Japanese Pronunciation Overview

Level: N5. Japanese pronunciation is kinder to beginners than it looks. There are only five vowels, the rhythm is even, and the writing system spells the sounds reliably. The few things that trip people up — long vowels, the small double-consonant beat, and pitch — are easy to hear once you know to listen for them. This page shows you what to focus on first.

By the end of this page you can…

…say the five Japanese vowels, feel the even mora rhythm, hear long vowels and double consonants, and use the audio here to practise.

Sound is built from mora (even beats)

Japanese rhythm is not built from stressed and unstressed syllables like English. It is built from mora — short, equal beats. Each kana is one beat, and you give every beat the same length. The word さくら (sakura, cherry blossom) is three even beats: sa-ku-ra, none louder than the others.

A few things count as their own separate beat: a long vowel, the final ん (n), and the small っ (the double-consonant pause). Counting beats correctly is the key to a natural rhythm.

The five vowels

Learn these five and they never change:

Every Japanese word is made from these five vowels (alone or after a consonant). Keep them short and clean — do not let お (o) glide toward “ow”.

Long vowels and double consonants change meaning

Two length features carry meaning, so they are worth getting right:

• Long vowels last two beats. Holding the vowel makes a different word: おばさん (obasan, aunt) versus おばあさん (obāsan, grandmother); おじさん (ojisan, uncle) versus おじいさん (ojīsan, grandfather). The long vowel is shown with ō/ū in romaji.
• The small っ (sokuon) is a one-beat silent pause before a consonant, written as a double letter in romaji: きて (kite, come) versus きって (kitte, stamp); また (mata, again) versus まった (matta, waited). Stop the air for one beat on the double consonant.

Sounds English speakers get wrong

A short list of consonants need attention:

• The r-row ら り る れ ろ (ra ri ru re ro) is a light tap, between an English r, l and d — close to the “dd” in “ladder”. It is never the hard English r.
• ふ (fu) is a soft f made with both lips, not the teeth-on-lip English f.
• つ (tsu) blends t and s: say the “ts” in “cats”, then add the vowel.
• ん (n) is a full beat and changes colour with the next sound (closer to “m” before b/p). In みかん (mikan, mandarin) it is its own beat.
• Devoiced vowels: い (i) and う (u) can go almost silent between certain consonants — すき (suki, to like) often sounds like “ski”.

Pitch accent, not stress

Japanese does not punch one syllable harder. Instead, the pitch (high or low) can differ between words. はし (hashi) can mean “chopsticks” or “bridge” depending on its pitch pattern, which also varies by region. You do not need to study pitch charts as a beginner — just copy the audio closely and your pitch will drift the right way.

How to say it

Three habits fix most beginner errors:

• Even beats: tap the table once per mora as you say さくら (sakura) — sa-ku-ra, equal taps.
• Hold long vowels: stretch おばあさん (obāsan) a full beat longer than おばさん (obasan).
• Light r: flick the tongue once for ら (ra); do not use the English r.

Listen and repeat with the audio

Press play on each word, then say it back. These contrast the features above.

1. あ、い、う、え、お
   a, i, u, e, o
   the five vowels
   short and clean, no glide
2. さくら
   sakura
   cherry blossom
   three even beats: sa-ku-ra
3. おばさん
   obasan
   aunt / middle-aged woman
   short a
4. おばあさん
   obāsan
   grandmother
   long ā, one beat longer
5. おじさん
   ojisan
   uncle
6. おじいさん
   ojīsan
   grandfather
   long ī
7. きて
   kite
   come
   no pause
8. きって
   kitte
   stamp (postage)
   small っ: a one-beat silent pause
9. らりるれろ
   ra ri ru re ro
   the r-row
   a light tap, not the English r
10. ふじさん
    Fujisan
    Mount Fuji
    soft ふ (fu) with both lips
11. つくえ
    tsukue
    desk
    つ (tsu) blends t and s
12. みかん
    mikan
    mandarin orange
    ん (n) is its own beat
13. せんせい
    sensei
    teacher
    long e sound
14. とうきょう
    Tōkyō
    Tokyo
    four beats, two long o's
15. がっこう
    gakkō
    school
    small っ then a long o
16. ありがとう
    arigatō
    thank you
    long o at the end

How to use the audio on this site

Every example and quiz word has a play button that uses your browser voice. Make it work for you:

• Tap the beats. Play a word and tap once per mora so your rhythm stays even.
• Hold the long ones. Repeat おばあさん (obāsan) and gakkō until the long beat feels natural.
• Record and compare. Record yourself, then play the example again and listen for the gap.
• Shadow it. Speak at the same time on the next play, matching the pitch you hear.

Quick recap before you practise.

Practice

Practice

Japanese pronunciation practice

Try each one, then press Check. No sign-up, nothing is sent anywhere — it all runs in your browser.

1 How many vowel sounds does Japanese have?

five around twenty ten it varies by word

Check

Show answer

five — Japanese has exactly five vowels: a, i, u, e, o.

2 What is a mora?

a stressed syllable an even, equal-length beat a silent letter a pitch mark

Check

Show answer

an even, equal-length beat — Japanese rhythm is built from mora — short beats of equal length.

3 The word for 'stamp', written with a small っ, is romanised ____ (compare きて kite, 'come').

Check

Hint: double the consonant for the silent beat

Show answer

kitte — きって (kitte) has the one-beat pause; きて (kite) does not.

4 Match each word to the feature it shows.

• おばあさん (obāsan) Match for おばあさん (obāsan) — choose — double consonantfinal n as a beatlong vowelthe tsu sound
• きって (kitte) Match for きって (kitte) — choose — double consonantfinal n as a beatlong vowelthe tsu sound
• みかん (mikan) Match for みかん (mikan) — choose — double consonantfinal n as a beatlong vowelthe tsu sound
• つくえ (tsukue) Match for つくえ (tsukue) — choose — double consonantfinal n as a beatlong vowelthe tsu sound

Check

Show answer

• おばあさん (obāsan) → long vowel
• きって (kitte) → double consonant
• みかん (mikan) → final n as a beat
• つくえ (tsukue) → the tsu sound

Long vowel, small っ, the ん beat, and つ (tsu) are the features to hear.

5 The Japanese r-row ら り る れ ろ (ra ri ru re ro) sounds most like…

a hard English r a light tap, like the dd in ladder an English l only a silent letter

Check

Show answer

a light tap, like the dd in ladder — It is a quick tap between r, l and d — never the hard English r.

Quiz

Check yourself

Japanese pronunciation overview quiz

8 questions · pick an answer and you'll see straight away if it's right.

0/8 0 answered

1. 1Japanese rhythm is built from…

   A stressed syllables like English B equal beats called mora C pitch charts D silent letters
   Show answer

   equal beats called mora — Each kana is one even beat; keep every beat the same length.

2. 2How many vowel sounds are there?

   A five B eight C twelve D twenty
   Show answer

   five — a, i, u, e, o — only five, and they never change.

3. 3What is the difference between おばさん (obasan) and おばあさん (obāsan)?

   A the first consonant B a long vowel held an extra beat C the pitch only D nothing
   Show answer

   a long vowel held an extra beat — The long vowel adds a beat and changes 'aunt' to 'grandmother'.

4. 4The small っ (as in きって, kitte) is…

   A a long vowel B a one-beat silent pause before a consonant C a pitch mark D an English t
   Show answer

   a one-beat silent pause before a consonant — It is a held, silent beat written as a double consonant in romaji.

5. 5The r-row ら り る れ ろ (ra ri ru re ro) is…

   A a hard English r B a light tap near 'dd' in ladder C always an l D silent
   Show answer

   a light tap near 'dd' in ladder — A quick tap of the tongue, not the English r.

6. 6つ (tsu) is pronounced like…

   A the t in top B the ts in cats plus a vowel C the s in sun D the ch in chair
   Show answer

   the ts in cats plus a vowel — Blend t and s: 'ts' as in cats, then the vowel.

7. 7Does Japanese stress one syllable harder, like English?

   A yes, always the first B no — it uses even beats and pitch C yes, always the last D only in questions
   Show answer

   no — it uses even beats and pitch — There is no heavy stress; keep beats even and copy the pitch you hear.

8. 8The best way to get pitch right as a beginner is to…

   A memorise pitch charts first B copy the audio closely C always go high then low D ignore it forever
   Show answer

   copy the audio closely — Shadowing good audio nudges your pitch the right way without charts.

Next

• Build words into sentences with the です (desu) copula
• Browse every topic in the Japanese grammar section
• New here? Start with Start Learning Japanese Here