What parts of Japanese are difficult for English speakers to pronounce?
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| Comet Hyakutake |
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| Photo credit: Rick Scott and Joe Orman/NASA
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The following features of Japanese pronunciation cause problems for
English speakers:
-
The tsu in tsunami (tidal wave), especially at the beginning
of a word.
-
The sound represented in rōmaji as r is not an English 'r'
or an English 'l'. See What is rōmaji r? for a full discussion.
-
Words like hyakutake, the name of a comet, are difficult because
there are no English words that have a consonant followed by a 'y'
sound and a vowel in the same syllable, unless the vowel is 'u' (as in
Hugh). So hyakutake may come out like hiyakutake.
-
Japanese pitch accent. See What is Japanese pitch accent?
-
It is difficult for English speakers to correctly produce Japanese
short and long vowels, such as correctly pronouncing ito (string)
and Itō, a surname.
- It is difficult for English speakers to distinguish between the
'n' in kon'yaku (engagement to be married) and in kon'nyaku
(a jelly-like foodstuff), or to correctly pronounce a Japanese name
like Shin'ichi or Jun'ichiro. See
What are the differences between kana writing and pronunciation? for a fuller discussion.
Acknowledgements
Jaime Benito de Valle Ruiz suggested a clarification about
English vowels.
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