Genki Textbook page 24 Japanese Sounds and Pronunciation

Genki Textbook page 24 あういおえ Japanese Sounds and Pronunciation

Three types of writing 私　は　カナダ　に　行きます。 Watashi wa kanada ni ikimasu. 1. Kanji 2. Hiragana 3. Katakana *Romaji

Kanji　漢字 • Chinese or native-Japanese origin • used for whole words • used for parts of words such as verbs

Hiragana　ひらがな • • 48 characters phonetic syllabary used for Japanese words with no kanji used for grammar such as prepositions, verb conjugations

Katakana　カタカナ • • 48 characters phonetic syllabary used foreign words used to show emphasis ie onomatopoeia

Romaji 　ローマ字 • roman alphabet used to show the pronunciation of Japanese words • used for learners of Japanese only

Pronunciation　はつおん • 5 main vowels (short and long) SHORT SOUNDS LONG SOUNDS あああ a ā いいい i ii or ī ううう u ū e o えお ē or ei ō ええ　えいおう　おお • Similar to: Ah, we soon get old.

Genki Textbook front cover Hiragana Chart

Genki workbook pg 117 -121 Hiragana – basic sounds Mnemonics from: http: //www. canyouchopstick. com/2011/01/katakana-mnemonic/ Animations from: 　http: //japaneselanguageculturefood. com/japanese-language-katakana. htm

• Genki workbook pg 117 – Practice writing as we go!

A あ An antenna is up on the roof. あ as in ‘up on the roof’.

I い There are two eels. い as in ‘eels’.

U う Ooo! This is heavy! う as in ‘Ooo!’

E え I have to exercise. え as in ‘exercise’.

O お A golf ball is on the green. お as in ‘on the green’.

＊NOTE: 　 Handwritten 　 Print

KA か A kite is flying in the sky. か as in ‘kite’.

KI き I have a key. き as in ‘key’.

KU く Here comes a cuckoo bird. く as in ‘cuckoo’.

KE け A keg of beer. け as in ‘keg’.

KO こ An apple core. こ as in ‘core’.

• Genki workbook pg 117 II and III - Can you write the words?

＊NOTE: 　 Handwritten 　 Print

• Genki workbook pg 118 – Practice writing as we go!

SA さ I love sake! さ as in ‘sake’.

SHI 　し She has a ponytail. し as in ‘she’.

SU 　す The pigs tail will soon fall off. す as in ‘soon’.

SE　せ Sensei’s hat. せ as in ‘sensei’.

SO 　そ Zig-zag sewing. そ as in ‘sewing’.

TA た A letter ‘t’ and ‘a’ make ta. た as in ‘ta’.

CHI 　ち She’s a cheerleader. ち as in ‘cheerleader’.

TSU つ Tsunami is a tidal wave. つ as in ‘tsunami’.

TE 　て The dog is wagging his tail. て as in ‘tail’.

TO　と Ouch! A nail is in my toe. と as in ‘toe’.

• Genki workbook pg 118 II and III - Can you write the words?

• Genki workbook pg 119 – Practice writing as we go!

NA 　な A nun is kneeling in front of the cross. な as in ‘nun’.

NI 　に A needle and thread. に as in ‘needle’.

NU　ぬ The egg fell out of the bowl with noodles and chopsticks. ぬ as in ‘noodles’.

NE ね I caught a big fish in my net. ね as in ‘net’.

NO 　の Do not enter! の as in ‘not’.

HA 　は I live in a house. は as in ‘house’.

HI ひ He is on the wall. ひ as in ‘he’.

FU ふ I climbed Mt Fuji. ふ as in ‘Fuji’.

HE　へ There is a haystack. へ as in ‘haystack’.

HO　ほ A house becomes a home with a satellite. ほ as in ‘home’.

• Genki workbook pg 119 II and III - Can you write the words?

• Genki workbook pg 120 – Practice writing as we go!

MA 　ま Mum loves music. ま as in ‘mum’.

MI　み Who’s 21? Me! み as in ‘me’.

MU 　む Moo-moo cow. む as in ‘moo’.

ME　め Chopsticks and noodles without any mess. め as in ‘mess’.

MO 　も The more worms, the more fish. も as in ‘more’.

YA や Yay, I’m on a yacht. や as in ‘yay’.

YU 　ゆ Make a U-turn. ゆ as in ‘U-turn’.

YO 　よ Yoga is hard. よ as in ‘yoga’.

• Genki workbook pg 120 II and III - Can you write the words?

＊NOTE: 　 Handwritten 　 Print

• Genki workbook pg 121 – Practice writing as we go!

RA 　ら I love steamy ramen noodles. ら as in ‘ramen’.

RI　り A pretty ribbon. り as in ‘ribbon’.

RU 　る Catch a kangaroo with a loop in the rope. る as in ‘kangaroo’.

RE　れ Ready, set, go. Let’s race! れ as in ‘Ready’.

RO 　ろ No loop in the rope. The kangaroo got away! ろ as in ‘rope’.

WA 　わ Wow! A magic wand. わ as in ‘Wow’.

O を Oh! A cheerleader is on my toe. を as in ‘oh!’.

N ん The letter ‘n’ in end. ん as in ‘end’.

• Genki workbook pg 121 II and III - Can you write the words?

• ん　‘n’　is the only independent sound • nasal sound • When ‘n’ is followed by b, m, p the ‘n’ sound is more like ‘m’

Dropping sounds The ‘u’ sound at the end of verbs is often dropped: です desu = des＿ございます gozaimasu = gozaimas＿ When pronouncing ‘shite’ the ‘i’ sound is often dropped: はじめまして　 hajimemashite = hajimemash＿te しつれい shitsurei = sh＿tsurei

Particles – Hiragana changes Particles are grammatical markers and are put before or after Japanese words to make a sentence. Eg. In romaji particles are written on their own separate from other words. Ie. Watashi wa kōen e ikimasu. wa は　（not わ) o を　（not お） e へ　（not え）

Hiragana – other sounds Ten ten and maru Combined sounds

Tenten and Maru

＊NOTE　じ　ず mostly used ぢ　づ　 rarely used

Combined sounds The hiragana line ending in ‘i’ sound can be combined with small： • ‘ya’　や • ‘yu’　ゆ • ‘yo’　よ These create combined sounds and represent 1 syllable. Compare these sounds: きや vs きゃしゆ　vs　　　しゅちよ vs　ちょ big big small

ひや big small

• Genki textbook pg 290 A-D (Basic sounds revision) • Genki textbook pg 291 E-F(Listening) • Workbook pg 122

Hiragana – other sounds Small ‘tsu’ and Long sounds

• four double consonants - kk, pp, ss, and tt • in hiragana they are represented by a small tsu っ • double consonants indicate a small pause so the mouth can prepare for the pronunciation of the next syllable