1.6 Rōmaji and the Sounds in the Japanese
Language
Language & Culture Lessons
Hello! and Welcome back to the Language and Culture Lessons for Rocket Japanese.Today we will be learning all about
the writing system we call Rōmaji and the sounds in the Japanese language. We'll also find out how to ask someone’s
name and where they are from, and we'll tell you everything you need to know about "you"… no, not about YOU, but
about using the Japanese word for you in conversation.
Now let's dig our hands into some basics of the Japanese language…
Language Lesson
Rōmaji and the Sounds in the Japanese Language
Japanese pronunciation is not difficult. The most important pronunciations are those of the five vowels. As long as
you can distinguish the five vowels clearly, you’ll be alright! All other syllables consist of consonants and these
vowels.
あ (a)
sounds like
"a" as in "art"
い (i)
sounds like
"ea" as in "eat"
う (u)
sounds like
"oo" as in "food"
え (e)
sounds like
"e" as in "bed"
お (o)
sounds like
"o" as in "orange"
But keep them all SHORT and CLIPPED. And WHENEVER you see those vowels written in rōmaji, ALWAYS pronounce
them in the same way.
Add the consonant “k” before each of these vowels.
aiueo
ka ki ku ke ko
The shape of your mouth should be the same because the vowels are the same.
Below is the chart of basic Japanese syllables
あ　い　う　え　お
か　き　く　け　こ
さ　し　す　せ　そ
た　ち　つ　て　と
な　に　ぬ　ね　の
は　ひ　ふ　へ　ほ
ま　み　む　め　も
や　ゆ　よ
ら　り　る　れ　ろ
わ　を
ん
Some important things to note:
The sound "n" without a vowel can be used at the end of a word or in the middle of a word. Usually say it as it looks
to you and you will be fine.
じかん
jikan
time
きぶん
kibun
mood; feeling
When you see the symbol: " ˉ " above a vowel, make it a long sound. For example: sayōnara.
さようなら
sayōnara
goodbye
Try practicing the long vowels on these words:
じょうず
jyōzu
skillful
どうぞ
dōzo
please; here you go
ありがとう。
arigatō
thank you
When you see double consonants like "tt" and "kk," insert a little gap before a "t" or "k" sound. For "chotto," insert a
gap between "cho" and "to."
ちょっと
chotto
a little bit
やっきょく
yakkyoku
pharmacy
There are some other combinations such as "kya" and "kyo." Pronounce them as one syllable, not two. For example:
kyōto, tōkyō
kyōto, tōkyō
Sometimes vowels "i" and "u" sound like they are missing, like Desu. But enough is there to know it is "su" and not
"sa" or any other vowel.
です
desu
is
The name "Yoshiko" also has a missing "i." It is pronounced with an accent on the first syllable. But enough is there to
know it is not "sha" but "shi."
Yoshiko
Lastly, try to say the following Japanese words written in rōmaji. Remember to pronounce the vowels! Don’t confuse
them with English words!!!!
あれ
Are
that
きて
kite
come
さけ
sake
sake (alcohol)
め
me
eye
と
to
and
Culture
"What's Your Name and Where are You From?"
Before we get into the more grammatical side of today’s lesson, let’s look at the following country names and see if
you can recognize them. Some of them you can sound out and guess what they are.
nihon
Japan
amerika
America
kanada
Canada
igirisu
England
furansu
France
doitsu
Germany
indo
India
kankoku
Korea
chūgoku
China
Just add jin after each of these country names, and then you have a “person from that country.”
nihon jin
Japanese person
desu is the most basic sentence in Japanese language.
Nihon jin desu can mean:
I am Japanese.
You are Japanese.
He/she is Japanese.
We are Japanese.
They are Japanese.
That is because we tend to drop the subject part of the sentence. Actually, it’s not just the subject part that is often
omitted. Many things that have been previously mentioned or understood are omitted.
If I am pointing at my friend standing next to me and say Nihon jin desu , then I mean “she is Japanese.”
If I am standing in front of a group of people and have just introduced myself and said Nihon jin desu , then it is
obvious that I mean “I am Japanese.”
The basic sentence structure is this.
[ A ] wa [ B ] desu.
[A]=[B]
A (I) =
B (Japanese)
Watashi wa nihon jin desu.
A (Kenny) =
B (English)
Kenī san wa igirisu jin desu.
A (I) =
B (Sayaka)
Watashi wa Sayaka desu.
A (I) =
B (well)
Watashi wa genki desu.
As I mentioned before, the subject part is often dropped. So we end up with:
Nihon jin desu.
Sayaka desu.
Genki desu.
We know how to make these into questions, don’t we?
Nihon jin desu ka.
Sayaka san desu ka.
(Remembering to add "san" to someone else's name)
O genki desu ka.
(Remembering to add o to "genki")
If you replace it with a question word that means “what,” you get:
Nan desu ka?
What is it?
O namae wa nan desu ka?
What is your name?
Next let’s go back to the names of the countries and learn to say where you are from.
Nihon kara kimashita.
Literally, it is saying “I came from Japan.” But watashi wa has been omitted because it is obvious.
Watashi wa nihon kara kimashita.
Kenī san wa igirisu kara kimashita.
Pōru san wa doitsu kara kimashita.
Kenī san wa amerika kara kimashita ka?
Let’s replace amerika with another question word that means “where.”
Kenī san wa doko kara kimashita ka?
Keni san, where are you from?
Igirisu kara kimashita.
I'm from England.
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