Japanese Consonants: How to Pronounce か き く け こ、が ぎ ぐ げ ご

Japanese Consonants k, g

Description of the Japanese Pronunciation か き く け こ、が ぎ ぐ げ ご

か き く け こ and が ぎ ぐ げ ご consist of the Japanese consonants [k] and [g] together with the Japanese vowels [a], [i], [u], [e] and [o] respectively. When you pronounce [k] and [g] your tongue is going to touch the back part of the roof of your mouth. This closure will cause a buildup of pressure. Then, you will release that pressure all at once by moving your tongue down. When you pronounce き /ki/ and ぎ /gi/, your tongue should make contact with the roof of your mouth farther forward than the other sounds. [k] is a unvoiced sound and [g] is a voiced sound.


Does it make sense to you? Let's try to pronounce か き く け こ、が ぎ ぐ げ ご after the tutor on the video!

Wasabi Japanese Pronunciation Lessons 

Words Exercise with the Pronunciation [k] [g] か き く け こ、が ぎ ぐ げ ご

Please repeat the following words after the tutor on the video.

Words Roman Letters Meanings
描く ka ku to draw, to paint
がいこく ga i ko ku foreign country
きれい ki re i beautiful
ぎんこう gi n ko u bank
くり ku ri chestnut
およぐ o yo gu to swim
けしき ke shi ki scene
げんき ge n ki healthy
こうえん ko u e n park
ごぜん go ze n morning

Sentences Exercise with the Pronunciation [k] [g] か き く け こ、が ぎ ぐ げ ご

Please repeat the following sentences after the tutor in the video.

Japanese Sentences English Translations
風邪かぜにかかりました。 I caught a cold.
れいしききました。 I painted a beautiful scene.
公園こうえんげんあそびました。 I played lively in the park.

Tongue Twister Exercise with the Pronunciation [k] [g] か き く け こ、が ぎ ぐ げ ご

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

きくくりきくくりきくくりわせてきくくりきくくり

きく: chrysanthemum, くり: chestnut

古栗ふるくりふるくち

ふる: old, : tree, くち: cut end

ごめのなまがみ、ごめのなまがみ、こんごめなまがみ。

ごめ: crushed rice, なまがみ: crunch

Conclusion

This is the how to pronounce [k] [g] か き く け こ、が ぎ ぐ げ ご. 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; [s] [z] さ す せ そ、ざ ず ぜ ぞ.

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