Page 58 - Basic Japanese

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2. a long (syllabic) n

chanto [cha-n-to] just, precisely

shintsū [shi-n-tsu-u] anguish,
heartache

kondo [ko-n-do] this time;
next time

kon’nichi wa [ko-n-ni- hello, good

chi-wa] afternoon

kenchiku [ke-n-chi-ku] construction,
building

san-ji [sa-n-ji] three o’clock

The third pronunciation may cause you some difficulty.
The combination nk is pronounced about as in banker, but

the ng sound of the n is held for a full syllable. The
combination written in the Hepburn Romanization as ng is

pronounced with that ngg sound of fingger in some parts of

Japan, but in the Standard Language it is pronounced like
two ng sounds in a row: ngng, with the first held for a full

syllable and the second beginning the following syllable. Get
out your tongue-depressor again, and keep the tongue tip

down a little longer.
Cf. nangai ‘how many floors’ and nagai ‘is long.’