Pronunciation
す(su): Pronounced as "soo" (like "suit"). す is Hiragana and ス is Katakana.
Pronunciation of Japanese [s]:
1. Position of the tongue:
• The tongue is placed near the front of the roof of the mouth, just behind the upper front teeth.
• The tip of the tongue should be close to the roof of the mouth, without touching it.
2. Breath sound:
• The Japanese [s] sound is sharp and clear, created by air passing between the tip of the tongue and the roof of the mouth.
3. No vocal cord vibration:
• [s] is a voiceless consonant, meaning the vocal cords do not vibrate during its pronunciation. It’s simply the flow of air through the mouth.
4. Mouth position:
• The lips are slightly apart, and the tongue creates a narrow passage for the air to flow through.
5. Differences from English:
• In English, the [s] sound can sometimes have more friction or a hissing sound, but Japanese [s] is often softer and clearer.
• Japanese [s] is not aspirated (doesn’t have the added puff of air found in some English pronunciations).
A soft s sound followed by う(u). In casual speech, the u sound can be very soft or even almost silent in some cases.
