Speaking

Japanese speaking is one of the most rewarding and most challenging aspects of the language. This guide covers pronunciation, pitch accent, the politeness register system, and practical resources for finding speaking practice.

Pronunciation Basics

Japanese pronunciation is in many ways simpler than English for several reasons:

• 5 pure vowels with consistent sounds
• No consonant clusters (every consonant is followed by a vowel, except ん)
• Regular syllable structure (mostly CV — consonant + vowel)
• No stress accent (unlike English with strong stressed syllables)

The 5 Vowels

Japanese vowels are pure — they do not glide into other vowels (unlike English "say" which glides from e toward i):

Vowel	Japanese	Pronunciation	English approximation
a	あ	/a/	"ah" in "father" — mouth open wide
i	い	/i/	"ee" in "meet" — lips spread
u	う	/ɯ/	"oo" but lips NOT rounded — mouth relaxed
e	え	/e/	"e" in "bed"
o	お	/o/	"o" in "go" but pure, not gliding

Key for English speakers:

• The "u" in Japanese is not the "oo" in "moon". Lips are not rounded. It's more like "uh" but higher in the mouth.
• Japanese "e" is a pure /e/, not the English /eɪ/ glide.
• Japanese "o" is a pure /o/, not the English /oʊ/ glide.

Long Vowels

Long vowels are held for twice the duration of short vowels:

• ā (ああ or in katakana ア with ー): おかあさん (okaasan, mother)
• ī (いい): いい (ii, good)
• ū (うう): くうき (kuuki, air)
• ē (えい or ええ): えいご (eigo, English language)
• ō (おう or おお): おおきい (ookii, big); どうぞ (douzo, please)

The difference between short and long vowels changes meaning:

• 来た (kita, came) vs. 着た (kita, wore) — distinguished in kanji but same sound
• おばさん (obasan, aunt) vs. おばあさん (obaasan, grandmother)

Consonants: Key Differences from English

Sound	Japanese	Notes
r/l	ら行 (ra, ri, ru, re, ro)	Neither English r nor l — tongue taps the alveolar ridge once, like a flap (similar to Spanish "r" in "pero")
f	ふ (fu)	Not quite English "f" — both lips come close together but with gentle exhale; more like "wh" in "who" in some analyses
tsu	つ	"ts" cluster doesn't exist at the start of English words, but exists in "cats" — practice this
chi	ち	Like English "ch" in "cheese" — not "ti"
shi	し	Like English "sh" in "shoe" — not "si"
n	ん	Can sound like n, m, or ng depending on what follows; before b/m/p: sounds like m; before k/g: sounds like ng

Geminate Consonants (っ)

The small っ (small tsu) doubles the following consonant. There is a brief full stop before the doubled consonant:

• 切手 (kitte, stamp): "ki" + pause + "te" — the "t" is doubled
• 学校 (gakkou, school): ga + "kk" + oo — the "k" is doubled
• 雑誌 (zasshi, magazine): za + "ss" + i — the "sh" is doubled

Practice: Say "that time" quickly → "that-time" → "thattime" — the double consonant is the brief glottal closure before the second word.

Pitch Accent

Tokyo Japanese has a pitch accent system — words have prescribed high (H) and low (L) pitch patterns. This is different from Chinese tones (which mark the whole syllable) and from English stress accent (which emphasizes volume and length).

Pitch Accent Patterns

Japanese pitch accent describes where the pitch falls (drops from high to low):

Category	Description	Example
Heiban (平板型)	Starts low, stays high	なまえ (namae, name): L-H-H
Atamadaka (頭高型)	Starts high, drops immediately	あめ (ame, rain): H-L
Nakadaka (中高型)	Low-high-low	たまご (tamago, egg): L-H-L
Odaka (尾高型)	Low, rises, drops before particle	はし (hashi, bridge): L-H → は L-H-L-particle

Minimal pairs (words distinguished only by pitch):

• はし H-L = chopsticks; はし L-H = bridge; はし L-L? = edge
• あめ H-L = rain; あめ L-H = candy
• かき H-L = oyster; かき L-H = persimmon

Do You Need Pitch Accent?

For JLPT: No — pitch accent is not tested.

For speaking fluency: Yes, eventually. Incorrect pitch accent can:

• Make you harder to understand
• Mark you as a clearly non-native speaker even with perfect grammar
• Cause comprehension errors when you speak (native speakers may not immediately understand)

Recommendation: Don't stress about pitch accent at N5–N4. Start paying attention at N3. Actively study pitch accent at N2+ if speaking is a goal.

Best resource: Dogen's pitch accent video series on Patreon (dogen.io) — the most thorough, accurate, English-language pitch accent resource available.

Register and Politeness

Japanese has two main registers that require completely different forms:

Teineigo (丁寧語 — Polite Register)

• Used with: strangers, acquaintances, service situations, professional contexts
• Verbs use ます/です forms
• Negative: ません, じゃありません
• Most textbook Japanese is written in this register

Kudaketa (崩れた — Casual Register)

• Used with: close friends, family, peers you're close to
• Verbs use plain (dictionary/ru) forms
• Negative: ない, じゃない
• Example: 食べる (taberu) instead of 食べます (tabemasu)

Beginners should master polite forms first. Casual forms come naturally through listening to anime and conversation with peers.

Keigo (敬語 — Honorific Language)

Keigo is a separate grammar system for formal/business contexts:

• Sonkeigo (尊敬語): Elevates the other person's actions — いらっしゃる, おっしゃる, なさる
• Kenjougo (謙譲語): Humbles your own actions — まいる, おります, いたす, 申す
• Teineigo (丁寧語): Standard polite forms — ます/です (covered above)

Full keigo guide

Speaking Practice Resources

1. italki — 1-on-1 Tutors

Website: italki.com
Cost: Varies by teacher; community tutors ~$10–15/hr; professional teachers ~$20–50/hr
Best for: Structured conversation practice, grammar correction, exam preparation

italki has hundreds of Japanese tutors. For beginners, book a community tutor who will speak Japanese with you at your level and correct mistakes. For advanced learners, professional teachers can run mock JLPT speaking preparation or business Japanese sessions.

2. HelloTalk — Language Exchange

Platform: iOS, Android
Cost: Free (plus subscription for unlimited features)
Best for: Text and voice exchanges with native Japanese speakers who want to learn your language

HelloTalk lets you find language exchange partners. You help them with your language; they help you with Japanese. Text corrections, voice messages, and video calls are all available.

3. Tandem — Language Exchange

Platform: iOS, Android
Cost: Free
Best for: Similar to HelloTalk; larger community

4. Shadowing: Let's Speak Japanese (テキスト)

Publisher: くろしお出版 (Kuroshio)
Cost: ~$30–$40
Best for: Structured shadowing practice with graded audio

This textbook series (Beginner + Intermediate + Advanced) is designed specifically for Japanese shadowing practice. Each unit provides audio at controlled speed with carefully chosen content. The beginner volume is ideal for N4–N3 learners.

5. Japanese Language School or Group Classes

If living near a Japanese community or city, local Japanese classes provide speaking time and community:

• Japanese Cultural Centers often offer affordable group classes
• University continuing education programs
• Community centers with volunteer Japanese teachers

6. Speaking Apps: Speechling

Website: speechling.com
Cost: Free (limited) / $19/month
Best for: Human feedback on pronunciation

Record yourself speaking Japanese sentences; professional coaches review and give audio feedback within 24 hours. Unique in providing human (not AI) pronunciation correction.

Pronunciation Practice Exercises

Exercise 1: Minimal Pair Drills

Practice distinguishing (then producing) pitch accent pairs:

• あめ (rain) H-L vs. あめ (candy) L-H
• はし (chopsticks) H-L vs. はし (bridge) L-H
• Record yourself, then compare to native audio

Exercise 2: う-sound Isolation

The Japanese "u" is the hardest vowel for English speakers:

1. Say "uh" — tongue is in the right position but lips are too loose
2. Now pull the corners of your mouth back slightly without rounding
3. Say "desu" with this sound — the す should sound crisp, not "zoo"

Exercise 3: R-sound (ら行)

The Japanese r/l is a single flap:

1. Say "laddie" in American English quickly — the "dd" is actually a flap, close to Japanese r
2. Practice: ら り る れ ろ — single tap of tongue on the alveolar ridge
3. Compare: 来る (kuru) — the final る should be a quick tap, not a drawn-out English r

Exercise 4: Counting with Rhythm

Japanese has a strict mora-timed rhythm (each mora takes equal time):

• Practice: い・ち・に・さ・ん・し・ご (1-2-3-4-5) at steady pace
• Then faster: equal time for each mora, no stress accent

Common Speaking Mistakes by English Speakers

Mistake	Why it happens	Correction
English "r" sound in ら行	Direct transfer from English	Practice flap/tap; listen to natives and mimic
Rounded "u"	English "oo" sound	Unround lips; tongue stays in similar position
Upward inflection for questions	English question intonation	Japanese questions add か; pitch stays level or drops
Excessive stress accent	English stressed syllables	Japanese is mora-timed; all morae approximately equal
Skipping long vowels	Doesn't seem important	おばさん ≠ おばあさん — affects meaning
Ignoring geminate っ	Not in English	Must pause before doubled consonant