Japanese pronunciation guide
How to pronounce Japanese long vowels and double consonants
Japanese is timed in beats called mora, and every beat takes about the same time. A long vowel takes two beats, and the small っ is a beat of silence before a consonant. Say them short and the word changes: おばさん is an aunt, おばあさん is a grandmother. The sentences below are written in kana so you can count the beats.
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Long vowels
Hold the vowel for two beats. Written with a repeated vowel in hiragana, or with ー in katakana.
おばあさん, とうきょう, ビール, すうじ
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Small tsu
A beat of silence (or a held s) before the next consonant.
きって, がっこう, ちょっと, いっしょ
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ん is a beat too
ん counts as a full beat of its own: こんにちは has five beats, not three.
こんにちは, せんせい, ほん
How to make the sounds
- Tap once per beat: o-ba-a-sa-n is five taps, o-ba-sa-n is four.
- For a long vowel, keep the sound going through two taps without a break.
- For っ, get your mouth ready for the next consonant and hold it silent for one tap: ki, pause, te.
- Keep the pitch smooth. Japanese accent is about pitch, not loudness, so do not hit the long vowel harder.
Minimal pairs
Each pair differs by one beat.
- おばさん おばあさん aunt · grandmother
- おじさん おじいさん uncle · grandfather
- ビル ビール building · beer
- きて きって come · stamp
- さか さっか slope · writer
- いえ いいえ house · no
- ここ こうこう here · high school
Practice with real sentences
Tap Practice to open the sentence in Tono, listen to it, and say it.
- おばあさんはとうきょうにすんでいます。 Obāsan wa Tōkyō ni sunde imasu. My grandmother lives in Tokyo.Practice
- きってをにまいください。 Kitte o nimai kudasai. Two stamps, please.Practice
- ちょっとまってください。 Chotto matte kudasai. Please wait a moment.Practice
- がっこうはくじからです。 Gakkō wa kuji kara desu. School starts at nine.Practice
- ビールをいっぱいください。 Bīru o ippai kudasai. One beer, please.Practice
- いっしょにいきましょう。 Issho ni ikimashō. Let’s go together.Practice
- せんせいはきょうしつにいます。 Sensei wa kyōshitsu ni imasu. The teacher is in the classroom.Practice
- こんにちは、おげんきですか。 Konnichiwa, ogenki desu ka. Hello, how are you?Practice
Common mistakes
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Long vowels cut short
The most common mistake for speakers of English, Spanish, French and Mandarin. Tap the beats until the long vowel feels long.
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っ said as a stress
Learners often hit the syllable before っ harder instead of pausing. It is a silence, not extra force.