Let's Speak Japanese!
by Mayumi Nakano
Japanese Syllables | Greetings
& Useful Phrases | Additional Phrases
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TOW Main | Study
Tour 2003 Home
I am listing what you learned during orientation as well
as some new phrases you may want to say in Japanese. Throughout the study
tour, we'll be practicing some of these phrases, especially greetings.
However, we don't expect you to memorize all these phrases nor master
the perfect pronunciation of them. As I said in TOW
#4 ("Communication"), you could survive the tour without
speaking a single word in Japanese, but your host family and those whom
you will meet will be impressed to know that you have been learning their
language. The important thing is to make an effort--ganbarō (literally means "Let's do our best")!
Japanese
Syllables in Roman Letters (Hepburn System)
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Basic Syllables: Vowel, Consonant plus vowel and N |
Modified Syllables: Consonant plus YA, YU, YO |
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Vowels |
a |
i |
u |
e |
o |
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"father" |
"machine" |
"put" |
"bet" |
"horse" |
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k |
ka |
ki |
ku |
ke |
ko |
ky |
kya |
kyu |
kyo |
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s/sh |
sa |
shi |
su |
se |
so |
sh |
sha |
shu |
sho |
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t/ch |
ta |
chi |
tsu |
te |
to |
ch |
cha |
chu |
cho |
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n |
na |
ni |
nu |
ne |
no |
ny |
nya |
nyu |
nyo |
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h/f |
ha |
hi |
fu |
he |
ho |
hy |
hya |
hyu |
hyo |
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m |
ma |
mi |
mu |
me |
mo |
my |
mya |
my |
myo |
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y |
ya |
[i] |
yu |
[e] |
yo |
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r |
ra |
ri |
ru |
re |
ro |
ry |
rya |
ryu |
ryo |
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w |
wa |
[i] |
[u] |
[e] |
o |
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n (m) |
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Modified Syllables: Consonant plus vowel |
Modified Syllables: Consonant plus YA, YU, YO |
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g |
ga |
gi |
gu |
ge |
go |
gy |
gya |
gyu |
gyo |
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z/j |
za |
ji |
zu |
ze |
zo |
j |
ja |
ju |
jo |
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d/j/z |
da |
ji |
zu |
de |
do |
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b |
ba |
bi |
bu |
be |
bo |
by |
bya |
byu |
byo |
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p |
pa |
pi |
pu |
pe |
po |
py |
pya |
pyu |
pyo |
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Double Consonants |
Examples: |
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kk |
ss |
tt |
tch |
pp |
ikkai |
zasshi |
chotto |
matchi |
kippu |
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A slight pause after each sound like "book'keeping" |
(1st floor) |
(magazine) |
(a bit) |
(match) |
(ticket) |
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Long Vowels |
Examples: |
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ā |
ī |
ū |
ē |
ō |
okāsan |
kī |
pūru |
kēki |
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Each sound is held twice a long |
(mom) |
(key) |
(pool) |
(cake) |
( |
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Note: "¯" is
often omitted when a long vowel is written in romanization. |
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Some Notes: |
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* "f" (in HA-HI-FU-HE-HO) is produced by pursing the
lips and blowing lightly. Example:
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* "r" (in RA-RI-RU-RE-RO) is more like the English "l"
than the English "r."
Example: resutoran
(restaurant) |
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* "n" (the independent consonant) is pronounced more
like the English "m" when it is followed by syllables
beginning with "b," "m," or "p" (and
the sound is often spelled with an "m" accordingly).
Example: tempura |
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* "g" (in GA-GI-GU-GE-GO) is pronounced as the "g"
in "garden" at the start of a word, and it is nasalised as the "ng"
in "sing" in the middle or last of a word. Example: gamu
(gum) vs. eigo (English) |
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General Tips: |
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* How to pronounce each syllable is predetermined pretty much.
See the chart. |
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* Each consonant is always followed by a vowel with an exception
of “n/m,” the only independent consonant. |
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* Give each syllable equal length and equal stress. Pronounce it clearly and crisply. |
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* Although there are slight regional intonation inflections, beginners
should pronounce the words with "flat" intonation and
inflection. |
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Source: Japanese: The Spoken Language Part I (Jorden & Noda), |
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Japanese for Busy
People (Association for Japanese-Language Teaching) |
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Lonely Planet:
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* If added, a
word in [] makes each phrase more formal and polite.
(say this right before you go to
bed)
Thank you
for your trouble
(speaker requesting something)
(when entering
a room/house; when excusing oneself from someone’s presence)
(responding to Arigatō
or Sumimasen)
(you probably will hear this a lot!)
Additional Phrases & Words (upon your requests from orientation)
Note: You can
substitute the underlined words with some other words (some suggestions are
listed) as well as English words, which you don’t know how to say in Japanese.
Japanese (nihongo)
post office (yūbin-kyoku); bank (ginkō)
bus stop (basu-tei)
pork (buta-niku); meats (niku)
bread (pan); water (mizu)
that (aré)
map (chizu); coffee
(kōhī); English tea (kōcha)
[show your TCs]
[show your ¥ bill]
Watashi no gakkō
to pen-friend no program o shimasen ka
Numbers (for a price, add “yen” at the end)