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Pronunciation
や(ya): Pronounced as "yah" (like "ya" in "yard"). や is Hiragana and ヤ is Katakana.
Pronunciation of Japanese [y]:
1. Mouth Position:
• Start by spreading your lips slightly, as if you're about to say the [i] sound (like in "see").
• The tongue should be placed close to the roof of your mouth, near the hard palate, but without touching it. It’s a gentle, smooth sound.
2. Tongue Position:
• For the [y] sound, the tongue should be raised toward the roof of the mouth but not touching it directly. It is a palatal sound, meaning it is articulated with the body of the tongue near the hard palate.
3. Sound:
• The sound is soft, similar to the [y] sound in the English word "yes". However, Japanese [y] sounds are often a bit more consistent and crisp than in English.
4. Comparing with English [y]:
• The Japanese [y] sound is close to the [y] in words like "you" or "yellow", but with a clearer and more consistent tongue position.
• English [y] can vary depending on accent, but Japanese [y] is always the same in terms of pronunciation.
A soft y sound is followed by あ(a).
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Pronunciation
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Pronunciation
ゆ(yu): Pronounced as "yoo" (like "you"). ゆ is Hiragana and ユ is Katakana.
Pronunciation of Japanese [y]:
1. Mouth Position:
• Start by spreading your lips slightly, as if you're about to say the [i] sound (like in "see").
• The tongue should be placed close to the roof of your mouth, near the hard palate, but without touching it. It’s a gentle, smooth sound.
2. Tongue Position:
• For the [y] sound, the tongue should be raised toward the roof of the mouth but not touching it directly. It is a palatal sound, meaning it is articulated with the body of the tongue near the hard palate.
3. Sound:
• The sound is soft, similar to the [y] sound in the English word "yes". However, Japanese [y] sounds are often a bit more consistent and crisp than in English.
4. Comparing with English [y]:
• The Japanese [y] sound is close to the [y] in words like "you" or "yellow", but with a clearer and more consistent tongue position.
• English [y] can vary depending on accent, but Japanese [y] is always the same in terms of pronunciation.
A soft y sound is followed by う(u).
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Pronunciation
No. | Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
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Pronunciation
よ(yo): Pronounced as "yoh" (like "yo" in "yoga"). よ is Hiragana and ヨ is Katakana.
Pronunciation of Japanese [y]:
1. Mouth Position:
• Start by spreading your lips slightly, as if you're about to say the [i] sound (like in "see").
• The tongue should be placed close to the roof of your mouth, near the hard palate, but without touching it. It’s a gentle, smooth sound.
2. Tongue Position:
• For the [y] sound, the tongue should be raised toward the roof of the mouth but not touching it directly. It is a palatal sound, meaning it is articulated with the body of the tongue near the hard palate.
3. Sound:
• The sound is soft, similar to the [y] sound in the English word "yes". However, Japanese [y] sounds are often a bit more consistent and crisp than in English.
4. Comparing with English [y]:
• The Japanese [y] sound is close to the [y] in words like "you" or "yellow", but with a clearer and more consistent tongue position.
• English [y] can vary depending on accent, but Japanese [y] is always the same in terms of pronunciation.
A soft y sound is followed by お(o).
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