Pronounciation (japanese lesson)

-Let's look at some words that many people are familiar with. These are words that are commonly used in english. See how many you can recognize !

-You need to pay close attention to differences in pronunciation ! english speakers pronounce them based on english rules. But the original words are pronounced quite differently in japanese.

-Here are the first five words.

Karaoke　（カラオケ）
Karaoke

Kamikaze　（かみかぜ）
Kamikaze

Karate（からて）
Karate

Anime (all cartoons)　（アニメ）
Anime

Manga (all comics)　（まんが）
Manga

-Did you compare them with how they sound in english ? The sound isn't the only thing that changed !

-In english, For example, Manga and anime refer to certain styles of comics and cartoons. But in japanese manga refers to all comics and anime refers to all cartoons. Also, Most japanese people dont use the word kamikaze.

-Here's another set of words for you.

-There are a few things i need to point out. Romaji is what we call japanese that is written in english letters instead of japanese characters.

-Also, A futon is a mattress that you sleep on in japan. They are really comfortable ! are you feeling comfortable with these words?

Futon (is a mattress that you sleep on in japan)　（ふとん）
Futon

Ro-maji　（ローマじ）
Romaji

Tsunami　（つなみ）
Tsunami

Samurai　（さむらい）
Samurai

Ninja　（にんじゃ）
Ninja

-Ganbatte!　（がんばって！）
Hang in there!

-There you go ! It's important to know how to pronounce words correctly in japanese. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.