Description of the Japanese Pronunciation え
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 え, you are going to open your mouth as if you were trying to bite one finger, and raise the front part of your tongue up to the upper-middle and the front position. The shape of your mouth should be between あ and い.
Does it make sense to you? Let's try to pronounce [e] え after the tutor on the video!
Wasabi Japanese Pronunciation Lessons
Words Exercise with the Pronunciation [e] え
Please repeat the following words after the tutor on the video.
| Words | Roman Letters | Meanings |
|---|---|---|
| 絵 | e | picture |
| 円 | e n | circle |
| えき | e ki | station |
| えいが | e i ga | movie |
| えんぴつ | e n pi tsu | pencil |
| えんとつ | e n to tsu | chimney |
| こえ | ko e | voice |
| なまえ | na ma e | name |
| おぼえる | o bo e ru | to memorize |
| きこえる | ki ko e ru | to be heard, to hear |
Sentences Exercise with the Pronunciation [e] え
Please repeat the following sentences after the tutor in the video.
| Japanese Sentences | English Translations |
|---|---|
| 駅への道を教えます。 | I’ll teach you the way to the station. |
| 子どもの声が聞こえます。 | I hear a child’s voice. |
| 人の名前を覚えます。 | I’ll remember the person’s name. |
Tongue Twister Exercise with the Pronunciation [e] え
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 |
|---|---|
|
英語で笑顔と言えるなら、笑顔で英語と言いましょう。 |
英語: English, 笑顔: smile, 言う: to say |
|
鉛筆で円の絵を描く、鉛筆で円の絵を描く。 |
鉛筆: pencil, 円: circle, 絵: picture, 描く: to draw |
|
宴会の声が延々と聞こえる、宴会の声が延々と聞こえる。 |
宴会: drinking party, 声: voice, 延々: to go on and on for a while |
Conclusion
This is the how to pronounce [e] え. 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 [o] お.