Hi, you seem so Japanese, it seems that you are the most Japanese American in America.
Actually fantastic and you definitely know what you are talking about. It is so convincing and when I listen to you without seeing you , you sound very close to real thing. Great,ありがとうございます！
I'm trying to improve my Japanese pronunciation and I always look for tutorials.
I can round my R because I’m Italian, but I had some problem until I found out the “D trick”. It’s how you explain in this video: it’s something between an R and a D.
I’m still struggling with the accent, but I don’t know anyone who can help me even if I use to sing a lot of songs and watch a lot movies and I hope it will help.
(I’m sorry for my English but, as I said, I’m from Italy)
@empireasus6 「ですよ」is affirming something. 「でしょう」 is that something will do or happen. 「あしたは晴(は)れですよ」 means tomorrow, it's sunny. 「あしたは晴れでしょう」 menas, tomorrow, it will be sunny.
Could you teach how Japanese actually make your かわいい(^.^) 日本語 specific sounds like "ん", "ふ" like in the words すみません, ごるふ and how do you pronounce ら,り,る,れ,ろ how to make correctly that sound between R and L sounds?
I did managed to figure out and master "ふ", it is sound when you about to whistle, but for the rest...
Its a cool vid; DaqKss; I don't have much experience with many homeland speakers of Japanese so the comparisons definitely hold my attention to how they vary. This video starts at some baseline awareness of grammatic usage of Nipponese I'd say start at Beginner and Intermediate at the same time and then you can plan out how many steps it takes between beginner and intermediate.. 4-6 videos however many you think it takes to list particular intricacies on each level
As Ive discovered recently. TONE is everything. Japanese does have intonation. I have perfect pitch and can hear it clearly. Train your ear to hear pitches.
Hi, I know this kinda off topic but I don't know where in your videos I can ask this. Is it true that the word "ze" or "zo" only exist in animes/mangas? For example, "Ganbaru ze". Thanks
@avegailtadiarca ze and zo aren't words.. more like emphasis or a masculine, verbal exclamation point. It's the same meaning as yo, but more of a masculine touch to it. Also more passionate. It's used beyond manga and drama. Men actually use this frequently when they're passionate about something. Here's a good video about manly Japanese: youtube/LB0lccgijsk Start at 1:57 about ze and zo.
@daiquirikiss However, he's in Kyushu, which has an entirely different dialect than Tokyo, which is what this foreigner has probably learned. So in Tokyo, rather than bai, it'd be ze or zo. Then again, Tokyo's known for their... feminine.... men. *ahem* Kyushu's more manly. They can grow better beards too. :-p
@daiquirikiss Thanks. I just asked the question because a Japanese guy (born in Japan, but now in USA) said that "zo" and "ze" are just in animes/manga. They never use it in real life. I guess, everyone has different takes on this.
hi, just need some help on pronouncing "ga" (like watashi ga). I'm quite confused on how to pronounce it. In some songs or dramas, I hear them saying "NGA"(like a soft "G"). In some cases, they'll pronounce it "GA"(hard "G"). Thanks
@avegailtadiarca This is sometimes either a dialect thing or a situation thing. If they're angry, or maybe passionate about something, it might come off stronger. Usually in the Tokyo area, it's slightly nasalized. So you push up the back of your tongue at the beginning and then say "nga".
Konnichi-"WAA" you said could also be bit rude for either your boss at your work or elder people if you emphasize like that too much so that it goes wrong.
I think it means (from a translator) Fortunate charm, operate, the japanese version of lucky charm activate. Its for project I am doing with my friends! :)
@skyhart100 dousa is a noun and means functional. miryoku is charm.. but as in charming... not a lucky charm. I guess you'd want omamori instead. It's what the temples and shrines sell to prevent evil. People hang them in their cars or on their bags. But for activate... I guess watching other transformation animes in Japanese, they just say the name of the object being activated enthusiastically, no verb is needed. "kou un no omamori, GO!!" would work? Look up "Moon prism power make up" on YT
I know tv isn;t the best option, but if you want to know Japanese accent listening to Japanese on movies, or anime, or on radio is good practice, even i know to say OhayO rather than Ohayo, coz i listen to a lot of Japanese, but yes speaking to another Japanese person is best practice.
@KatsumotoYamada Not sure I understand your point... I'm American and I get by pretty well in Japanese. I didn't know any Japanese before college. What's your point?
@daiquirikiss no really what you know is basic. actually less than basic. really. this language is really insanely difficult when finish basic and go to a higher level. you must study alot to know a little. so it will take you years to master kinda alot.
@KatsumotoYamada I hope you realize the date of this video and that this was made in 2009 in Jan. I also hope you notice that you haven't met me, nor had a conversation with me in Japanese before. So to judge my ability based on a two and half year old video, instructing viewers on a basic topic like pronunciation, is very pretentious.
@daiquirikiss the date is not important, its how much you practice. i know Americans who wanted to learn Japanese. they came back after 10 years with nothing!!! and i hope you have a reason for learning this language. because we don't like people who learn Japanese for no reason.
@KatsumotoYamada I studied for a year in Rikkyo and learned to speak it to make Japanese friends. Now, I work in a Japanese environment where all of my co-workers but one are Japanese and can't speak English. It's been this way for the past two years I've lived and worked in Japan. In order to communicate I have to speak Japanese to them. Everyday I use it for my co-workers and customers. Of course keigo is a must to speak to the customers! Compared to two and half years ago, I'm much better.
Start at the real level. You know, the level that native Japanese people speak. Read real Japanese novels, watch real Japanese shows, news, TV, movies, anime....not textbook stuff, not intermediate beginner stuff. Start with real Japanese.
I found this very helpful and insightful :) I'll try to bear it in mind. Is it also true the Japanese hate it when you add an 'ei' sound to the end of a word that only ends in in 'e', such as pronouncing 'kitsune' as if it was 'kitsunei'? because I know that is a habit of English speakers..
I had it real easy with the Japanese pronunciation, being Norwegian. We have basically the same pitch\tone way of pronouncing things. I guess it would be hard for native English speakers with the incredible variation in tonal shifts everywhere.
@JeremyB796 if you say a word like あめ（雨）with each sound separately, you should include the emphasis. Make the あ stronger than the め. (but if you're in Kansai, then it's the other way around...)
Americans are the ones with the most dificulty in learning another languages and we should always teach languages taking into consideration the dumbest students
@aedeling I'm American and we can learn other languages easily as any other country. The problem for a long time and probably still now in America is that as a country we don't stress learning other languages as much as other countries. Moreover, America doesn't stress education, I think out of all developed nations America's people rank last in education. America is arrogant and thinks everyone should learn English. So most have an attitude why learn another language. I dislike this attitude!!
Americans happen to be in the "lucky" position of speaking a language that is pretty dominant from a global standpoint. Many people with countries that have a primary/official language without large portions of the indigenous population speaking another language in tandem, will still, tend to only know their official language. Know many multilingual British people? How about Germans? Spanish? America has issues in education, but you're make unrelated connections and generalizations.
No need to speak Japanese with perfect Japanese accent. I understand 'gaijin' accent. If you are learning Japanese as a second language, it is hard to get rid of gaijin accent.
I have to talk with a Japanese woman on Saturday. I'm really afraid because I'm Hungarian and I've never learnt Japanese. Thanks for this video!!! It helps me a lot!!!
Thx for this. I'm conlanging and thought I'd borrow from japanese, and this really helped me understand it better. (Conlanging by the way is constructing languages.)
I'm proud of myself! I've been so worried that my accent is bad, I never speak Japanese in front of Japanese people. But it turns out I've been saying it right all along.
*BTW, I appreciate you making this video, but your tone of voice is very condescending and therefore grating. In future, when teaching people something, consider using a more patient, respectful tone.
Also, I believe such basic pronunciation will be picked up when in Japan. If your accent impedes your ability to communicate, then there's an issue. But as for "sounding Japanese", well, why? A foreigner is a foreigner. For example, if any non native English speaking fellow attempts to put on an Irish accent when talking, they'll be the focus of some laughs, I can tell you.
This video is so silly. I urge people to not waste their time worrying about such intricate matters.
@QwoPhasaArius I disagree to an extent. You're right, you don't want to try and "put on" an accent, because not only is it silly, it might also be offensive. However, it is important not to ignore the specific intonations and pronunciations that make a langauge unique and beautiful. There should be a happy medium.
@QwoPhasaArius There is nothing wrong with teaching someone how to pronounce the language. Now i can see that a foreigner is going to have a slight accent no matter what just because it's not their native language, but knowing how to say certain sounds and use or not use intonations is something that you just have to learn. Plus, not everyone will go to japan in their lifetime. They have to learn the basics somewhere.
Oh, gosh. You really needn't keep commenting on your own abilities. Just get on with it. If people have well founded issues, they will be brought up and you can respond then - not before!
I actually picked up the D+R sounds pretty quickly. I hated learning Spanish, but it taught me some things that are useful. Spanish speakers are better off in my opinion, they can trill their Rs and the vowels are very similar.
I wish I could speak more Japanese. I've been learning it for almost a year but I don't actively utilize it in anything. I'm a 16 year old American with no plans for Japan within the next 4 years. But I want to go there eventually.
There answer is just to shut up and not speak with them. If you go gaijin, they will complain because you sound like a gaijin. If you go full-blown JAPO on them, they will complain saying that they feel uncomfortable with gaijin who think they are Japanese. It's pissing against the wind.
There is no solution except to just ignore the ENEMY.
1:04 I HONESTLY could not understand what you said at first (私は嬉しいよ). I thought your name was Ulessi or something (and by adding the よ you really wanted to drive the point home).
Absorb LOTS of sound samples from a variety of native Japanese speakers and allow nature to take its course. Don't get in the way of yourself by adding sonic "approximations."
Oh yes ! Another thing that foreigners usually get wrong with japanese accent is sayonara ! In english you would say "say" but in japanese it's just the "sa" by it's self, I always accedently said seyonara or something that sounded like that and got weird looks lol
the japanese language DO have accent and intonation. it is just different from English in the way they are realised. Japanese stress is realised as diffrence in pitch alone. In tokyo japanese, the first syllable of hashi (chopsticks) should have higher pitch than the second. the reverse is true for hashi (bridge). What I think she means by 'keep it flat' is that you dont make either syllable more prominent than the other by saying it louder or longer as it happens in English.
@DuduTheFlapper It's no big deal really, most Americans would understand you without the pitches. Our language is spoken in all kinds of different pitches, depending on what part of the U.S. you are in. And some parts, still not spoken very well...lol.
Thank you so much! I'm living on Okinawa and have listened very closely to the locals and noticed that konnichi wa sounds more like konnichi ua and there are other pronunciations I'm not sure about...like en, g's (sometimes it sounds like there is a very slight n sound before the g...I'm so confused!) and the u at the end of words like desu...Seems like every person I've met pronounces that differently! I REALLY want to be respectful to the locals and learn their language. Very helpful! Thanks
judging from this vid on the "す" and "つ" part, ばくはつし(to explode or to blow up) seems like one of the harder words to pronounce. Any tips on how to pronounce that properly?
You just have to make your tsu understandable is all and also if talking to someone in japan, they would probably understand by the context since no one would say im sushi
learning akusento (accent) is the most difficult part of all, i think.
no matter how hard i try, i don't talk like native Japanese because there must be "higher" or "lower key" of the same word in different sentences, especially verbs. (noun as well of course)
Thank god my first language is spanish... which has almost the same pronunciation as japanese... Must be pretty hard for someone who only knows english!
Ah, no. Being a bilingual, it would not be. It is actually simpler because there are no dipthongs. I do not get why it would be absolutely difficult for outside humans to perform the alveolar lateral approximant with their tongues. Unless you have mental retardation.
@benziel Si tienes razon, la pronunciacion es parecida en japones, o sea la escritura es completamente distinta, pero para pronunciar palabras japonesas no nos es dificl, y en mi caso tampoco el ingles. xD. OMG, KAMI"
Great video. Please do intermediate level stuff. And I think the word you were looking for when speaking about vowels is diphthong. Japanese doesn't use gliding vowel sounds as you pointed out, they are all straightforward.
This is an extremely helpful and well done video. The sound is even great. I'm pretty fortunate having correct intonation drilled into me from years of anime and was pleasantly surprised by how little of these mistakes I noticed myself making. Thank you.
Oh, I WAS RIIIGHT!!!! Thank you so much for this, my friends were trying to tell me I was wrong for rolling my r's and making them sound like d+r together! Turns out I was right, yaaaay! I feel so much more confident now!
this is different than the english r. to make the japanese r, lightly touch the tip of your tongue to the bony ridge behind the upper teeth, almost like in the english d position. its more like a spanish r, but its not trilled.
this is good. a lot of people make no attempt at accents. they are so used to thier own way of speaking that sounds normal to them. yet that same person will be the first to say that someone from another country sounds "funny" when they try to speak english. :)
i don't know if this helps but i speak fluent french so i find that i might be able to pronounce certain words in japanese better than if i could only speak english .. but i don't know if it makes a difference ... ?!
I am Japanese speaker and from my point of view, your Japanese pronounciation is very nice, easy to hear. Dont forget practicing everyday in your further further life^^
Japanese is super difficult.. just started with rosetta stone; pronunciation is crazy hard but you do learn how to associate what words with items, and people etc..
Interesting comment! As a Japanese, I've thought that Japanese pronounciation is super simple. We only have 5 vowels. I am currently taking a class to reduce my accent in English, and working very hard.
Good video, but you really dramatize the American accent as far as intonation. I don't know any American that stresses a syllable that much.
Also, as important as it is to stress a flat intonation, I think it's wrong to assume that there is absolutley no stress on certain symbols. You yourself stressed the second syllable of watashi even when doing it the "correct" way. It was just much subtler than your overdone American accent.
great, that´s what I have noticed and tried to tell my friends, unfortunately without success. It´s not that hard to try the pronounciation, especcially compared to Chinese
but i see that japanese people have to write very much to say some sentence that we have like in 5 words but they have to make paragraphs out of those signs :O
This is very helpful! One of my problems when I started learning Japanese was how I should pronounce words properly, in a general sense, since I don't hear fluent Japanese speakers on a daily basis. Thank you again!
Thanks alot! This was very helpful.
I'm Norwegian, and my language has ALOT of intonation! I'll do my best avoiding to use this intonation in Japanese.
mlavik1 1 week ago
Why Japanese people can't pronounce the L sound??
GriffithBotH 2 weeks ago
Hi, you seem so Japanese, it seems that you are the most Japanese American in America.
Actually fantastic and you definitely know what you are talking about. It is so convincing and when I listen to you without seeing you , you sound very close to real thing. Great,ありがとうございます！
Kawagi1 3 weeks ago
Thank you for this video :)
I'm trying to improve my Japanese pronunciation and I always look for tutorials.
I can round my R because I’m Italian, but I had some problem until I found out the “D trick”. It’s how you explain in this video: it’s something between an R and a D.
I’m still struggling with the accent, but I don’t know anyone who can help me even if I use to sing a lot of songs and watch a lot movies and I hope it will help.
(I’m sorry for my English but, as I said, I’m from Italy)
Ylunio 4 weeks ago
はじめまして、デイビットです。ミコさん、あのうー「ですよ」と「でしょう」違うのは何?教えてお願いします。
empireasus6 2 months ago
@empireasus6 「ですよ」is affirming something. 「でしょう」 is that something will do or happen. 「あしたは晴(は)れですよ」 means tomorrow, it's sunny. 「あしたは晴れでしょう」 menas, tomorrow, it will be sunny.
jecontinueavoirmerci 3 weeks ago
Could you teach how Japanese actually make your かわいい(^.^) 日本語 specific sounds like "ん", "ふ" like in the words すみません, ごるふ and how do you pronounce ら,り,る,れ,ろ how to make correctly that sound between R and L sounds?
I did managed to figure out and master "ふ", it is sound when you about to whistle, but for the rest...
ignas2526 2 months ago
Its a cool vid; DaqKss; I don't have much experience with many homeland speakers of Japanese so the comparisons definitely hold my attention to how they vary. This video starts at some baseline awareness of grammatic usage of Nipponese I'd say start at Beginner and Intermediate at the same time and then you can plan out how many steps it takes between beginner and intermediate.. 4-6 videos however many you think it takes to list particular intricacies on each level
BikkiBlazes 2 months ago
Rosetta Stone is a miracle worker! Beautiful! Just peachy! :D Japanese letters is like, korea letters on steroids! :D Muaaaaaaaahhahah!
jrokkaaa253 3 months ago
As Ive discovered recently. TONE is everything. Japanese does have intonation. I have perfect pitch and can hear it clearly. Train your ear to hear pitches.
fyourcouchnigga 4 months ago
I lived in Hawaii, I have, I can talk to foreign exchange students...hehehe. Your very good and very helpful, thank you so much!
uk3obeysseme 5 months ago
Hi, I know this kinda off topic but I don't know where in your videos I can ask this. Is it true that the word "ze" or "zo" only exist in animes/mangas? For example, "Ganbaru ze". Thanks
avegailtadiarca 5 months ago
@avegailtadiarca ze and zo aren't words.. more like emphasis or a masculine, verbal exclamation point. It's the same meaning as yo, but more of a masculine touch to it. Also more passionate. It's used beyond manga and drama. Men actually use this frequently when they're passionate about something. Here's a good video about manly Japanese: youtube/LB0lccgijsk Start at 1:57 about ze and zo.
daiquirikiss 5 months ago
@daiquirikiss However, he's in Kyushu, which has an entirely different dialect than Tokyo, which is what this foreigner has probably learned. So in Tokyo, rather than bai, it'd be ze or zo. Then again, Tokyo's known for their... feminine.... men. *ahem* Kyushu's more manly. They can grow better beards too. :-p
daiquirikiss 5 months ago
@daiquirikiss Thanks. I just asked the question because a Japanese guy (born in Japan, but now in USA) said that "zo" and "ze" are just in animes/manga. They never use it in real life. I guess, everyone has different takes on this.
avegailtadiarca 5 months ago
hi, just need some help on pronouncing "ga" (like watashi ga). I'm quite confused on how to pronounce it. In some songs or dramas, I hear them saying "NGA"(like a soft "G"). In some cases, they'll pronounce it "GA"(hard "G"). Thanks
avegailtadiarca 5 months ago
@avegailtadiarca This is sometimes either a dialect thing or a situation thing. If they're angry, or maybe passionate about something, it might come off stronger. Usually in the Tokyo area, it's slightly nasalized. So you push up the back of your tongue at the beginning and then say "nga".
daiquirikiss 5 months ago
@daiquirikiss hmmm...so I would go for "nga" then. thanks for your immediate reply.
avegailtadiarca 5 months ago
Hai.! This was a Good Video.
mmogjr 5 months ago
Konnichi-"WAA" you said could also be bit rude for either your boss at your work or elder people if you emphasize like that too much so that it goes wrong.
GodBlessYou2008 6 months ago
If you have a strong accent and keep it you are embarrassing the language... that's what she wanted to say.
FlyingRayzorBlade 6 months ago
hi, can somebody help me pronounce this:
kouun na miryoku, dousa!
I think it means (from a translator) Fortunate charm, operate, the japanese version of lucky charm activate. Its for project I am doing with my friends! :)
THANKIES
skyhart100 7 months ago
@skyhart100 dousa is a noun and means functional. miryoku is charm.. but as in charming... not a lucky charm. I guess you'd want omamori instead. It's what the temples and shrines sell to prevent evil. People hang them in their cars or on their bags. But for activate... I guess watching other transformation animes in Japanese, they just say the name of the object being activated enthusiastically, no verb is needed. "kou un no omamori, GO!!" would work? Look up "Moon prism power make up" on YT
daiquirikiss 7 months ago
@daiquirikiss Thank you ever so much! :) I hate translators on the web, they always get things wrong :P I'll use that phrase! :) THANK YOU :)
skyhart100 7 months ago
...what accent?
MIXEDNA 7 months ago
I know tv isn;t the best option, but if you want to know Japanese accent listening to Japanese on movies, or anime, or on radio is good practice, even i know to say OhayO rather than Ohayo, coz i listen to a lot of Japanese, but yes speaking to another Japanese person is best practice.
DarthScosha 7 months ago
japanese language isnt for americans.
KatsumotoYamada 7 months ago
@KatsumotoYamada Japanese people speaking English in general is pretty atrocious... but that doesn't mean it's not for them.
daiquirikiss 7 months ago
@daiquirikiss i mean the difficulty.sorry :S
KatsumotoYamada 7 months ago
@KatsumotoYamada Not sure I understand your point... I'm American and I get by pretty well in Japanese. I didn't know any Japanese before college. What's your point?
daiquirikiss 7 months ago
@daiquirikiss no really what you know is basic. actually less than basic. really. this language is really insanely difficult when finish basic and go to a higher level. you must study alot to know a little. so it will take you years to master kinda alot.
KatsumotoYamada 7 months ago
@KatsumotoYamada I hope you realize the date of this video and that this was made in 2009 in Jan. I also hope you notice that you haven't met me, nor had a conversation with me in Japanese before. So to judge my ability based on a two and half year old video, instructing viewers on a basic topic like pronunciation, is very pretentious.
daiquirikiss 7 months ago
@daiquirikiss the date is not important, its how much you practice. i know Americans who wanted to learn Japanese. they came back after 10 years with nothing!!! and i hope you have a reason for learning this language. because we don't like people who learn Japanese for no reason.
KatsumotoYamada 7 months ago
@KatsumotoYamada I studied for a year in Rikkyo and learned to speak it to make Japanese friends. Now, I work in a Japanese environment where all of my co-workers but one are Japanese and can't speak English. It's been this way for the past two years I've lived and worked in Japan. In order to communicate I have to speak Japanese to them. Everyday I use it for my co-workers and customers. Of course keigo is a must to speak to the customers! Compared to two and half years ago, I'm much better.
daiquirikiss 7 months ago
yea!! somebody actually said "Tokyo" instead "Tokiyo"....sorry,your the first person that I heard that said that the way it's spelled.
logicgirl09 8 months ago
i know how to roll my R's simply by speaking gibberish trying to imitate martial arts movies as a kid.
I am winnarr :]
endauthority 8 months ago
Start at the real level. You know, the level that native Japanese people speak. Read real Japanese novels, watch real Japanese shows, news, TV, movies, anime....not textbook stuff, not intermediate beginner stuff. Start with real Japanese.
LifeFirst 9 months ago
I found this very helpful and insightful :) I'll try to bear it in mind. Is it also true the Japanese hate it when you add an 'ei' sound to the end of a word that only ends in in 'e', such as pronouncing 'kitsune' as if it was 'kitsunei'? because I know that is a habit of English speakers..
ketchupman08 9 months ago
I had it real easy with the Japanese pronunciation, being Norwegian. We have basically the same pitch\tone way of pronouncing things. I guess it would be hard for native English speakers with the incredible variation in tonal shifts everywhere.
piip4 9 months ago
do i have to stress the accent if im only saying individual tonals?
like with the UTAU software?
JeremyB796 9 months ago
@JeremyB796 if you say a word like あめ（雨）with each sound separately, you should include the emphasis. Make the あ stronger than the め. (but if you're in Kansai, then it's the other way around...)
daiquirikiss 9 months ago
@daiquirikiss well that might be a little tricky but thank you.
i am mostly planning on making a singing voicebank... that is why i asked... but i thank you for the reply even with your possibly busy schedule.
JeremyB796 9 months ago
Pitch accent is still kicking my ass, and it's been how many years...
JFMello1116 9 months ago
I was penchant to postpone it but now I'd like to learn Japaneese!
violetteF2123 10 months ago
Wow! You're the shit!
PsYcHo4MuSiC 11 months ago
do u have a lisp? ur japanese sounds good.. but ur english sounds like u have a lisp
rhysmuir 11 months ago
@rhysmuir Ouch!
kitsune2222 9 months ago
@kitsune2222 i wasnt trying to be mean lol
rhysmuir 9 months ago
thatnx /,3 i started learning japanese when i was 11 and now i can speak it quite well thanx to this so yeah thankyouuuuuuuuuuuuuu <3 <3
Ayekaydee 11 months ago
THx that was helpful!
yasmin628 11 months ago
wow ur so cute :D
pjayy998 1 year ago
Thank so much for this, I think it'll really help me, and I also cringe when people say their 'r's wrong XD
RawrIwilleatsoul33 1 year ago
Americans are the ones with the most dificulty in learning another languages and we should always teach languages taking into consideration the dumbest students
aedeling 1 year ago
@aedeling I'm American and we can learn other languages easily as any other country. The problem for a long time and probably still now in America is that as a country we don't stress learning other languages as much as other countries. Moreover, America doesn't stress education, I think out of all developed nations America's people rank last in education. America is arrogant and thinks everyone should learn English. So most have an attitude why learn another language. I dislike this attitude!!
StackzNJ 1 year ago
Nice vid! :)
@StackzNJ
Hmm... I always thought Americans expect other people to know English because it's, well, just about the easiest language to learn there is...
FleeingShadow 1 year ago
@StackzNJ
Americans happen to be in the "lucky" position of speaking a language that is pretty dominant from a global standpoint. Many people with countries that have a primary/official language without large portions of the indigenous population speaking another language in tandem, will still, tend to only know their official language. Know many multilingual British people? How about Germans? Spanish? America has issues in education, but you're make unrelated connections and generalizations.
opmike343 11 months ago
No need to speak Japanese with perfect Japanese accent. I understand 'gaijin' accent. If you are learning Japanese as a second language, it is hard to get rid of gaijin accent.
risano2008 1 year ago
like ame (ah-meh that means candy but AH-meh well that means rain.
AN d hashi
OMG U HAVE THE JAPANESE GRAMMER BOOK BARRONS
I was gonna post the candy thing at 1:23 would be my example then i was gonna put the bri\dge thing and the chopsticks
u have to own the barrons japanese grammer second eddition right?
and await a message from me.I have a private quesion.
SailorChibiTitan 1 year ago
Konichiwa :)
I already knew that one XD
supershaunnaa 1 year ago
I have to talk with a Japanese woman on Saturday. I'm really afraid because I'm Hungarian and I've never learnt Japanese. Thanks for this video!!! It helps me a lot!!!
spskate01 1 year ago
kawaii...=)
RedHairedGuyKiKu 1 year ago
wow it's amazing can you teach me somemore do you have facebook?? :)
arozka11 1 year ago
I agree I'am half japanese and I cringe everytime an american add's an up so to speak on words. They sound like there trying to hard lol! no offense
newyorkjapan 1 year ago
I would marry you!
InnovationHero 1 year ago
Thx for this. I'm conlanging and thought I'd borrow from japanese, and this really helped me understand it better. (Conlanging by the way is constructing languages.)
b(^_~)d
Zanllin 1 year ago
The only problem is my japanese accent is super bad i dont sound japanese at all even though i practice alot
TheWong311 1 year ago
@TheWong311 try Pimsleur Japanese audio course, there is very good pronunciation training
SteelyGlow 1 year ago
I'm proud of myself! I've been so worried that my accent is bad, I never speak Japanese in front of Japanese people. But it turns out I've been saying it right all along.
*BTW, I appreciate you making this video, but your tone of voice is very condescending and therefore grating. In future, when teaching people something, consider using a more patient, respectful tone.
Akuchan7 1 year ago
Also, I believe such basic pronunciation will be picked up when in Japan. If your accent impedes your ability to communicate, then there's an issue. But as for "sounding Japanese", well, why? A foreigner is a foreigner. For example, if any non native English speaking fellow attempts to put on an Irish accent when talking, they'll be the focus of some laughs, I can tell you.
This video is so silly. I urge people to not waste their time worrying about such intricate matters.
QwoPhasaArius 1 year ago
@QwoPhasaArius I disagree to an extent. You're right, you don't want to try and "put on" an accent, because not only is it silly, it might also be offensive. However, it is important not to ignore the specific intonations and pronunciations that make a langauge unique and beautiful. There should be a happy medium.
Akuchan7 1 year ago
@QwoPhasaArius There is nothing wrong with teaching someone how to pronounce the language. Now i can see that a foreigner is going to have a slight accent no matter what just because it's not their native language, but knowing how to say certain sounds and use or not use intonations is something that you just have to learn. Plus, not everyone will go to japan in their lifetime. They have to learn the basics somewhere.
eldest123323 1 year ago
Oh, gosh. You really needn't keep commenting on your own abilities. Just get on with it. If people have well founded issues, they will be brought up and you can respond then - not before!
QwoPhasaArius 1 year ago
私を!助けなさい!!
o0sakura0o5 1 year ago
i wanna learn japanese too, but the video doesnt function at all, so disgusting!!!
joycel03 1 year ago
Her accent is not perfect at all.
ie9rws 1 year ago
I actually picked up the D+R sounds pretty quickly. I hated learning Spanish, but it taught me some things that are useful. Spanish speakers are better off in my opinion, they can trill their Rs and the vowels are very similar.
I wish I could speak more Japanese. I've been learning it for almost a year but I don't actively utilize it in anything. I'm a 16 year old American with no plans for Japan within the next 4 years. But I want to go there eventually.
Thanks for the video!
MiroMiroSune 1 year ago
There answer is just to shut up and not speak with them. If you go gaijin, they will complain because you sound like a gaijin. If you go full-blown JAPO on them, they will complain saying that they feel uncomfortable with gaijin who think they are Japanese. It's pissing against the wind.
There is no solution except to just ignore the ENEMY.
Ohflautistpleaze 1 year ago
I speak Martian but Im learning Japanese.
dwilmer7 1 year ago
7:11 No true. You need to meet some fine gentlemen from the 山口組. They will disprove that statement in a heartbeat!
Ohflautistpleaze 1 year ago
The sound of 「は」 is sort of like leaving the vacuum cleaner on for a bit.
Ohflautistpleaze 1 year ago
1:04 I HONESTLY could not understand what you said at first (私は嬉しいよ). I thought your name was Ulessi or something (and by adding the よ you really wanted to drive the point home).
Absorb LOTS of sound samples from a variety of native Japanese speakers and allow nature to take its course. Don't get in the way of yourself by adding sonic "approximations."
Ohflautistpleaze 1 year ago
Thanks for this video!
It is very helpful.
wakyan8 1 year ago
What about the Rosetta Stone programs? Any good?
grimsdyke 1 year ago
Ohio! :P
deadlymassacre1 1 year ago
Oh yes ! Another thing that foreigners usually get wrong with japanese accent is sayonara ! In english you would say "say" but in japanese it's just the "sa" by it's self, I always accedently said seyonara or something that sounded like that and got weird looks lol
HaNnAhMoNtAnA7799 1 year ago
I love your videos :D!! I'm definitely subscribing! But If theres a 'u' at the end of a word, do you pronounce it, or leave it out?
XxTeeyuhxX 1 year ago
i always thought the japanese L sounded like the d sound in ladder, atleast the way i say ladder :P
ramblinevilmushroom 1 year ago
the japanese language DO have accent and intonation. it is just different from English in the way they are realised. Japanese stress is realised as diffrence in pitch alone. In tokyo japanese, the first syllable of hashi (chopsticks) should have higher pitch than the second. the reverse is true for hashi (bridge). What I think she means by 'keep it flat' is that you dont make either syllable more prominent than the other by saying it louder or longer as it happens in English.
gd luck!
stayplation3 1 year ago
nice, unfortunately my teacher says i have reached the level where learning more without japanese contacts are needed to advance.
But good tips anyway. Thumbs up.
cr4yv3n 1 year ago
thank you very much that was actually very useful
proudislamic 1 year ago
thanks for da video
Domskater55 1 year ago
This has been very helpful, pronunciation has been kicking my butt! You rock! :)
cockula776 1 year ago
You're a great teacher. What you say about intonations for Americans is true . Honestly I found it difficult to learn English because of that.
I'm French and in French we don't have intonations so I think it's easier for us to learn Japanese pronunciation.
Well, anyway ..thanks! :)
DuduTheFlapper 1 year ago
@DuduTheFlapper It's no big deal really, most Americans would understand you without the pitches. Our language is spoken in all kinds of different pitches, depending on what part of the U.S. you are in. And some parts, still not spoken very well...lol.
grimsdyke 1 year ago
How cute you are!
destroychineseempire 1 year ago
OUTSTANDING
StevenGarcia0 1 year ago
if i record myself saying some stuff can you correct me? i really do not know any Japanese people and I have NOBODY to ask :(
sauron1grenoble 1 year ago
Gaijin means as much as Foreign?
Platysoma 1 year ago
@Platysoma literally "outsiders" = foreigners
jns4chat 1 year ago
Thank you so much! I'm living on Okinawa and have listened very closely to the locals and noticed that konnichi wa sounds more like konnichi ua and there are other pronunciations I'm not sure about...like en, g's (sometimes it sounds like there is a very slight n sound before the g...I'm so confused!) and the u at the end of words like desu...Seems like every person I've met pronounces that differently! I REALLY want to be respectful to the locals and learn their language. Very helpful! Thanks
fenderchick1977 1 year ago
I hope U R give more lessons ..u r great ..
diamencik1 1 year ago
judging from this vid on the "す" and "つ" part, ばくはつし(to explode or to blow up) seems like one of the harder words to pronounce. Any tips on how to pronounce that properly?
nerosparda26 1 year ago
You just have to make your tsu understandable is all and also if talking to someone in japan, they would probably understand by the context since no one would say im sushi
bakemono858 1 year ago
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hallythejester1234 1 year ago
hm, where am I supposed to find a japanese partner? hah
crippin798 1 year ago
learning akusento (accent) is the most difficult part of all, i think.
no matter how hard i try, i don't talk like native Japanese because there must be "higher" or "lower key" of the same word in different sentences, especially verbs. (noun as well of course)
e.g.
あれがほしいです。(flat tone?)
あれがほしくないです。（ほis higher)
かえります。（えis higher)
かえってください。（かis higher)
octola 1 year ago
Thank god my first language is spanish... which has almost the same pronunciation as japanese... Must be pretty hard for someone who only knows english!
benziel 1 year ago
lo encuentras raro como no se pronuncia la 'u' en 'taberumasu' o la 'i' en 'watashi tachi'?
fabianv94 1 year ago
Ah, no. Being a bilingual, it would not be. It is actually simpler because there are no dipthongs. I do not get why it would be absolutely difficult for outside humans to perform the alveolar lateral approximant with their tongues. Unless you have mental retardation.
SlimeTron5000 1 year ago
@benziel Si tienes razon, la pronunciacion es parecida en japones, o sea la escritura es completamente distinta, pero para pronunciar palabras japonesas no nos es dificl, y en mi caso tampoco el ingles. xD. OMG, KAMI"
sithmike 1 year ago
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miss104 1 year ago
oh my gosh, i feel the same way about the american-japanese pronunciation! gah, can't stand it! thanks for the vid!
marsthecat11 1 year ago
I don't understand what you're speaking about...but the important is to see you: you're a princess, aren't you? so beautyful...
PrimoDragonNewBirth 1 year ago
i never learned any japanese, but i really like to.
already know some words, knowing they are used in animes lol
ComputarFreak 1 year ago
the japanese r can be "L" or a super short rolled "r" as narutofan said, like the spanish one but super short
Jiwpgakis 2 years ago
why does hayai(quick) sound like hayana??
kirby64manic11 2 years ago
Your funny :)
dale456654 2 years ago
you are not an american ...
pornpan96 2 years ago
@pornpan96
Since when are you the authority?
phenethylaminedreams 1 year ago
@phenethylaminedreams Im not the authority., im the american and she ai~nt, are you blind ?
pornpan96 1 year ago
Great video. Please do intermediate level stuff. And I think the word you were looking for when speaking about vowels is diphthong. Japanese doesn't use gliding vowel sounds as you pointed out, they are all straightforward.
whoisthisthenno 2 years ago
I was always taught to say "ga" but I've noticed on my CDs which are in the Tokyo dialect, it's often pronounced "nga". Which is right:
Ga arimasen, or nga arimasen?
Sambucca 2 years ago
This is an extremely helpful and well done video. The sound is even great. I'm pretty fortunate having correct intonation drilled into me from years of anime and was pleasantly surprised by how little of these mistakes I noticed myself making. Thank you.
Freethinkingskeptic 2 years ago
well done, thanks for the tips, even useful for us non-Americans.
I'm so pleased I learnt Maori years ago as the pronunciation is very similar (and my Maori pronunciation is good).
Still it's going to be hard.
Indianjaine 2 years ago
Oh, I WAS RIIIGHT!!!! Thank you so much for this, my friends were trying to tell me I was wrong for rolling my r's and making them sound like d+r together! Turns out I was right, yaaaay! I feel so much more confident now!
911iamdead 2 years ago
FOR THOSE STRUGGLING WITH THE JAPANESE R:
this is different than the english r. to make the japanese r, lightly touch the tip of your tongue to the bony ridge behind the upper teeth, almost like in the english d position. its more like a spanish r, but its not trilled.
narutofan4life100 2 years ago
this is good. a lot of people make no attempt at accents. they are so used to thier own way of speaking that sounds normal to them. yet that same person will be the first to say that someone from another country sounds "funny" when they try to speak english. :)
joe69rocket 2 years ago
Wait, some people attempt to learn another language and want to pronounce it incorrectly? o.O
tamsenmc 2 years ago
i don't know if this helps but i speak fluent french so i find that i might be able to pronounce certain words in japanese better than if i could only speak english .. but i don't know if it makes a difference ... ?!
finalfantasy8VIII 2 years ago
she is mixed
240kankan 2 years ago
Also i find that the syllabic ん or n,has kind of a nasally sound.
Johnnybomb1 2 years ago
By the way.Are you of Japanese decent.Because you look like a 大和撫子.Yamato-Nadeshiko
Johnnybomb1 2 years ago
1:03 pathetic pronunciation
ヘタクソ
oirarnoknutgib 2 years ago
good good.
btw, how is my pronunciation? XD
bubblerei 2 years ago
You've got awesometastic pronunciation!!!!!
What do you do for work? That would be cool to live in japan! what kind of jobs can you get? Do japanese tend to like foreigners?
Please Answer ^-^
sailorfan1111 2 years ago
アメリカで育ったんでか？
それとも、英語を日本で勉強したんですか？
blueghost00 2 years ago
Same for me! It gets me so frustrated when people dont pronounce it like that!
jordanpruittjuli 2 years ago 8
I am Japanese speaker and from my point of view, your Japanese pronounciation is very nice, easy to hear. Dont forget practicing everyday in your further further life^^
SCENTOFCK 2 years ago
This is great! Anyone know a good lesson video on how to kick the Japanglish out of Japanese natives?
gumonthepants 2 years ago 3
my steps are now..
step 1. say la li lu le lo cuz girls like me more!! :D
i speak japanese pretty well, ive been complemented on my pronunciation and i just like watching these videos.. idk y
hattorikenji 2 years ago
Japanese is super difficult.. just started with rosetta stone; pronunciation is crazy hard but you do learn how to associate what words with items, and people etc..
MrAnderson1985 2 years ago
Interesting comment! As a Japanese, I've thought that Japanese pronounciation is super simple. We only have 5 vowels. I am currently taking a class to reduce my accent in English, and working very hard.
maririn77 2 years ago
Good video, but you really dramatize the American accent as far as intonation. I don't know any American that stresses a syllable that much.
Also, as important as it is to stress a flat intonation, I think it's wrong to assume that there is absolutley no stress on certain symbols. You yourself stressed the second syllable of watashi even when doing it the "correct" way. It was just much subtler than your overdone American accent.
NathanielBurke 2 years ago
::Edit:: Symbols (o.0) Meant to say syllables.
NathanielBurke 2 years ago
What I do to help with my various accents is record my own voice repeatedly until the accent is achieved and becomes natural.
nexus1g 2 years ago
Or Join the US Navy as an Undes Seaman. 1. Be SIngle and No Captain's Mast.
I'll be in Yokosuka for 3 years.
wingedavenger8 2 years ago
Are you from... Michigan? Just a guess.
JusteunMusicien 2 years ago
i want to learn japanese really badly!! u should start at the beginning! haha ^_^
nbb4me14 2 years ago
ええ、これは本当に有用な事です！ありがとうね！ （ゆうよう）
TheHorus633 2 years ago
I wanna learn French & Japanese but they're so different.
Kinda challenging O_O
Guard0985 2 years ago
very informative... thanks
vallshannx 2 years ago
:-)
You're cute!
:-)
mikado201019 2 years ago 26
Haha 2:19 " you will say watashi wa, like you unserstand" Lol made me feel dumb
PlapSstar 2 years ago 2
姉さん！おまえは上手と思う！
freakymeII 2 years ago 3
don't worry, you're not the nerdiest girl I've ever seen in my life...
aarontk 2 years ago
You know you have a cute lisp when you speak english but not when you speak japanese? ;)
1471phillip 2 years ago
thank you soooo much!! i also watch anime like every day so that helps me a lot too.... hehehehe! =3 thumbs up if you do that too!!!
animepanda1234 2 years ago
Good job! :D
Except... most Japanese don't have a lisp. XD
pnutbtrgrl 2 years ago
ARIGATOU!
I love you!!!!!^^(Don't think bad things about me). I want to be your friend!!!!!!!!!!!!
What a good beginning for students who want to learn this kind of language!
I love Japanese very much! THANKS FOR THE TUT
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU
minglee7294 2 years ago 3
very informative, thank you :)
and you're gorgeous!
firewindwater123 2 years ago
Dra Dri Dru Dre Dro Made me Lol
drummerboyjfree 2 years ago
great, that´s what I have noticed and tried to tell my friends, unfortunately without success. It´s not that hard to try the pronounciation, especcially compared to Chinese
jettyke 2 years ago
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Mikiisgoingtohawaii 2 years ago
that's great instruction. I can show this to my friends learning Japanese. thanks for this.
ありがと.
I just wanted to be sure... how long have u been here in Japan?
dannyryukyu 2 years ago
i'm not in japan anymore... but i was there for a total of three semesters. More info on my youtube channel page.
daiquirikiss 2 years ago
you are cute. lol. Sankyu!
D5932 2 years ago
Thank you very much!!
My pronunciation needs some work, lol.
This video was super informative. ^_^
Arigatou gozaimashita.
Ninensei18 2 years ago
latinamericans have a little advantage, specially people from argentina, chile and uruguay because the have no entonation at all.
ganbatte kudasai nee !
ve6eta 2 years ago
I really enjoy watching this video ^^
It's funny and easy the way you explain
I think is also useful to listen music or watching anime
Thanks
Midoriheiwa 2 years ago 2
but i see that japanese people have to write very much to say some sentence that we have like in 5 words but they have to make paragraphs out of those signs :O
fliizelol 2 years ago
How do you pronunce "ei"?
Great video!:)
Anarkokommunist 2 years ago
here i just updated the video info. Follow the instructions :-)
daiquirikiss 2 years ago
Thank! But when I hear her say Kirei, she says it without that last I, while some other people I have heard always say it with I. Why is that?
Thanks alot!^_^
Anarkokommunist 2 years ago
i never have said it with the い at the end. I just elongate the え. And that's how i've heard others in tokyo say it too.
daiquirikiss 2 years ago
Ok!^_^Thank you!
Anarkokommunist 2 years ago
This is very helpful! One of my problems when I started learning Japanese was how I should pronounce words properly, in a general sense, since I don't hear fluent Japanese speakers on a daily basis. Thank you again!
sirdukek 2 years ago
(Also... if i messed something up, corrections would be awesome XD)
Kail200X 2 years ago
あんたはコメントしたのでありがとう！ かんじを読めないので、たくさんことをしらべなければならなかったんだ。けど、いみわかるよ！＾ー＾
Kail200X 2 years ago