Hello everyone！ and welcome to Japanese at work.com.
Today, I would like to introduce about Japanese consonants
Let’s start!
1. Voiced and Voiceless Sounds (Seion and Dakuon): Japanese has voiced (Dakuon) and voiceless (Seion) sounds. For example, the sounds represented by "か" (ka) and "が" (ga) have the same pronunciation, but the distinction lies in voicing. Seion is pronounced by expelling air only, while Dakuon involves vibrating the vocal cords after expelling air.
2. Geminate Consonants (Sokuon): Geminate consonants are pronounced by emphasizing and shortening the consonant sound. For instance, in the word "さっさと" (sasato), the "っ" (small tsu) represents a geminate consonant, making the preceding sound shorter.
3. Half-Voiced Sounds (Handakuon): While not as common, Japanese does have half-voiced sounds, observed in certain dialects or words.
4. Pronunciation of "ん" (N): The pronunciation of "ん" (n) depends on the following consonant. For example, in "さんぽ" (sanpo), "ん" is pronounced as a voiceless sound, while in "びんご" (bingo), it becomes voiced.
There are three types of 'n' sound in Japanese. I will tell you about it at another time.
5. Weakening of Consonants: Especially in conversational Japanese, consonants may weaken. For instance, the "d" sound in "ですね" (desu ne) can be pronounced more softly.
By keeping these points in mind, you can develop a more natural pronunciation of Japanese consonants. Practicing speaking Japanese regularly is also crucial for improvement.
That wraps up our guide for today.
I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed creating it. Your support means the world to me. Stay tuned for more exciting content, and I can't wait to share new information and ideas with you in the next post. Until then, take care and thank you for being a fantastic part of our community!
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