Japanese pronunciation — mora timing, pitch accent basics, long vowels, and double consonants
Can pronounce Japanese words with correct mora timing
Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?
おばさんとおばあさん
aunt and grandmother
きて！ vs きって
Come! vs a stamp
Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?
Japanese is a mora-timed language: each kana character takes the same duration. This includes ん and っ, which each count as one mora.
| Feature | Example | Mora count | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Long vowel | おばあさん | 5 (o-ba-a-sa-n) | grandmother |
| Short vowel | おばさん | 4 (o-ba-sa-n) | aunt |
| っ (geminate) | きって | 3 (ki-t-te) | stamp |
| ん (nasal) | せんせい | 4 (se-n-se-i) | teacher |
Pitch accent: Japanese uses pitch (high/low) rather than stress. At N5 level, be aware it exists — mastery comes later. Example: 雨(rain, LH) vs 飴(candy, HL).
Vowel devoicing: い and う between voiceless consonants (k, s, t, h, p) are whispered: です sounds like 'des', not 'desu'.
The Japanese R: ら行 sounds are a light tongue tap against the alveolar ridge — between English 'l', 'd', and 'r'. Not a rolled R.
Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises
Practice Exercisesおばさんとおばあさん
aunt and grandmother
おばさん (4 mora) = aunt; おばあさん (5 mora) = grandmother — the long あ changes the meaning entirely
きて！ vs きって
Come! vs a stamp
きて (ki-te, 2 mora) = come!; きって (ki-t-te, 3 mora) = stamp — っ creates a pause before the next consonant
Practice in course
Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises