Page 36 - Basic Japanese

rounding than the American equivalent. (Actually, much of

the American lip-rounding is part of the off-glide.) After the
consonants s, ts, and z, the Japanese u is sometimes

pronounced in a HIGH CENTRAL position.

[cue 01-6]

susumu advances

kuruma car

kutsu shoes

tsuzuku continues

nusumu steals, swipes

gyūnyū milk

In ordinary conversation when the Japanese syllable u
comes before ma, me, or mo, it is often pronounced as if it
were the syllable m:

[cue 01-7]

uma [mma] horse

ume [mme] plum

umoregi fossil wood
[mmoregi]