Page 27 - Basic Japanese

usagi rabbit
saru monkey

uma horse

LANDSCAPE

yama mountain

kawa river

umi ocean, sea
ike pond

mizuumi lake

Structure Notes

1.1. Pronunciation

Every language has a system of sounds, and no two

systems are exactly alike. The same organs are used in
pronouncing the sounds of Japanese and those of English,

but they are used in somewhat different ways. These organs
are parts of the mouth, the tongue, the nose, and the
throat. You will find it helpful to learn a bit about how these

organs are used to make the sounds of English and those of
Japanese. Many of the sounds in these two languages are so

similar that you can use English sounds for the Japanese
ones without being misunderstood, but there are some

English pronunciation habits that you must avoid if you are
to speak understandable Japanese. And if you don’t want

your Japanese to have a marked American accent, you will