Japanese flashcards
for vocabulary learning

You can adjust the flashcard settings to suit your vocabulary practice:

• Choosing the number of flashcards per exercise

  You can choose how many flashcards you want to practice during a typing session. The default number is ten. If you are a beginner, you may find it easier to start with fewer flashcards.

• Choosing a variant of the English language

  You can choose which variant of English the flashcards will use: British or American English. Since there are differences between the two, you can select the variant you prefer.

The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) provides a standardized set of symbols to represent the sounds of spoken language. Below are the IPA symbols for Japanese pronunciation, with examples and descriptions, including the pronunciation of these sounds in English.

Japanese Vowels

• /a/ - as in あめ (ame), pronounced /a.me/ (similar to "a" in father /ˈfɑːðər/)
• /i/ - as in いぬ (inu), pronounced /i.nu/ (like "ee" in see /siː/)
• /u/ - as in うみ (umi), pronounced /u.mi/ (similar to "oo" in boot /buːt/)
• /e/ - as in えび (ebi), pronounced /e.bi/ (like "e" in bed /bɛd/)
• /o/ - as in おとこ (otoko), pronounced /o.to.ko/ (like "o" in not /nɒt/)

Japanese Consonants

• /k/ - as in かぜ (kaze), pronounced /ka.ze/ (like "k" in cat /kæt/)
• /ɡ/ - as in がっこう (gakkou), pronounced /ɡak.koː/ (like "g" in go /ɡoʊ/)
• /s/ - as in さくら (sakura), pronounced /sa.ku.ra/ (like "s" in see /siː/)
• /z/ - as in ぞう (zou), pronounced /zoː/ (like "z" in zebra /ˈziːbrə/)
• /t/ - as in たべもの (tabemono), pronounced /ta.be.mo.no/ (like "t" in top /tɒp/)
• /d/ - as in でんしゃ (densha), pronounced /den.ʃa/ (like "d" in dog /dɒɡ/)
• /n/ - as in ねこ (neko), pronounced /ne.ko/ (like "n" in net /nɛt/)
• /h/ - as in はな (hana), pronounced /ha.na/ (like "h" in hat /hæt/)
• /m/ - as in みず (mizu), pronounced /mi.zu/ (like "m" in man /mæn/)
• /r/ - as in りんご (ringo), pronounced /riŋ.ɡo/ (like a tapped "r" or "d" sound, somewhat similar to the "tt" in butter in American English)
• /w/ - as in わかる (wakaru), pronounced /wa.ka.ru/ (like "w" in water /ˈwɔːtər/)
• /j/ - as in やま (yama), pronounced /ja.ma/ (like "y" in yes /jɛs/)

Japanese Consonant Clusters

• /ɕ/ - as in しろ (shiro), pronounced /ɕi.ro/ (like "sh" in shoe /ʃuː/)
• /t͡ɕ/ - as in ちかてつ (chikatetsu), pronounced /t͡ɕi.ka.te.tsu/ (like "ch" in cheese /tʃiːz/)
• /ɸ/ - as in ふね (fune), pronounced /ɸu.ne/ (similar to "f" in fun /fʌn/, but with both lips)
• /dz/ - as in あずま (adzuma), pronounced /ad͡zu.ma/ (like "ds" in adds /ædz/)

Unique Features of Japanese Pronunciation

While Japanese pronunciation shares some similarities with other languages, it has unique features that are important for learners to understand.

• Pitch Accent: In Tokyo Japanese, pitch accent distinguishes words. はし (hashi, bridge) [haɕi] (low-high) vs. はし (hashi, chopsticks) [haɕi] (high-low).
• Vowel Length: Similar to Czech, Japanese has short and long vowels, which can change the meaning of a word. For example, おばさん (obasan, aunt) /o.ba.san/ vs. おばあさん (obaasan, grandmother) /o.baː.san/.
• Gemination: Consonant length can also change word meaning. For example, きて (kite, come) /ki.te/ vs. きって (kitte, stamp) /kit.te/.
• Syllabic Nasal: The nasal ん occupies one mora, and its pronunciation changes with the following sound. In かんじ (kanji), it is approximately [n] before [dʑ], as in [kan.dʑi]; [ɴ] is one possible realization in other contexts, not a sound unique to Japanese. A preceding vowel can also become nasalized.
• Mora Timing: Japanese rhythm is described in moras, units used to measure syllable weight. A short vowel counts as one mora; a long vowel counts as two, and ん and the first part of a geminate consonant each count as one. Moras provide a rhythmic framework, but their actual duration varies in speech.
• Palatalization: Before /i/, some consonants have a palatalized pronunciation: き (ki) can be transcribed [kʲi]. For s, compare さ [sa] with し (shi) [ɕi]. These examples show how the tongue moves towards the palate for different consonants.
• Vowel Devoicing: The vowels /i/ and /u/ are often devoiced between voiceless consonants or in certain word-final positions. In です (desu, is), the final vowel can be voiceless, [desɯ̥], and sound almost absent. This also occurs in polite speech; devoicing does not always mean the vowel has been deleted.
• L and V sounds: Japanese does not distinguish /l/ from its usual tap-like r sound [ɾ]. /v/ is often replaced by /b/, although some speakers use [v] in loanwords. These differences can make learning English pronunciation more difficult for Japanese speakers.