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Japanese Lessons
Topic Started: Apr 17 2010, 03:33 AM (46 Views)
Amon

Konnichiwa, minnasan! If you've watched enough anime or spent some time surfing the fanweb, you probably already know what that means, and you've likely picked up quite a few other words, too. That's a good start, if you've got it, but we're going to go a bit farther here--these are some real lessons if you really want to speak some Japanese.

Since this isn't just a simple phrasebook, it's going to take more than just skimming over these lessons to get anything out of them--the examples may be silly, but the learnin' is real. You're going to have to read carefully, talk to yourself (make sure you're alone--people probably think you're weird enough already), and actually spend time thinking.

Just like homework, only with any luck you'll enjoy this more.

A few warnings, so you're good and scared before you start:

* Japanese is not an easy language. It's not a terribly difficult language, either (try Chinese for that), but the grammar is different, and most words are very different from English and other European languages.
* It's going to be a while before you can actually do anything useful. Learning a language is always like that--to most people, everything is very confusing at first, but at some point things start to stick. That can take a while, though.
* Although these are real Japanese lessons, they're not necessarily good ones. They are, however, free, and they should be a lot more fun than the standard "This is a Pen." and "My name is Smith." stuff. If you're serious about learning Japanese, you should probably go take a class at your local community college, or at least buy a professional book.

Are you quaking in abject terror, shaken to the very core of your being? Ok, so it's not that bad. But if you've ever picked up a real textbook you'll know I'm not kidding when I say they always start with "This is a pen." Why is a mystery.
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Amon

Syllables

The first thing that's good to know (and you may already) is that Japanese is made up of individual syllables, each of which is one specific sound. Here's an example word (and complete sentence, in the right situation):

This word has 4 syllables: "he" "n" "ta" and "i".

Japanese syllables are a good thing. Why? There is exactly one, and only one, way to pronounce each of them. Since words are made up of these sounds--and only these sounds--once you can pronounce the sounds right, you can pronounce everything right. The "ta" in "hentai" sounds exactly the same as it does in "tasukete", as well as any other word with a "ta" in it. Best of all, for the purposes of these lessons, there will also be one and only one way to write each of those sounds. No funky spelling to learn--rejoice.

Pronunciation
Without further ado, here's a great big list of how to pronounce everything. The syllable is in bold on top, and an English word with a similar sound is underneath, with the important part of the word underlined. The only general tip is that all of these sounds are short and tight--don't draw any of the vowels out (for example, don't say "Boooo", just a short little "bu"). If you happen to speak Spanish, you're in luck, because a lot of them sound quite a bit like Spanish sounds (except no rolling the "r"). Even if you don't speak Spanish, there are notes about some of the trickier sounds at the bottom.

Vowels
a
father
tea i
tube u
let e
load o

These are very important, since all the other sounds are based on them, so work at getting them right. Remember: It's "a" as in "are", "i" as in "weak", "u" like the end of "you" (or better yet, "uber"), "e" as in the end of a Canadian sentence (or "let"), and "o" like "Oh." (or "load").

If you really need a mnemonic, try to imagine a Canadian Yoda: "Oh, weak are you, eh?"

KA, KI, KU, KE, KO

Just a run of the mill "k" sound.
SA, SHI, SU, SE, SO

Same as an English "s" sound, with "shi" being like the word "she".
TA, CHI, TSU, TE, TO

"Ta", "te", and "to" are pretty easy (remember that "to" sounds like "toe", not "too", though). "Chi" sounds like... well, "chi" in "Tai Chi", or the beginning of "Cheech and Chong". Tsu is just a tad more tricky... if you have trouble try sticking a "u" onto the end of the "ts" sound in "that's". If that doesn't help, fake it.
NA, NI, NU, NE, NO

"No" sounds like the English word, and the others all have the same "n" sound. Be careful with the spelling, though--"ni" sounds like "knee" and "ne" sounds like "net" without the "t".
HA, HI, FU, HE, HO

The sounds are simple, but watch out for more confusing spelling; "Ha" and "ho" sound like somebody laughing, "hi" sounds like the English word "he" (not like "Hi, how's it hanging!"), and a Japanese "he" sounds like "head" with no "d". "Fu" is sometimes written "hu", but even though it's a little softer than an English "f" (don't touch your teeth with your lower lip), it probably sounds more like an "f"--think "food".
MA, MI, MU, ME, MO

Just an "m" sound, but watch the spelling again--"mi" sounds like the English "me", while the Japanese "me" sounds like the "me" in "medicine". "Ma" is like "Mama!", "mu" is like the sound a cow makes, and "mo" is like the Stooge.
YA, YU, YO

"Yo!" (like Sylvester Stallone). There is no "yi" or "ye"--in fact, most Japanese people can't even say "yi" (but it's fun to watch them try).
RA, RI, RU, RE, RO

Ah, here's the hard one; this is where the Japanese get revenge for all the English sounds they can't pronounce properly. We may write it with an "r", but it sounds like exactly equal parts "R", "L", and "D"--kind of like a "D", but you flick your tongue against the same bumpy part at the top of your mouth you hit with an "L". Try listening to somebody say it on a video, but don't worry too much--an English "Rah!" or "row" sound works well enough.
GA, GI, GU, GE, GO

All of these are more or less (don't worry about the details yet) a hard "g" sound.
ZA, ZU, ZE, ZO

The Japanese "z" sound is a little more like a "tz", but it's not a big deal--saying "zu" like "zoo" is fine, for example.
JA, JI, JU, JO

Just "j" sounds.
DA, DE, DO

Nice easy "d" sound; watch the spelling on "de", which sounds like "dead", and "do" which is like "Dodo" (the bird), not the english word "do".
<b>BA, BI, BU, BE, BO</b>

All easy "b" sounds; "ba" like the sound a sheep makes, "bi" like the bug that stings you, "bu" like the sound a ghost makes, "bo" like the girl who herds the sheep, and "be" like the word "bet".
PA, PI, PU, PE, PO

Again, just "p" sounds. And yes, they sound like children's words for bodily functions. Deal with it.
Edited by Amon, Apr 17 2010, 03:52 AM.
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