Basic Japanese. Eriko Sato
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use this sound for the r in very, merry, and berry so that the Englishman’s berry often sounds like the American Betty. This r will sound a little bit like a d to you. The differences between the Japanese r and d are primarily two: length—the r is brief, the d somewhat longer; and position of contact—the r is against the alveolar ridge with the very tip of the tongue, but the d is against the teeth with somewhat more of the tongue. You might begin to practice this sound in medial position, being careful not to make it like an American r—nor to trill it lengthily like an Italian r—and at the same time keep it distinct from the Japanese d:
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| [cue 01-19] |
| Japanese d (TEETH!) | Japanese r (RIDGE! BRIEF!) | American r |
| 肌 hada skin | 鱈 tara cod fish | horror |
| 届ける todokeru delivers | 蕩ける torokeru is enchanted | Tory |
| 袖 sode sleeve | それ sore that | Cory |
| --- | 蟻 ari ant | sorry |
| --- | する suru does | true |
Be sure you are putting the r at the beginning of the syllable: sorosoro [so-ro-so-ro] ‘leisurely.’ Once you have acquired the sound, try practicing it initially:
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| [cue 01-20] |
| Japanese d (TEETH!) | Japanese r (RIDGE! BRIEF!) | American r |
| 抱く daku embraces | 楽 raku comfort | rock |
| 電柱 denchū telephone pole | 連中 renchū gang | wrench |
| 毒 doku poison | 六 roku six | rogue |
| --- | りんご ringo apple | ring |
| --- | 留守 rusu absence | roots |
Once you’re able to make the initial r, you’re ready to tackle the combination ry. This sound is made by putting the back part of the tongue in position to make the y sound, then very swiftly moving just the tip of the tongue up to make the flap for the r. You might practice the words first without the r, making the y good and strong; then go over them inserting the r lightly, without damaging the y. Do not make the r and then add an extra syllable just to get the y in. Examples:
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| [cue 01-21] |
| 略 ryaku [rya-ku] | abbreviation |
| 琉球 Ryūkyū [ryu-u-kyu-u] | Ryukyu (Islands) |
| 省略 shōryaku [sho-o-rya-ku] | abbreviation, omission |
| 上流 jōryū [jo-o-ryu-u] | upper reaches (of a river) |
| 大統領 daitōryō [da-i-to-o-ryo-o] | president |
1.9. Syllabic nasal
There is one more sound that may cause you some trouble. This is the syllabic nasal. The Japanese write this sound with the same symbol, but it is pronounced in different ways, depending on the sounds around it. For example, the n sounds in tan-i ‘academic credits’ and tani ‘valley’ sound completely different. The Hepburn Romanization writes the syllabic nasal sometimes m, sometimes n and sometimes n’ or n- (n followed by an apostrophe or a hyphen). The sound may be written m if it is followed by p, b, or m—any lip sound other than f or w; it is written n’ or n- if it is followed by a vowel (a, e, i, o, u) or by y; and it is written just n before other consonants (including f and w) and at the end of a word.
The pronunciation of the syllabic nasal varies according to its surroundings, but it is always pronounced with the nasal passage open and it always takes a full syllable’s time. There are four main pronunciations:
1. a long (syllabic) m (before p, b, and m)
2. a long (syllabic) n (dental!, before t, ts, d, n, ch, and j)
3. a long (syllabic) ng (before k and g)
4. long nasalization N (elsewhere (before vowel, y, w, r, s, sh, z, h, f, or at the end of a word))
You will have little difficulty with the first two pronunciations. Just remember to hold the nasal for a full syllable’s time. Here are some examples:
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| [cue 01-22] |
1. a long (syllabic) m
| 見物 kenbutsu [ke-m-bu-tsu] | sightseeing |
| 金髪 kinpatsu [ki-m-pa-tsu] | blond (hair) |
| 三枚 san-mai [sa-m-ma-i] | three sheets (of paper) |
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| [cue 01-23] |
2. a long (syllabic) n
| ちゃんと chanto [cha-n-to] | just, precisely |
| 心痛 shintsū [shi-n-tsu-u] | anguish, heartache |
| 今度 kondo [ko-n-do] | this time; next time |
| こんにちは kon’nichi wa [ko-n-ni-chi-wa] | hello, good afternoon |
| 建築 kenchiku [ke-n-chi-ku] | construction, building |
| 三時 san-ji [sa-n-ji] | three o’clock |
The third pronunciation may cause you some difficulty. The combination nk is pronounced about as in banker, but the ng sound of the n is held for a full syllable. The combination written in the Hepburn Romanization as ng is pronounced with that ngg sound of fingger in some parts of Japan, but in the Standard Language it is pronounced like two ng sounds in a row: ngng, with the first held for a full syllable and the second beginning the following syllable. Get out your tongue-depressor again, and keep the tongue tip down a little longer.
Cf. nangai ‘how many floors’ and nagai ‘is long.’
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