Linked Questions

1 vote
1 answer
183 views

ですね and ですよ regarding the silent u (silent vowels)

So, I'm not sure how to word it, but I hear majority of people say des-ne and des-yo. But following this: What are the rules regarding "mute vowels" ("u" after "s" and &...
Infernoboy's user avatar
0 votes
0 answers
119 views

Is dropping u in ですね/ですよ a special case? [duplicate]

So I never though about it, but ですね and ですよ don't follow the silent vowel rules, but I don't think I've ever heard (desu ne) or (desu yo). It's always (des ne) and (des yo). Unless I'm imagining ...
Infernoboy's user avatar
5 votes
1 answer
160 views

Loanwords not being pronounced in a normal moraic rhythm?

Here's a spectogram of a speaker's rendition of “プロトタイプ” from English “prototype”, collected from Forvo It should be clear from this spectogram that the pu-mora is pronounced in half a mora; the mora-...
Zorf's user avatar
  • 1,177
0 votes
1 answer
326 views

Is the し in はじめまして pronounced as "shi" or as "sh"? [duplicate]

Is this always the case for words that end in して similar to how です is pronounced "des"?
Jonathan's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
252 views

Pronunciation question: bisuketto ビスケット [duplicate]

When I hear bisuketto pronounced I hear bisket-to. I don't hear bisuket-to. Is it my ears or do you just not say su? If not, why not? Is there a pronunciation rule I'm not aware of maybe?
James's user avatar
  • 1
1 vote
1 answer
215 views

Is かぐや姫 pronounced "Ka-gu-ya" or "Kag'-ya"?

皆さん、こんばんは! Just a quick question. Is かぐや姫's name pronounced "Kaguya" or "Kag'ya"? aka. Is the う dropped or not? Just curious as I haven't found a definitive answer for this yet.
Tirous's user avatar
  • 3,412
3 votes
2 answers
3k views

Desu pronounced dess: what about other words? [duplicate]

On a CD that came with my text book I hear that desu is pronounced dess. Are there many other words in Japanese, where done of the sound from the kana spelling actually falls off, like in this example,...
Jack Maddington's user avatar
1 vote
4 answers
4k views

Correct pronunciation of "sukiyaki"?

I've heard it both as "soo-kee-ya-kee" and "skee-ya-kee". Which is correct? Some more background: A native speaker once told me that the correct pronunciation is "skee-ya-kee", and I subsequently ...
Willie Wheeler's user avatar
5 votes
3 answers
454 views

In compound words what is it called when two Ks assimilate into a っ?

Eg. 厄介、欲求、直径、即興、却下、借金、引っ越す、北海道、積極、薬局 Wouldn't っ normally require the first onyomi to have a tsu ending? Why doesn't it happen in certain words like 加湿器?
vesikaivo's user avatar
  • 173
5 votes
1 answer
5k views

Rule on vowel devoicing? [duplicate]

Ok, so I mostly understand how vowel devoicing works in Japanese, but there's something that's making me a bit confused. On all the sources I've found, most say that vowel devoicing usually occurs in ...
user12146's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
1k views

Is there a term for words that share the same kana spelling?

I would like to know if there is a word (in either Japanese or English) that describes pairs of words that are spelled the same in kana. For example, 橋 and 箸 would be "homo-kana" words, because they ...
senshin's user avatar
  • 5,645
7 votes
1 answer
3k views

What are the pronunciation differences between speaking and singing Japanese? [closed]

I've noticed that some pronunciation is different in singing than in speaking. For example, I often hear を pronounced as /wo/ rather than /o/. What other pronunciation differences are there?
crayondraw's user avatar
21 votes
4 answers
10k views

Pronunciation of す in です and the end of ます verbs

I've always been curious about the pronunciation of the す in です and at the end of 〜ます verbs. Most commonly the "u" sound is inaudible, but sometimes by some people it's more pronounced, and some ...
ジョン's user avatar
  • 4,410
13 votes
2 answers
25k views

Would I have 牛乳 or ミルク with my cereal?

I've just found out that there's a couple of words for milk, and that they have slightly different meanings. Which one would I have with my Weetbix in a "viking style" breakfast in Niseko? Based on ...
Golden Cuy's user avatar
  • 16.2k
11 votes
2 answers
6k views

Does it matter whether you drop vowels in spoken Japanese?

(This question started as a dual question about when to drop vowels and whether it matters. The first question is well answered at What are the rules regarding "mute vowels" ("u" ...
MattK's user avatar
  • 213

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