Japanese Consonants: How to Pronounce に

Japanese Letter /ni/

Description of the Japanese Pronunciation に

Picture describing Japanese pronunciation /ni/

に consists of the Japanese consonant [ɲ] representing the sound of the roman letter /n/ with the Japanese vowel [i]. When you pronounce [ɲ], your tongue needs to touch the front part of the roof of your mouth a little farther back than な ぬ ね の, and make a sound by allowing air to pass out through the nose. [ɲ] is a voiced sound.

Does it make sense to you? Let's try to pronounce に after the tutor on the video!

Wasabi Japanese Pronunciation Lessons

Words Exercise with the Pronunciation [ɲ] に

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

Words Roman Letters Meanings
ni  two
にわ ni wa yard, garden
にく ni ku meat
ni ru to boil
にっき ni kki diary
にぎやか ni gi ya ka crowded
にちようび ni chi yo u bi Sunday
ぶたにく bu ta ni ku pork
とりにく to ri ni ku chicken
ぎゅうにく gyu u ni ku beef

Sentences Exercise with the Pronunciation [ɲ] に

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

Japanese Sentences English Translations
豚肉ぶたにくました。 I boiled pork.
にぎやかな日曜にちようです。 It’s crowded Sunday.
ぎゅうにくキロあります。 There is 2 kilograms of beef.

Tongue Twister Exercise with the Pronunciation [ɲ] に

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

肉々にくにくしいにくとにんにくをる、肉々にくにくしいにくとにんにくをる。

にく: meat, にんにく: garlic, る: to boil,

ろうにゃくなんにょろうにゃくなんにょろうにゃくなんにょ

ろうにゃくなんにょ: men and women of all ages

にわには二羽にわにわとりがいる。

にわ: yard, garden 二羽にわ: 2 birds, にわとり: chicken,

Conclusion

This is the how to pronounce [ɲ] に. 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; [h] は へ ほ.

Recommended Links

Next Lesson

Table of Contents

How to Proceed with Wasabi Japanese Pronunciation Lessons