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Japanese Nepali laboratory "Exploring Japanese Language and Culture" is a website for learning the Japanese language and culture necessary for daily life in Japan. Learn anytime, anywhere, at your own pace. Let's get started!

Index

Introduction to Japanese Language

Introduction to Japanese Kanji

Introduction to Japanese Hiragana

Introduction to Japanese Katakana

Introduction to Japanese Onomatopoeia

Introduction to Japanese Pronunciation

Introduction to Japanese Grammar

Introduction to Japanese Pronunciation

Japanese pronunciation is sound alike to Nepali pronunciation. Japanese vowels begin with "आ इ उ ए ओ" and consonants are "का कि कु के को" Nepali vowels also begin from अ then आ इ ई उ ऊ ए... and consonants also क का कि की कु कू... it's almost identical.

Moreover, syllable is pronounced as a single vowel "आ / इ / उ / ए / ओ" or composed of consonant + vowel patterns (eg. お は よ う / o ha yo u) in this way, each syllable is pronounced as a single unit. This is rule of "one letter one sound" (eg. in English "knife" is pronounced in /naɪf/ k sound in is not pronounced but in Japanese words is pronounce every letter) therefore this method of pronouncing words as spelling is simple and easy to listening, conversation and vocabulary learning.

As for points of difference between Japanese and Nepali pronunciation, Japanese syllables always end with vowel except ん or っ but in Nepali syllables often end with consonants or reduction vowels. For example, Thamel area of Kathmandu attracts many tourists, but Japanese tourists call to it as "thame (Lu)" but local people say it "thame (L)" so Japanese characteristic is that every syllable must end with a vowel. Then, let us introduce characteristics of Japanese pronunciation from various perspectives.

Identity for Japanese rhythm

As mentioned above regarding "one letter one sound" rule, this also relates to rhythm of Japanese language, pronounces each syllable with same rhythm. For example, greeting "कोन्निचिवा" is not pronounced "कोन् नी-चिवा" all five characters are pronounced with same rhythm like this "को न् नि चि वा" even when speaking fast, pronounce words while maintaining same rhythm.

However, there are some exceptions, such as when rhythm is deliberately disrupted to emphasise emotion. For example, if you say "वा ता सि सि रा ना इ (मलाई थाहा छैन)" emphasising interjection "वा ता सि सी- रा ना इ" it can be put emotion. Give it a try to be mindful of rhythm "each syllable with same rhythm" in conversation. If want to learn more about pronunciation, let's move forward to Japanese accent

Next, Introduction to Grammar

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