MORA AND KANA Accent Intonation
Learn key pronunciation tips for Japanese! Understand moras—rhythmic units like syllables—and how kana correspond to sound. Master equal timing and natural speech with these essential basics.
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MORA AN D KANA (syllabary and sound)
If you're learning Japanese, you may be f o c u s e d on w r i t i n g or g r a m m a r , but
it's i m p o r t a n t to r e m e m b e r to practice pronunciation as well, especially
because it is so different from English. Good pronunciation will help you be
better understood, and your Japanese will sound more natural. In this post, I
outline 6 i m p o r t a n t pronuncation points to learn, r e m e m b e r , and practice, as
you i m p r o v e your Japanese speaking skills!
MORAS
Japanese has moras, which are similar to syllables, but they are r h y t h m i c
units (for more on moras, click here}. Each mora is pronounced with equal
stress and for the same d u r a t i o n of time. This is i m p o r t a n t to r e m e m b e r f o r
later points. Although there are some exceptions, one kana (a hiragana or
katakana character) is usually one mora. Except for A (n), each kana is
either a vowel sound, or a consonant + vowel sound together.
For the most part, one kana = one mora (or beat). However, there are
exceptions like ( k y a h (kyu), (kyo}. These are one mora each.
You can visually differentiate them from others t h r o u g h the small (ya},
(yu), or j; (yo) characters that follow a bigger kana. In the hiragana chart
below, they are listed in the bottom one third of the page.
5 VOWELS
There are 5 vowel_sounds which do not change. As m e n t i o n e d above, except
for one, every kana is a either just a vowel sound, or a consonant + a vowel.
In the hiragana chart, you'll see the five vowel sounds across the top: (a),
U (i), 0 (u), X. (e), fc- (o) . In the left-hand column, you'll see a series of
consonants beginning in the second row: k, s, t, and so on. Each of these
consonants combines with the vowel sound in that colum. So, for example,
the 'k' sound plus the 'a' sound is 'ka' ( fr), the 't' sound plus the 'e' sound is
'te' ( X ) .
Because each kana includes one of the 5 vowel sounds (each of which never
change), it's cruicial to pronounce all 5 of them correctly.
Hiragana Chart*****
If you're learning Japanese, you may be f o c u s e d on w r i t i n g or g r a m m a r , but
it's i m p o r t a n t to r e m e m b e r to practice pronunciation as well, especially
because it is so different from English. Good pronunciation will help you be
better understood, and your Japanese will sound more natural. In this post, I
outline 6 i m p o r t a n t pronuncation points to learn, r e m e m b e r , and practice, as
you i m p r o v e your Japanese speaking skills!
MORAS
Japanese has moras, which are similar to syllables, but they are r h y t h m i c
units (for more on moras, click here}. Each mora is pronounced with equal
stress and for the same d u r a t i o n of time. This is i m p o r t a n t to r e m e m b e r f o r
later points. Although there are some exceptions, one kana (a hiragana or
katakana character) is usually one mora. Except for A (n), each kana is
either a vowel sound, or a consonant + vowel sound together.
For the most part, one kana = one mora (or beat). However, there are
exceptions like ( k y a h (kyu), (kyo}. These are one mora each.
You can visually differentiate them from others t h r o u g h the small (ya},
(yu), or j; (yo) characters that follow a bigger kana. In the hiragana chart
below, they are listed in the bottom one third of the page.
5 VOWELS
There are 5 vowel_sounds which do not change. As m e n t i o n e d above, except
for one, every kana is a either just a vowel sound, or a consonant + a vowel.
In the hiragana chart, you'll see the five vowel sounds across the top: (a),
U (i), 0 (u), X. (e), fc- (o) . In the left-hand column, you'll see a series of
consonants beginning in the second row: k, s, t, and so on. Each of these
consonants combines with the vowel sound in that colum. So, for example,
the 'k' sound plus the 'a' sound is 'ka' ( fr), the 't' sound plus the 'e' sound is
'te' ( X ) .
Because each kana includes one of the 5 vowel sounds (each of which never
change), it's cruicial to pronounce all 5 of them correctly.
Hiragana Chart*****
LONG VOWELS
Japanese has short (regular length) and long (double length) vowels. Here's
one example: (obasan) is aunt/middle-aged woman, and
(obaasan, also written as: obasan) is grandmother/old woman. The difference
between a long and short vowel can be significant!
Long vowels can be expressed in a few different ways. They can either be a
repetition of the previous vowel sound, as in (o-ba-a-sa-n), or with
an 5 (u) as in ftc o 5 (hi-ko-u-ki) (airplane). A final option can only be used
with katakana, which is a line: jj— F (ka-(long)-do) (card). In every case, the
vowel of the previous kana is simply pronounced for double the usual length.
'RA1 PRONUNCIATION
Although in Romaji, 6 (rah 0 (ri), § (ru), ft (re), and 5 (ro) are written with
T's, it's actually not the same sound at all. The Japanese sound is called an
alveolar tap. This means that the sound is produced by gently tapping the tip
of your tongue to the area just behind your top, front teeth. It's a bit like a
hybrid sound between an English 'd' and an Italian T. (Confusing? Don't
worry! skip to 8:33 in this video to learn more.)
SMALL TSU'
The small 'tsu' (-□) is a full mora on it's own, which means it takes a full beat
for itself. In Romaji, it's written as a double consonant, and is called a glottal
stop. It's pronounced by using the root of your tongue to temporarily
blocking the air during speech. In English, we use it for emphasis like in 'Uh-
oh!' (If you're having trouble, pronounce it a few times and feel the air stop
and go, stop and go.)
PITCH ACCENT
There are two pitch accents in Japanese: high and low. Each word comes
with it's own pre-determined pitch accent pattern. This does not change
depending on your emotions or emphasis, but it may change depending on
the dialect. (For many, the most notable difference is between standard
Japanese and the Kansai dialect.) It can be challengingfor Japanese learners
to get used to, but the correct pitch accent determines meaning, and it just
Japanese has short (regular length) and long (double length) vowels. Here's
one example: (obasan) is aunt/middle-aged woman, and
(obaasan, also written as: obasan) is grandmother/old woman. The difference
between a long and short vowel can be significant!
Long vowels can be expressed in a few different ways. They can either be a
repetition of the previous vowel sound, as in (o-ba-a-sa-n), or with
an 5 (u) as in ftc o 5 (hi-ko-u-ki) (airplane). A final option can only be used
with katakana, which is a line: jj— F (ka-(long)-do) (card). In every case, the
vowel of the previous kana is simply pronounced for double the usual length.
'RA1 PRONUNCIATION
Although in Romaji, 6 (rah 0 (ri), § (ru), ft (re), and 5 (ro) are written with
T's, it's actually not the same sound at all. The Japanese sound is called an
alveolar tap. This means that the sound is produced by gently tapping the tip
of your tongue to the area just behind your top, front teeth. It's a bit like a
hybrid sound between an English 'd' and an Italian T. (Confusing? Don't
worry! skip to 8:33 in this video to learn more.)
SMALL TSU'
The small 'tsu' (-□) is a full mora on it's own, which means it takes a full beat
for itself. In Romaji, it's written as a double consonant, and is called a glottal
stop. It's pronounced by using the root of your tongue to temporarily
blocking the air during speech. In English, we use it for emphasis like in 'Uh-
oh!' (If you're having trouble, pronounce it a few times and feel the air stop
and go, stop and go.)
PITCH ACCENT
There are two pitch accents in Japanese: high and low. Each word comes
with it's own pre-determined pitch accent pattern. This does not change
depending on your emotions or emphasis, but it may change depending on
the dialect. (For many, the most notable difference is between standard
Japanese and the Kansai dialect.) It can be challengingfor Japanese learners
to get used to, but the correct pitch accent determines meaning, and it just
needs to be memorize
i h ; n i h i
11It*
U K u n i t 1
Take fatf) (ame) for example. It can either mean rain or candy, depending on
the accent pattern. Although the kanji are different, the kana are the same,
so it's important to get it correct.
When we have the LH (low high) pattern, we have the word for candy. The
opposite pattern, HL (high low), is rain. (This is the pattern for standard
Japanese. Regional dialects may differ/be opposite.)
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
Let's take a look at an example. Below, you'll see three words: bracket, past,
and processing/manufacturing. The first and third word are composed of 3
mora - they're 3 beats long and each beat is of equal length. The small 'tsu'
in fro z (kakko) and the long vowel in fytzo (kako) each get their own beat.
Both froz (kakko) and frz (kako) start high and go low, but frz o (kako)
starts low and ends high.
i h ; n i h i
11It*
U K u n i t 1
Take fatf) (ame) for example. It can either mean rain or candy, depending on
the accent pattern. Although the kanji are different, the kana are the same,
so it's important to get it correct.
When we have the LH (low high) pattern, we have the word for candy. The
opposite pattern, HL (high low), is rain. (This is the pattern for standard
Japanese. Regional dialects may differ/be opposite.)
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
Let's take a look at an example. Below, you'll see three words: bracket, past,
and processing/manufacturing. The first and third word are composed of 3
mora - they're 3 beats long and each beat is of equal length. The small 'tsu'
in fro z (kakko) and the long vowel in fytzo (kako) each get their own beat.
Both froz (kakko) and frz (kako) start high and go low, but frz o (kako)
starts low and ends high.
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