Description of the Japanese Pronunciation う
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 う, you are going to purse your lips slightly and raise the back part of your tongue up to the upper-middle and the back position.
Does it make sense to you? Let's try to pronounce [u] う after the tutor on the video!
Wasabi Japanese Pronunciation Lessons
Words Exercise with the Pronunciation [u] う
Please repeat the following words after the tutor on the video.
| Words | Roman Letters | Meanings |
|---|---|---|
| うみ | u mi | sea |
| うた | u ta | song |
| うる | u ru | to sell |
| 家 | u chi | house |
| うわぎ | u wa gi | coat |
| うすい | u su i | thin |
| うしろ | u shi ro | behind |
| うま | u ma | horse |
| 会う | a u | to meet |
| いう | i u | to say |
Sentences Exercise with the Pronunciation [u] う
Please repeat the following sentences after the tutor in the video.
| Japanese Sentences | English Translations |
|---|---|
| 海の歌を歌います。 | I’ll sing the song of the sea. |
| 馬を売りました。 | I sold the horse. |
| 弟の上着を借ります。 | I’ll borrow a jacket from my little brother. |
Tongue Twister Exercise with the Pronunciation [u] う
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 |
|---|---|
|
外郎売りがういろうを売る。 |
外郎: Japanese sweet’s name, 売る: to sell |
|
歌うたいが来て歌うたえと言うが、歌うたいくらい歌うまければ歌うたうが、歌うたいくらい歌うまくないので歌うたわぬ。 |
歌うたい: singer, 歌: song, 歌う: to sing |
|
骨粗鬆症訴訟勝訴。 |
骨粗鬆症: osteoporosis, 訴訟: lawsuit, 勝訴: to win a lawsuit |
Conclusion
This is the how to pronounce [u] う. 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 [e] え.