How to Learn Spoken Japanese
- 1). Master the pronunciation of vowels in Japanese. With few exceptions, spoken Japanese is straightforward because every syllable follows a simple pattern of pronunciation, as Shigeru Miyagawa of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology explains. Unlike English, in which speakers often pronounce words differently than they're written, Japanese words appear as they are pronounced.
Begin with the vowels and you'll be able to pronounce most other syllables in the language.
A = Ah (compared to English pronunciation "Ay")
I = Ee (compared to English pronunciation "Eye")
U = Oo (compared to English pronunciation "You")
E = Eh (compared to English pronunciation "Ee")
O = Oh (same as English pronunciation)
Notice that the pronunciation for "i" in Japanese is identical to the pronunciation of "e" in English. Pronouncing "mi" in Japanese, then, is identical to saying "me" in English. - 2). Memorize the pronunciation of Japanese syllables. Once the vowel pronunciation has become second nature to you, you can add consonant sounds to create complete syllables. Make sure each syllable rhymes with the "ah, ee, oo, eh, oh" pronunciation.
Don't worry about the written alphabet just yet; focus on pronunciation. Memorizing the pronunciation of all the syllables in the language is necessary, as every syllable in a word is spoken. For example, once you encounter the word "konnichiwa," your practice of saying each syllable aloud will lead you to the proper pronunciation: "koh-n-nee-chee-wah."
The majority of Japanese consonants are pronounced just as their English counterparts, but notice that not all English consonants appear in the Japanese language naturally (most noticeably "l" and "v" sounds). The Japanese pronunciation of "r" sounds somewhat like an English "r" and "l" put together. Roll your tongue a little when pronouncing "r" in Japanese. - 3). Study vocabulary every day. You can't speak Japanese without a grasp of Japanese vocabulary. Teach yourself at least 10 new Japanese words every day. Before you start your new lesson, review all of the previous words you've learned. Use flash cards or an online application to prompt you.
- 4). Learn basic sentence structure. Because the spoken Japanese language depends a lot on context, the most basic Japanese sentence consists of a verb alone. Otherwise, when building a simple sentence, you want to state the subject, the object and then the verb. Remember that no matter how complex the sentence gets, the verb appears at or very near to the end of a sentence and always comes after the subject and an object.
Three basic Japanese sentence structures:
1. Verb
2. Subject + Verb
3. Subject + Object + Verb - 5). Join a Japanese-conversation class. If possible, look into local classes offered by universities and cultural centers that teach basic Japanese. A conversation class will allow you the opportunity to practice speaking Japanese aloud in pretend situations that you might encounter in Japan.
If you can't find a local class, sign up for a conversation class online that you can be a part of using a microphone and chat programs.
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