Japanese Vowels: How to Pronounce あ

Introduction

The pronunciations of Japanese vowels are determined by 3 factors; two of which are the position of your tongue, high or low (1) and front or back (2), and the final factor is the form of your mouth (3). When you pronounce あ, you are going to open your jaws wider as if you were going to bite two fingers lengthways and put your tongue on the low and the central position. You may touch the tip of your tongue to your lower gums.

Does it make sense to you? Let's try to pronounce [a] あ after the tutor on the video!

Wasabi Japanese Pronunciation Lessons

Words Exercise with the Pronunciation [a] あ

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

Words	Roman Letters	Meanings
あなた	a na ta	you
あの	a no	that
あさ	a sa	morning
あした	a shi ta	tomorrow
あるく	a ru ku	to walk
あう	a u	to meet
あげる	a ge ru	to give [to others]
まいあさ	ma i a sa	every morning
ぐあい	gu a i	condition, health
しあい	shi a i	game, match

Sentences Exercise with the Pronunciation [a] あ

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

Japanese Sentences	English Translations
朝あさのあいさつは大だい事じです。	The morning greeting is important.
明日あした、あの本ほんを買かいます。	Tomorrow, I will buy that book.
毎日友達まいにちともだちと会あいます。	I meet with my friends every day.

Tongue Twister Exercise with the Pronunciation [a] あ

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
青あおは藍あいより出いでて藍あいより青あおし。	青あお: blue, 藍あい: indigo, 出いでる: to come
明日あしたの朝あさはあしたの朝あさともあすの朝あさとも読よめる。	明日あした: tomorrow, 朝あさ: morning, 読よむ: to read
お綾あやや、親おやにお謝あやり。	お綾あや: girl’s name, 親おや: parents, 謝あやる: to apologize

Conclusion