Japanese pronunciation guide
How to pronounce the Japanese R
The Japanese R, written ら り る れ ろ (ra ri ru re ro), is not an English r and not an English l. It is a single, light tap: the tip of the tongue flicks once against the ridge behind the upper teeth and leaves at once. It is very close to the quick d in American “ladder” or the tt in “better”. Japanese has this one sound where English has both r and l, which is why the same tap can sound like either to English ears.
-
The tap
One quick flick of the tongue tip against the ridge behind the upper teeth. No curling back, no holding.
ら ra, り ri, る ru, れ re, ろ ro
How to make the sound
- Say “ladder” quickly, the American way, and notice the tongue tip flicking once in the middle. That flick is the Japanese R.
- Rest the tip of your tongue lightly behind your upper front teeth, then flick it down as you say the vowel: ra, ri, ru, re, ro.
- Keep it short. Do not curl the tongue back as for English r, and do not press and hold it as for English l.
- Between vowels the tap is at its lightest: さくら (sakura), ありがとう (arigatō). At the start of a word it can be a little firmer: りんご (ringo).
If your tap comes out sounding like a d, you are pressing too long. Touch and let go in the same instant.
Words to warm up with
The tap in different places in the word. Say each one lightly and quickly.
- さくら /sakɯɾa/ cherry blossom
- ありがとう /aɾiɡatoː/ thank you
- くるま /kɯɾɯma/ car
- きれい /kiɾeː/ beautiful, clean
- ろく /ɾokɯ/ six
- りんご /ɾiŋɡo/ apple
- ラーメン /ɾaːmeɴ/ ramen
- よろしく /joɾoɕikɯ/ nice to meet you
Practice with real sentences
Tap Practice to open the sentence in Tono, listen to it, and say it.
- ありがとうございます。 Arigatō gozaimasu. Thank you very much.Practice
- よろしくおねがいします。 Yoroshiku onegai shimasu. Nice to meet you.Practice
- さくらがきれいですね。 Sakura ga kirei desu ne. The cherry blossoms are beautiful, aren’t they?Practice
- ラーメンをください。 Rāmen o kudasai. Ramen, please.Practice
- りんごをろっこかいました。 Ringo o rokko kaimashita. I bought six apples.Practice
- くるまでおくります。 Kuruma de okurimasu. I will drive you there.Practice
- れきしがすきです。 Rekishi ga suki desu. I like history.Practice
- あしたはあめがふるかもしれません。 Ashita wa ame ga furu kamo shiremasen. It might rain tomorrow.Practice
Common mistakes
-
An English R
Curling the tongue back makes every ら sound foreign at once. The tongue tip goes forward and up, never back.
-
An English L
Pressing the tongue against the ridge and holding it, as in “la”, gives a heavy l. The Japanese tap touches and leaves.
-
A rolled R
Speakers of Spanish, Italian and Russian sometimes trill. Use one tap only; a trill sounds rough and forceful in Japanese.