Language/Japanese/Pronunciation/Alphabet-and-Pronunciation

Japanese language uses three ways to express sounds and writing ː Hiragana, Katakana and Kanji.

There are simple symbols derived from Chinese characters are called "Hiragana" and "Katakana", Chinese characters called Kanji.

Hiragana

Hiragana is the most common. you can find it everywhere, in restaurant, train stations...

あ	a	[a]	か	ka	[ka]	さ	sa	[sa]	た	ta	[ta]	な	na	[na]	は	ha	[ha], [wa]	ま	ma	[ma]	や	ya	[ja]	ら	ra	[ɾa]	わ	wa	[wa]	ん	n	[n], [m], [ŋ],[ɴ], [ɯ̃], [ĩ]
い	i	[i]	き	ki	[kʲi]	し	shi	[ɕi]	ち	chi	[t͡ɕi]	に	ni	[ɲi]	ひ	hi	[çi]	み	mi	[mi]				り	ri	[ɾi]
う	u	[ɯ]	く	ku	[kɯ]	す	su	[sɯ]	つ	tsu	[t͡sɯ]	ぬ	nu	[nɯ]	ふ	fu	[ɸɯ]	む	mu	[mɯ]	ゆ	yu	[jɯ]	る	ru	[ɾɯ]							ゔ	vu/u	[v(ɯ)]
え	e	[e]	け	ke	[ke]	せ	se	[se]	て	te	[te]	ね	ne	[ne]	へ	he	[he], [e]	め	me	[me]				れ	re	[ɾe]
お	o	[o]	こ	ko	[ko]	そ	so	[so]	と	to	[to]	の	no	[no]	ほ	ho	[ho]	も	mo	[mo]	よ	yo	[jo]	ろ	ro	[ɾo]	を	wo	[(w)o]

が	ga	[ɡa]	ざ	za	[za]	だ	da	[da]	ば	ba	[ba]	ぱ	pa	[pa]
ぎ	gi	[ɡʲi]	じ	Ji	[(d)ʑi]	ぢ	dzi	[(d)ʑi]	び	bi	[bi]	ぴ	pi	[pi]
ぐ	gu	[ɡɯ]	ず	zu	(d)zɯ]	づ	dzu	[(d)zɯ]	ぶ	bu	[bɯ]	ぷ	pu	[pɯ]
げ	ge	[ɡe]	ぜ	ze	[ze]	で	de	[de]	べ	be	[be]	ぺ	pe	[pe]
ご	go	[ɡo]	ぞ	zo	[zo]	ど	do	[do]	ぼ	bo	[bo]	ぽ	po	[po]

Digraph

きゃ	kya	[kʲa]	しゃ	sha	[ɕa]	ちゃ	cha	[t͡ɕa]	にゃ	nyo	[ɲa]	ひゃ	hya	[ça]	みゃ	mya	[mʲa]	りゃ	rya	[ɾʲa]	ぎゃ	gya	[ɡʲa]	じゃ	ja	[d͡ʑa]	びゃ	bya	[bʲa]	ぴゃ	pya	[pʲa]
きゅ	kyu	[kʲɯ]	しゅ	shu	[ɕɯ]	ちゅ	chu	[t͡ɕɯ]	にゅ	nyu	[ɲɯ]	ひゅ	hyu	[çɯ]	みゅ	myu	[mʲɯ]	りゅ	ryu	[ɾʲɯ]	ぎゅ	gyu	[ɡʲɯ]	じゅ	ju	[d͡ʑɯ]	びゅ	byu	[bʲɯ]	ぴゅ	pyu	[pʲɯ]
きょ	kyo	[kʲo]	しょ	sho	[ɕo]	ちょ	cho	[t͡ɕo]	にょ	nya	[ɲo]	ひょ	hyo	[ço]	みょ	myo	[mʲo]	りょ	ryo	[ɾʲo]	ぎょ	gyo	[ɡʲo]	じょ	jo	[d͡ʑo]	びょ	byo	[bʲo]	ぴょ	pyo	[pʲo]

っ indicates a geminate consonant.

Notes ː

As you can see, for "w" sound, there are only a and o.

Concerning the "y" section, there are only a, u and o.

Also, to form some sounds like z, p or b we have to use some additional symbols to complete basic ones.

゛makes k become g, s become z, t become d, h become b

゜ makes h become p

The difference between じ and ぢ, ず and づ is if the consonant is voiceless or voiced.

Katakana

Based on the same concept of hiragana, katakana is especially made to translate foreign names and words

ア	a	[a]	カ	ka	[ka]	サ	sa	[sa]	タ	ta	[ta]	ナ	na	[na]	ハ	ha	[ha], [wa]	マ	ma	[ma]	ヤ	ya	[ja]	ラ	ra	[ɾa]	ワ	wa	[wa]	ン	n	[n], [m], [ŋ],[ɴ], [ɯ̃], [ĩ]
イ	i	[i]	キ	ki	[kʲi]	シ	shi	[ɕi]	チ	chi	[t͡ɕi]	二	ni	[ɲi]	ヒ	hi	[çi]	ミ	mi	[mi]				リ	ri	[ɾi]
ウ	u	[ɯ]	ク	ku	[kɯ]	ス	su	[sɯ]	ツ	tsu	[t͡sɯ]	ヌ	nu	[nɯ]	フ	fu	[ɸɯ]	ム	mu	[mɯ]	ユ	yu	[jɯ]	ル	ru	[ɾɯ]							ヴ	vu/u	[v(ɯ)]
エ	e	[e]	ケ	ke	[ke]	セ	se	[se]	テ	te	[te]	ネ	ne	[ne]	へ	he	[he], [e]	メ	me	[me]				レ	re	[ɾe]
オ	o	[o]	コ	ko	[ko]	ソ	so	[so]	ト	to	[to]	ノ	no	[no]	ホ	ho	[ho]	モ	mo	[mo]	ヨ	yo	[jo]	ロ	ro	[ɾo]	ヲ	wo	[(w)o]

ガ	ga	[ɡa]	ザ	za	[za]	ダ	da	[da]	バ	ba	[ba]	パ	pa	[pa]
ギ	gi	[ɡʲi]	ジ	Ji	[(d)ʑi]	ヂ	dzi	[(d)ʑi]	ビ	bi	[bi]	ピ	pi	[pi]
グ	gu	[ɡɯ]	ズ	zu	(d)zɯ]	ヅ	dzu	[(d)zɯ]	ブ	bu	[bɯ]	プ	pu	[pɯ]
ゲ	ge	[ɡe]	ゼ	ze	[ze]	デ	de	[de]	ベ	be	[be]	ペ	pe	[pe]
ゴ	go	[ɡo]	ゾ	zo	[zo]	ド	do	[do]	ボ	bo	[bo]	ポ	po	[po]

Digraph

キャ	kya	[kʲa]	シャ	sha	[ɕa]	チャ	cha	[t͡ɕa]	ニャ	nyo	[ɲa]	ヒャ	hya	[ça]	ミャ	mya	[mʲa]	リャ	rya	[ɾʲa]	ギャ	gya	[ɡʲa]	ジャ	ja	[d͡ʑa]	ビャ	bya	[bʲa]	ピャ	pya	[pʲa]
キュ	kyu	[kʲɯ]	シュ	shu	[ɕɯ]	チュ	chu	[t͡ɕɯ]	ニュ	nyu	[ɲɯ]	ヒュ	hyu	[çɯ]	ミュ	myu	[mʲɯ]	リュ	ryu	[ɾʲɯ]	ギュ	gyu	[ɡʲɯ]	ジュ	ju	[d͡ʑɯ]	ビュ	byu	[bʲɯ]	ピュ	pyu	[pʲɯ]
キョ	kyo	[kʲo]	ショ	sho	[ɕo]	チョ	cho	[t͡ɕo]	ニョ	nya	[ɲo]	ヒョ	hyo	[ço]	ミョ	myo	[mʲo]	リョ	ryo	[ɾʲo]	ギョ	gyo	[ɡʲo]	ジョ	jo	[d͡ʑo]	ビョ	byo	[bʲo]	ピョ	pyo	[pʲo]

ッ indicates a geminate consonant.

ー means long vowel.

There is a small difficulty in katakana symbols table due to the very similar looking of some ː ノ、ソ、ン、シ、ツ...＋ゾ、ジ、ヅ。

Kanji

Kanji makes homonyms to be understood more precisely. For example, kami may means god, paper, hair. with kanji, one can express the proper meaning.

Authors

briceJ