Description of the Japanese Pronunciation ら り る れ ろ
ら り る れ ろ consist of the Japanese consonant [ɾ] representing the sound of the roman letter /r/ with the Japanese vowels [a], [i], [u], [e] and [o] respectively. When you pronounce [ɾ], you are going to flap the tip of your tongue at your upper gums. When it comes to the English sound [r], your tongue does not touch any parts in your mouth. In that sense, the Japanese sound [ɾ] completely differs from the English one.
Does it make sense to you? Let's try to pronounce ら り る れ ろ after the tutor on the video!
Wasabi Japanese Pronunciation Lessons
Words Exercise with the Pronunciation [ɾ] ら り る れ ろ
Please repeat the following words after the tutor on the video.
| Words | Roman Letters | Meanings |
|---|---|---|
| らいしゅう | ra i shu u | next week |
| らいねん | ra i ne n | next year |
| りっぱ | ri ppa | wonderful |
| みどり | mi do ri | green |
| 見る | mi ru | to look [at] |
| 渡る | wa ta ru | to cross, to migrate |
| 零 | re i | zero |
| れいぞうこ | re i zo u ko | refrigerator |
| 六 | ro ku | six |
| ろうか | ro u ka | corridor |
Sentences Exercise with the Pronunciation [ɾ] ら り る れ ろ
Please repeat the following sentences after the tutor in the video.
| Japanese Sentences | English Translations |
|---|---|
| 来年ロシアに行きます。 | I will go to Russia next year. |
| アメリカに渡りました。 | I migrated to the US. |
| 立派な冷蔵庫を買いました。 | I bought a wonderful refrigerator. |
Tongue Twister Exercise with the Pronunciation [ɾ] ら り る れ ろ
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 |
|---|---|
|
のら如来のら如来、三のら如来に六のら如来 |
のら: stray, 如来: Buddha |
|
どくろのろくろ黒ろくろ |
どくろ：Skull, ろくろ: Potter's wheel, 黒: black |
|
あぶりカルビ、あぶりカルビ、あぶりカルビ |
あぶる: to warm ~ over a fire, カルビ: rib |
Conclusion
This is the how to pronounce [ɾ] ら り る れ ろ. 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; [w] わ.