How do you pronounce っ (small tsu) in Japanese?

The small っ (sokuon) represents a doubled consonant — you pause briefly before the following consonant, as if starting to say it and holding. For example: きって (kitte, stamp) — hold the 't' sound for one beat before releasing. In romaji this is shown by doubling the consonant: kitte, gakko (school), zasshi (magazine). It takes exactly one mora (beat) of time.

How do you pronounce ん (N) in Japanese?

ん (n) is a syllabic nasal that adapts to the sound following it: before m/b/p it sounds like 'm'; before n/t/d it sounds like 'n'; before k/g it sounds like the 'ng' in 'ring'; at the end of a word or before a vowel it's a pure nasal. The key rule: ん always takes one full beat (mora) of time, so さんぽ (sanpo, walk) has THREE beats: sa-n-po.

Is Japanese pronunciation easier than English for beginners?

Japanese phonology is simpler than English in several ways: only 5 vowels (English has ~20 vowel sounds), consistent spelling-to-sound mapping (once you learn hiragana, you can pronounce any word), no consonant clusters (every sound ends in a vowel or ん), and no irregular stress patterns. The main challenges are long vowels, double consonants, and pitch accent — but these are learnable with deliberate practice.

Japanese Pronunciation Guide: Vowels, Consonants, Long Vowels & Pitch Accent

Q: How many vowel sounds does Japanese have?

Japanese has exactly 5 vowel sounds: a (as in 'father'), i (as in 'feet'), u (as in 'food' but without lip rounding), e (as in 'bed'), o (as in 'more'). These 5 vowels are pure, consistent, and never glide into diphthongs the way English vowels do. Every hiragana vowel always sounds the same regardless of position.

Q: What is a long vowel in Japanese?

A long vowel (長音, chōon) is simply holding a vowel sound for twice the normal duration. In hiragana, long vowels are usually written by adding the next vowel kana: おかあさん (okāsan, mother) holds the 'a' sound for two beats. In katakana, a dash ー marks the long vowel: コーヒー (kōhī, coffee). Long vowels change word meaning, so they must be pronounced correctly.

Q: What is pitch accent in Japanese?

Japanese pitch accent uses high (H) and low (L) pitch patterns to distinguish words. Unlike English stress, pitch accent changes pitch rather than loudness. For example: はし (bridge) = HLL, はし (chopsticks) = LHL, はし (edge) = LH. Tokyo-dialect pitch accent follows consistent rules: the first mora is always opposite in pitch from the second, and once pitch drops, it never rises again within the same word.

Japanese pronunciation is more consistent than English — once you learn the rules, every word is pronounced exactly as written. The foundation is 5 pure vowel sounds, a mora-based rhythm, and three special sounds: long vowels (おかあさん), double consonants (っ), and the syllabic N (ん).

Covers: 5 vowels · consonant notes · mora rhythm · long vowels · っ double consonants · ん syllabic N · pitch accent intro · silent vowels · common mistakes

Written by YoruLearn Team · Last reviewed: June 2026

Get on iOS Join Android waitlist Learn Hiragana

The 5 Japanese Vowels

Japanese has exactly 5 vowel sounds. They are pure (no gliding) and always pronounced the same way regardless of position.

あaLike 'a' in "father" — open, back of mouth

いiLike 'ee' in "feet" — front, spread lips

うuLike 'oo' but unrounded — no lip rounding

えeLike 'e' in "bed" — mid-front

おoLike 'o' in "more" — back, rounded

Key difference from English: Japanese vowels never glide. English "A" actually sounds like "ay" (a glide). Japanese あ is always a pure, steady sound.

Consonant Notes

Most Japanese consonants are close to English equivalents, but several need attention:

Sound	Hiragana	Note	Example
r / l	らりるれろ	Japanese r is neither English r nor l — it's a quick tap of the tongue tip, like a very fast d/l. Not the rolled Spanish r.	らく (raku, comfortable)
fu	ふ	Not a strong English 'f'. The upper teeth don't touch the lower lip — it's a bilabial sound, like blowing gently through slightly open lips.	ふじ (Fuji)
shi	し	Pronounced 'shi' not 'si'. The し row is the only irregular in the s-column.	しんぶん (shinbun, newspaper)
chi / tsu	ちつ	ち = 'chi', つ = 'tsu'. The t-column has two irregular sounds.	ちず (chizu, map), つき (tsuki, moon)
w sounds	わを	わ is 'wa'. を is pronounced the same as お in modern Japanese — it's used only as the object particle.	わたし (watashi, I)

Mora: The Japanese Beat Unit

Japanese uses mora (モーラ) as its rhythm unit — each mora takes roughly equal time. Every hiragana character (except small kana) = 1 mora. This is different from English, which uses stress-based rhythm.

Word	Meaning	Morae	Beats
さくら	cherry blossom	さ・く・ら	3
おかあさん	mother	お・か・あ・さ・ん	5
きって	stamp	き・っ・て	3 (っ = 1 beat)
とうきょう	Tokyo	と・う・き・ょ・う	5

Long Vowels (長音)

A long vowel is held for two beats instead of one. Long vowels change word meaning — not pronouncing them correctly causes misunderstandings.

Short	Meaning	Long	Meaning	How written
おじさん	uncle	おじいさん	grandfather	Add い after じ
おばさん	aunt	おばあさん	grandmother	Add あ after ば
ここ	here	こうこう	high school	Add う after こ
ゆき	snow	ゆうき	courage	Add う after ゆ

Rules: Long あ → add あ | Long い → add い | Long う → add う | Long え → usually add い (not え) | Long お → usually add う (not お)

In katakana, all long vowels are written with a dash: コーヒー (kōhī = coffee), ケーキ (kēki = cake).

Double Consonants: っ (Small Tsu)

The small っ (sokuon) represents a brief pause before a consonant — as if you start to say the consonant and hold it for one beat before releasing.

Word	Romaji	Meaning	Beat count
きって	ki-t-te	stamp	3 beats
きて	ki-te	come (te-form)	2 beats
きっぷ	ki-p-pu	ticket	3 beats
ざっし	za-s-shi	magazine	3 beats
がっこう	ga-k-kō	school	4 beats

っ only appears before: k, s, t, p sounds. It never appears before vowels, n, m, r, or w.

ん — The Syllabic N

ん (n) is a standalone nasal sound that takes one full beat. Its exact sound changes depending on the following phoneme:

Context	Sound like	Example
Before m, b, p	m	さんぽ (sanpo) — ん sounds like m
Before n, t, d	n	さんだ (sanda) — ん sounds like n
Before k, g	ng (as in "ring")	にほんご (nihongo) — ん sounds like ng
Before vowels / end of word	pure nasal (hold through nose)	おんがく (ongaku, music)

Always count ん as a full beat: にほんご (ni-ho-n-go) = 4 beats, not 3.

Silent Vowels

In fast natural speech, い and う are often devoiced (nearly silent) when they appear between voiceless consonants or at the end of a sentence:

すき (suki, like) → sounds like "s'ki" in fast speech (the u is whispered)
です (desu) → often pronounced "des" at end of sentence
ます (masu) → often pronounced "mas" at end of sentence
きた (kita, came) → k sound follows, so い may be slightly devoiced

For beginners, pronounce all vowels clearly — devoicing is a natural accent feature to acquire over time, not something to force.

Pitch Accent Basics

Standard Tokyo Japanese uses a pitch accent system where each mora is either High (H) or Low (L). Two rules govern this:

The first mora and second mora are always different in pitch (if mora 1 is H, mora 2 is L, and vice versa).
Once pitch drops, it never rises again within the same accent phrase.

Word	Meaning	Pattern	Notes
はし	bridge	は Hし L	Drops after first mora
はし	chopsticks	は Lし H	Rises on second mora
はし	edge	は Lし H↓ (drops with particle)	Flat high then drops with が
さくら	cherry blossom	さ Lく Hら H	Rises on second, stays high
たまご	egg	た Lま Hご L	Rises then drops

For N5, pitch accent is not tested. Focus on vowel length and っ/ん for clear pronunciation. Pitch accent is a longer-term accent refinement goal.

5 Common Mistakes

Treating う as English 'oo'. English 'oo' (as in "food") has rounded lips. Japanese う has no lip rounding — keep lips relaxed and spread slightly.
Shortening long vowels. おじさん (uncle) vs おじいさん (grandfather) — the い makes all the difference. Take the extra beat.
Skipping っ. きって (stamp) sounds very different from きて (come). っ takes a full beat — pause before the next consonant.
Treating ん as always 'n'. Before m/b/p, ん sounds like 'm'. Saying さんぽ with a clear 'n' sounds foreign.
Putting English stress on Japanese words. Japanese rhythm is mora-based, not stress-based. Each mora gets equal time. "To-KYO" is wrong — "tō-KYŌ" (with equal beats and long vowels) is correct.

FAQ

How many vowel sounds does Japanese have?

Exactly 5: a, i, u, e, o. They are pure and consistent — they never glide into other sounds the way English vowels do. Every hiragana vowel always sounds the same.

What is a long vowel in Japanese?

A long vowel is held for two beats instead of one. In hiragana, it's written by adding the vowel kana (おかあさん). In katakana, a dash ー marks it (コーヒー). Long vowels change meaning, so they must be pronounced correctly.

How do you pronounce っ (small tsu)?

Pause briefly before the following consonant — as if starting to say it and holding for one beat before releasing. きって (ki-t-te, stamp) = 3 beats. っ only appears before k, s, t, p sounds.

How do you pronounce ん?

ん is a syllabic nasal taking one full beat. Its sound adapts: before m/b/p it sounds like 'm'; before k/g it sounds like 'ng'; at end of word it's a pure nasal. Always counts as one beat.

What is pitch accent in Japanese?

A system where each mora is high (H) or low (L) pitch. Morae 1 and 2 are always different in pitch, and pitch never rises again after dropping. Different pitch patterns distinguish word meanings (e.g. はし = bridge vs chopsticks).

Is Japanese pronunciation easier than English?

In several ways, yes — only 5 vowels, consistent spelling-to-sound mapping, no consonant clusters. The main challenges are long vowels, double consonants (っ), and pitch accent. Overall it's more predictable than English pronunciation.

Mora Count: The Pronunciation Check Beginners Need

Japanese	Mora	Why it matters
がっこう	が・っ・こ・う = 4	The small っ and long vowel each take a beat.
おかあさん	お・か・あ・さ・ん = 5	Long vowels and ん are full mora.
きって	き・っ・て = 3	Do not skip the pause before て.

Count mora rather than English-style stressed syllables. This makes long vowels, っ, and ん easier to read accurately before you move on to pitch accent.

Keep studying

Learn HiraganaYoruLearn guide →Learn KatakanaYoruLearn guide →Japanese Pitch AccentYoruLearn guide →

Perfect Your Pronunciation with YoruLearn

The YoruLearn app reinforces pronunciation concepts through reading practice and spaced repetition — drilling vocabulary and sentences with hiragana so the mora rhythm, long vowels, and double consonants become second nature through regular exposure.

Get on iOS Join Android waitlist Learn Hiragana

No-audio self-test

Check Japanese timing from the spelling

Romaji is only a temporary label. Kana shows the timing: a long vowel takes two beats, a small っ creates a pause, and ん has its own beat. You can practise these essentials without audio.

For spelling practice, compare hiragana and katakana, decode katakana loanwords, and treat pitch accent as a separate skill in the pitch-accent guide.

Continue practising pronunciation in YoruLearn