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In terms of pronunciation Japanese is surprisingly easy to get to grips with, but some words can be real tongue-tanglers! Here are 10 of the worst!
Since it’s a phonetic language, Japanese tends to be pretty straightforward when it comes to pronouncing its sounds. But some words do change in tone and inflection, and this can sometimes trip Japanese learners up. One of the first exceptions to the “say it how it’s written” rule that foreigners learn is “suki“, meaning “like”. While the word often sounds like “soo kee”, especially when sung, it’s much more common to dispense with the “u” and pronounce it like “ski” in spoken Japanese. Sometimes, even words which seem straightforward when written down have the ability to twist your tongue in knots when you actually try to use them in conversation!
Let’s take a look at this informative video from the “Learn Japanese with JapanesePod101” YouTube channel. In it, video presenter Risa introduces 10 words that foreign learners of Japanese often find difficult to pronounce. Naturally, she also includes the correct pronunciation to help you practice!
Here’s the full list of the 10 difficult-to-pronounce words:
Tsuittaa (Twitter)
Tsutaerarenakatta (couldn’t tell)
Shinnryaku (invasion)
Benri (convenient)
Shutsuryoku (output power)
Tennin (shop assistant)
Ryokou (travel)
Atatakakunakatta (wasn’t warm)
Chuushajou (car park/parking lot)
Occhokochoi (clumsy)
Full article continued at source: RocketNews24
Movie: YouTube/JapanesePod101
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