Japanese Exceptional Sounds: How to Pronounce っ － ん
Description of the Japanese Pronunciation っ,－, ん
When you pronounce っ, you don’t make an actual sound, but wait for ‘one beat’ with the form of your mouth to pronounce the following sound. When you pronounce ―, you don’t make a new sound, but elongate the sound of the vowel before ― for ‘one beat’. When you pronounce ん, you need to make the sound of ん for ‘one beat’ to make the proper pronunciation. In order to master the concept of ‘one beat’, you will learn these sounds with a Japanese poetry form; Haiku
Haiku consists of three phrases having five, seven and five sounds respectively. Please repeat the following Haiku after the tutor on the video while being conscious of っ, ―, ん playing the role of one sound.
ほーほけきょ: song [of birds], おいで: to come (honorific), 花見鳥: Japanese bush warbler
Pronunciation; ん
閻王の 口や牡丹を 吐かんとす （与謝蕪村）
閻王: the King of Hell, 口: mouth, 牡丹: purplish red, 吐く: to vomit
朝市に 磯もの多し 神無月 （水原秋桜子）
朝市: morning market, 磯もの: sea snails, 神無月: October
青蛙 お前もペンキ 塗り立てか （芥川龍之介）
青蛙: frog, ペンキ: [house] paint, 塗る to paint
*Please focus on the pronunciation practice, not the meaning. () shows its author.
Wasabi Japanese Pronunciation Lessons
Words Exercise with the Pronunciation っ,－, ん
Please repeat the following words after the tutor on the video.
Words
Roman Letters
Meanings
みっつ
mi ttsu
three
ざっし
za sshi
magazine
りっぱ
ri ppa
wonderful
せっけん
se kke n
soap
プール
pû ru
pool
クリーム
ku rî mu
cream
ケーキ
kê ki
cake
スープ
sû pu
soup
べんり
be n ri
useful, convenient
かんじ
ka n ji
kanji (Chinese character)
Conclusion
This is the how to pronounce っ, ー, ん. We recommend that you practice the sentences above at least 5 times for each exercise, though we understand that pronunciation practice can be dull. Good pronunciation will give you listening and speaking ability, and thereby you will be confident enough to speak Japanese with native speakers. Thus, the ability you gain is well worth the time spent.
