Romanization | Pronunciation | Formality

Japanese Terminology

Romanization:

I don't know the name of what method I use. However, since those little peaky things above long vowels will probably show up screwy in HTML, I spell out everything. However, for common words like "Tokyo" and "Kyoto," I will just use standard spelling, instead of writing "Toukyou" and "Kyouto."

The small "tsu" sound is spelled out as double letters. Thus, "matte" is actually the hiragana "ma," a small tsu, and "te."

The slides will usually be spelled out with a "y;" for example, "Kyoto." However, the slides for the "chi," "ji" and "shi" sounds won't have it, as it's impossible to have "cha," "ja" and "sha" without the slide.

I also spell out the particle "o" as "wo." It still should be pronounced "o" though.

Back to top

Pronunciation:

a is pronounced as the "a" in "father" or like "ah," but shorter.
i is pronounced as "ee" as in "bee," but shorter.
u is pronounced a bit like the vowel sound in "ooh," but shorter. There's also a bit more of a "u" sound. A little like the "oo" in "took," I guess.
e is pronounced like the "e" in "pet."
o is pronounced like the "o" in "toe," but shorter. The lips are also a little more rounded.

The Japanese "f" sound is actually a combination between "f" and "h;" it's very breathy. Instead of pursing your lips a lot, try to just blow the "f" sound through. This will look very funny if you do it in front of other people.

The Japanese "r" sound is actually a combination between "r" and "l," kind of like a small Italian/Spanish trill thing.

Japanese also uses long vowel combinations.
An /a/ sound is usually lengthened by tacking on another "a." (Okaa-san vs. Oka-san)
An /i/ sound is usually lengthened by tacking on another "i." (Onii-san vs. Oni-san)
An /u/ sound is usually lengthened by tacking on another "u." (futsuu vs. futsu)
An /e/ sound is usually lengthened by tacking on an "i," although sometimes "e" is used. It's still pronounced as "ee" even if it's spelled as "ei." (Onee-san vs. One-san; sensei pronounced "sensee")
An /o/ sound is usually lengthened by tacking on an "u," although sometimes "o" is used. It's still pronounced "oo" even if it's spelled as "ou." (ookii vs okii; Otou-san pronounced "otoo-san")

The [n] sound (not to be confused with the hiragana ha, hi, fu, he, ho) is pronounced as [m] in front of [m], [n], [b], and [p] sounds, but I am just going to spell it as "n" or I will confuse myself.

My teachers have also said the [g] sound is pronounced more as [ng]. It's a little more nasal than the hard [g]. I don't think this is necessary though.

The "su" at the end of words usually fades off to a more "ss" sound, although my teachers do actually pronounce the "su." It's just a little softer than the other syllables. Other /u/ sounds often do this in front of other sounds. Thus, "kuso" often ends up sounding like "k'so."

The double consonant (small "tsu") thing I mentioned above is pronounced with a slight pause between the two syllables. According to Nakama 1, "it means that the consonant of the second syllable has the duration of one syllable." Hrm. To me it sounds as though the syllable before the double consonant is cut short a little. It's a very interesting sound.

The glides (formed by adding a small "ya," "yu," or "yo" after characters) are pronounced as spelled. Remember to do it quickly though, as "kiyou" (imaginary word) is not the same as "kyou" (today).

I've also found that when the vowel is longer, that syllable is usually stressed. A lot of Japanese tends to stress the first syllable, especially in three-syllable words, which sounds funny to English speakers. For example, "sakura" is pronounced more like "SA-ku-ra" instead of "sa-KU-ra."

Randomly, to me it sounds as though Japanese is lighter than English. I think the syllables are pronounced more quickly or something, and they aren't accented. Japanese also doesn't have the tonal system of Chinese.

Back to top

The Confusing Part:

I'll bet you're wondering why there are all those "polite" and "formal" and "casual" bits and pieces floating about. Anyway, Japanese speech is very structured. Just from pronounces and verb choices, you can tell if the person is talking to a friend or family member, to a teacher or superior and about whom they are talking as well.

Your uchi (literally "inside") group consists of the people you are very familiar and close with. You can call them by their first name, as opposed to last-name-san. They usually consist of close friends and family members. Family members are most definitely part of your uchi group, no matter how much you may dislike them.

Your soto (literally "outside") groups consists of basically everyone not in your uchi group. This is a lot of people.

Your uchi and soto groups can also change depending on context. When talking to your boss at work, your family is part of your uchi group. However, when talking to a customer, your company would be part of your uchi group as well.

Why is this important? Well, it affects speech a lot. Casual speech is usually used with uchi group people, including friends. Formal speech is used with soto people. And honorific/humble speech is used when talking to or about a superior, like your boss or your teacher. So you can actually use honorific forms with casual endings when you discuss a teacher with your friend.

There are also lots of polite things you're supposed to do around soto people that I still don't have straight. One of the more interesting things is that your uchi group is considered a part of you; thus, you talk about them like you would yourself when speaking to soto people. For example, it's very bad manners in Japan to praise yourself in front of others (I actually had to learn a whole bunch of ways to say "No, no, it's not that good" and other polite ways to decline compliments). So it follows that you also don't praise uchi people in front of soto people. A mother will actually politely decline any comments made about her children.