Description of the Japanese Pronunciation ふ
ふ consists of the Japanese consonant [ɸ] representing the sound of the roman letter /f/ with the Japanese vowel [u]. When you pronounce [ɸ], you are going to bring your lips close together and make a sound by causing friction as air passes through the chink between your lips. Please note: [ɸ] differs from the English sound [f] which is made with upper-teeth and lips. [ɸ] is an unvoiced sound.
Does it make sense to you? Let's try to pronounce ふ after the tutor on the video!
Wasabi Japanese Pronunciation Lessons
Words Exercise with the Pronunciation [ɸ] ふ
Please repeat the following words after the tutor on the video.
| Words | Roman Letters | Meanings |
|---|---|---|
| 服 | fu ku | clothes |
| 吹く | fu ku | to blow |
| ふたつ | fu ta tsu | two |
| ふたり | fu ta ri | two people |
| ふとい | fu to i | thick |
| ふえる | fu e ru | to increase |
| ふかい | fu ka i | deep |
| おふろ | o fu ro | bath |
| さいふ | sa i fu | wallet |
| ようふく | yo u fu ku | Western-style clothes |
Sentences Exercise with the Pronunciation [ɸ] ふ
Please repeat the following sentences after the tutor in the video.
| Japanese Sentences | English Translations |
|---|---|
| お風呂に入りました。 | I took a bath. |
| 財布が二つあります。 | There are two wallets. |
| 洋服が増えました。 | The amount of western-style clothes increased. |
Tongue Twister Exercise with the Pronunciation [ɸ] ふ
Please repeat the following tongue twisters after the tutor on the video. Also, please focus on the pronunciation practice, not the meaning, because they were made only for the sake of practice.
| Japanese Tongue Twisters | Vocabulary |
|---|---|
|
服作る夫婦、靴作る夫婦。 |
服: clothes, 作る: to make, 夫婦: married couple, 靴: shoes |
|
古い服着た不思議な夫婦。 |
古い: old, 着る: to wear, 不思議: strange |
|
ふと母と太い豆腐をはふはふ食べる。 |
母: mother, 太い: thick, 豆腐: food’s name, 食べる: to eat |
Conclusion
This is the how to pronounce [ɸ] ふ. 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. We are looking forward to seeing you in the next lesson; [b] [p] ば び ぶ べ ぼ and ぱ ぴ ぷ ぺ ぽ.