of the 5 Japanese vowels. |
| There are 5 vowels in Japanese, and their pronunciation doesn't change. |
| The first vowel is... |
| あ |
| Open your mouth a little, relax the tongue and say "ah." |
| Repeat after me. |
| あ |
| あ |
| The next vowel is... |
| い |
| Open the mouth, bring the lips up slightly, and raise the tongue – and say い. Here's a tip: it's like the "ee" in "meet", but shorter. い – raise your tongue almost to the roof of your mouth. |
| Repeat after me. |
| い |
| い |
| The next vowel is... |
| う [ɯ] |
| Purse the lips as if you are going to whistle or say the word "who". Like this う. Try it. Release a short "u" sound. |
| う |
| The lips are more relaxed for the Japanese "u" sound than the English "u." Compare Japanese "u" with English "u". |
| Repeat after me. |
| う |
| う |
| The next vowel is... |
| え |
| Open the mouth, raise the lips up from their natural relaxed position – as if you are about to start smiling – and release the sound, saying "eh". |
| Repeat after me. |
| え |
| え |
| The final vowel is... |
| お |
| Think of the perfect circle of an orange. Round the lips, as if you are surprised, and release a round Japanese "oh". |
| Repeat after me. |
| お |
| お |
| Congratulations! You've learned the 5 Japanese vowels. There are many Japanese words made up of vowels alone. Let's practice. Repeat after me! |
| あお "blue", あ・お、あお |
| あお |
| いえ "house"、い・え、いえ |
| いえ |
| うえ "up" う・え、うえ |
| うえ |
| Japanese vowels may seem simple, but mastering them is a crucial first step. Almost every syllable from here is formed on the basis of these vowels. Try practicing each one in a mirror. |
| Perfect these sounds, because in the next lesson, you'll master the first set of consonants. |
| Was seeing the pronunciation illustrations helpful? Please comment and share your thoughts. |
| See you in the next Ultimate Japanese Pronunciation Guide lesson! |
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