Japanese pronunciation rules and words to remember. Translator of Japanese characters (kanji) into transcription

We present to your attention a short Japanese phrasebook if you need everyday, frequently used words and phrases in Japanese, then go ahead!

Greetings

Ohayo gozaimasu (Ohayou gozaimasu) - "Good morning".

This is a variant of a fairly polite good morning wish.

It is worth recalling that "y" don't pronounce in Japanese after voiceless consonants. So they say it "Ohae gozaimas".

Ohayou- This is an informal option, can be used among friends and youth.

Ossu– very informal and very male version(pronounced as "oss"). Girls are strongly advised not to use masculine pronunciations.

Konnichiwa- “Good afternoon”, “Hello”, “Hello”. Probably one of the most famous Japanese words.

Yahho! (Yahhoo)– an informal version of the word “hello”.

Ooi! (Ooi)– also an informal version of “Hello”, used by men. Often to attract attention at a great distance.

Yo! (Yo!)- an exclusively informal male version of the same greeting.

Gokigenyou– a rather rare and very polite female greeting, which can be translated as “Hello.”

Konbanwa- "Good evening".

Hisashiburi desu- "Long time no see". Pronounced like "hisashiburi des." A female informal option would be - Hisashiburi ne? (Hisashiburi ne?), male Hisashiburi da naa... (Hisashiburi da naa) .

Moshi-moshi– used when answering a phone call as “hello”.

Farewells

Sayonara – regular option“Goodbye” if there is little chance of a new meeting.

Saraba– an informal option like “bye.”

Mata Ashita– the usual “see you tomorrow” option. Female - Mata ne, male - Mata naa.

Dzya, mata (Jaa, mata)- "See you". A very commonly used informal option.

Jia (Jaa)– a very informal option, often used by friends.

De wa- a little more formal than "Jia (Jaa)".

Oyasumi nasai – “Good night" A somewhat formal option, an informal one would be simple - Oyasumi.

Everyday phrases in Japanese:

Answers

Hai – “Yes.” Universal standard answer. Often it can mean anything, but not agreement, but, for example, only “continue”, “I understand”, “yeah”.

Haa (Haa)- “Yes, sir,” “I obey, sir.” This is a very formal expression.

Uh (Ee)- "Yes". Not very formal.

Ryoukai- "Yes sir". Military response.

Ie- "No". Standard polite expression. Also used as a polite form of declining gratitude or compliment.

Nai- "No". Used to indicate the absence or non-existence of something.

Betsu ni- "Nothing".

Naruhodo- “Of course,” “Of course.”

Motiron- "Naturally!" Expression of confidence.

Yahari- "I thought so".

Yappari– too, but not so formally.

Maa... (Maa)- "Maybe…"

Saa... (Saa)- "Well…". Used when they have difficulty agreeing and doubt.

Honto desu ka? (Hontou desu ka?)- "Is it really true?"

Honto? (Hontou?)– Less formal.

So desu ka? (Sou desu ka?)– Formal form of the phrase “Wow...”. Informal - So what? (Sou ka?), can be pronounced as “Su ka!”

So desu nee... (Sou desu nee)- “That’s how it is...” Formal version.

So da na... (Sou da naa)- Male version.

So nah... (Sou nee)– Female version.

Masaka! (Masaka)- "It can not be!"

Everyday phrases in Japanese:

Requests

Onegai shimasu- A very polite form of request. Especially often used in requests like “do something for me.”

Onegai– A less polite and much more common request.

- kudasai- Polite form. Added as a suffix to a verb.

- kudasaimasen ka? (kudasaimasenka)- More polite form. It is also added as a suffix to a verb. It can be translated as “could you do something for me?”

Everyday phrases in Japanese:

Acknowledgments

Doumo– “Thank you” is used in response to everyday small help. For example, when you were let ahead or served something.

Arigatou gozaimasu– A polite and formal form, the expression is usually pronounced as “Arigato gozaimas“.

Arigatou— Less formal polite form.

Doumo arigatou- "Thank you very much".

Doumo arigatou gozaimasu– A very polite and very formal phrase of gratitude.

Osewa ni narimashita- “I am your debtor.” Very polite and formal uniform. Informally they say - Osewa ni natta.

Iie- "My pleasure". Informal form. Polite option - Dou itashimashite.

Everyday phrases in Japanese:

Apologies

Gomen nasai– “Excuse me, please”, “I beg your pardon”, “I’m very sorry.” A very polite form. Expresses regret for some reason, say, if you have to disturb someone. Often not an apology for a significant offense (unlike “sumimasen”).

Gomen– Informal form of the same.

Sumimasen- "I'm sorry". Polite form. An apology for committing a significant wrongdoing.

Sumanai/Suman– Not very polite, male version.

Shitsurei shimasu- "I'm sorry". Very polite formal uniform. Used, say, as “I’m sorry to bother you” when entering a superior’s office.

Shitsurei– too, but less formally.

Moushiwake arimasen- “I have no forgiveness.” A very polite and formal form, more often used in the army and in business.

Moushiwake nai- not such a formal option.

Dozo- "Ask". Short form, an offer to enter, take an item, and so on. The answer is something we already know “Domo”.

Chotto... (Chotto)- "No worries". Polite form of refusal. For example, if you are offered coffee.

Everyday phrases in Japanese:

Everyday phrases

Itte kimasu– Literally can be translated as “I left, but I’m going to come back.” Use when leaving home for work or school.

Chotto itte kuru– Not a formal form, something like “I’ll go out for a minute.”

Itte irashai- “Come back quickly.” In response to " Itte kimasu."

Tadaima- “I'm back” or “I'm home.” It is also used as a spiritual return home.

Okaeri nasai– “Welcome home,” in response to “Tadaima” . Okaeri- not a formal option.

Itadakimasu- pronounced before eating. Literally – “I accept [this food].” They often fold their palms as if in prayer.

Gochisousama deshita- “Thank you, it was delicious.” When finishing a meal. Another variant - Gochisousama

Everyday phrases in Japanese:

Everyday and necessary phrases

Kawaii! (Kawaii)- “Wow!”, “How cute!”, “How lovely!” . Often used in relation to children, girls, and also very handsome guys. This word has a strong meaning of “manifestation of weakness, femininity, passivity (in the sexual sense of the word).”

Sugoi! (Sugoi)– “Cool” or “Cool/cool!” In relation to people, it is used to denote masculinity.

Kakkoii! (Kakkoii!)- “Cool, beautiful, awesome!”

Suteki! (Suteki!)– “Beautiful, charming, delightful!”, pronounced “Stacky!”

Hide! (Hidoi!)- “Evil!”, “bad.”

Forge! (Kowai)- "Scary!" . With an expression of fear.

Matte! (Matte)- “Wait!”, “Stop!”

Abunay! (Abunai)– warning – “Danger!” or “Look out!”

SOS phrases in Japanese:

Tasukete! (Tasukete)- “Help!”, “Help!” - pronounced as “Taskete!”

Yamero!/Yamete! (Yamero/Yamete)- “Stop!”, “Stop it!” or “Stop it!”

Dame! (Dame)- “No, don’t do that!”

Hanase! (Hanase)- “Let go!”

Hentai! (Hentai)- “Pervert!”

Urusai! (Urusai)- "Shut up!"

Uso! (Uso)- “Lie!”, “You’re lying!”

It’s good that when you come to a country, you can freely communicate with local residents in their native language - this is an ideal option. But not everyone and not always have such knowledge, and although I believe that simply memorizing individual phrases, without a general knowledge of the language, will not lead to mutual understanding with local residents, perhaps some phrases can still be useful.

From my own experience I know that a foreigner’s attempt to at least use generally accepted phrases such as Good morning, thank you, goodbye, say in local language, always causes a good response.

So as not to read everything written on the screen, if you need these hint words for a trip to Japan or for communicating with Japanese friends download them for yourself for free, print and use. On this page the words are published partially, as clear example what you will see in the electronic version.

And more for correct pronunciation words, it is better to read a couple of articles, since in the Japanese language there are such concepts as reduction - shortening and as a result, words are pronounced differently from how they are written. This is especially true for words with the endings - です - desu, します - shimasu, in fact, the sound “u” is not pronounced.

Useful words and expressions in Japanese.

Greetings:

ohayo gozaimasu - good morning!

konnichiwa - hello (good afternoon)!

konbanwa - good evening!

hajimemashite - nice to meet you

douzo eroschiku - nice to meet you

o-yasumi nasai - good night

sayunara - goodbye!

Politeness formulas:

namae-o oshiete kudasai - what is your name?

then moushimasu is my name...

sumimasen - sorry

o-genki des ka - how are you?

genki des - thank you, ok

ie - no

arigatou - thank you

doumo arigatou gozaimas - thank you very much

douitaschite - no need for gratitude

onegai... - please (if informal request)...

douzo - please (if invited)...

kekkou desu - no thanks

chetto matte kudasai - please wait

shitsurei shimashita - sorry (for disturbing you)

itadakimasu - bon appetit

gochisou-sama deshita... - thank you for the treat

Expression of basic needs:

onaka-ga suku - I'm hungry

nodo-ga kawaku - I'm thirsty

koohi-o kudasai - please give me a cup of coffee

tsukareta - I'm tired

nemuy des - I want to sleep

o-tearai-wa dochira desu ka - where is the toilet?

Doko desu ka - where is...

are-o misete kudasai - please show me this...

Communication in stereotypical situations:

douschitan des ka - what happened?

daijoubu desu ka - are you okay?

daijoubu desu - everything is fine

ikura desu ka - how much does it cost?

dochira-no go shushushchin desu ka - where did you (arrive) from?

Sagashite imas - I'm looking for...

michi-ni mayomashita - I got lost (in the city)

koko-wa doko desu ka - where am I?

eki-wa doko desu ka - where is the train station?

Basutei-wa doko desu ka - where is the bus stop?

Ginza-wa dochi desu ka - how to get to Ginza?

nihongo-ga wakarimasen - I don't understand Japanese

wakarimasu ka - do you understand?

wakarimasen - I don't understand

shitte imas - I know

Shirimasen - I don't know

kore-wa nan desu ka - what is it?

kore-o kudasai - I'll buy it...

eigo-o hanasemas ka - do you speak English?

roshchiago de hanasemasu ka - do you speak Russian?

eigo no dekiru-hito imasu ka - does anyone here speak English?

nihongo-de nanto iimasu ka - how do you say it in Japanese?

eigo-de nanto iimasu ka - how would it be in English?

Groveago de nanto iimasu ka - how would it be in Russian?

mou ichi do itte kudasai - say it again, please

yukkuri hanashite kudasai - please speak more slowly

E itte kudasai - please take me to... (in a taxi)

Made ikura desu ka - how much will it cost to travel to...

aishiteiru - I love you

kibun-ga varui - I feel bad

Questions:

Dare? - Who?

Nani? - What?

daughters? - which?

dore? -Which?

itsu? -When?

nan-ji desuka? - what time is it now?

doko? - Where?

naze - why?

Basic formulas for a telephone conversation:

power-power - hello!

Tanaka-san-wa imasu ka - can I please Mr. Tanaka?

donata desu ka - please tell me who is on the phone?

Ivanov desu - Ivanov is on the phone

rusu desu - he is not at home

gaischutsu shiteimasu - he left the office

denwashimasu - I'll call you

bangouchigai desu - you dialed the wrong number

Main health-related complaints:

onaka-ga itai - my stomach hurts

kaze-o hiita - I have a cold

kega-o shield - I got hurt

Samuke-ga suru - I'm chilling

netsu-ga aru - I have a high fever

nodo-ga itai - my throat hurts

kouketsuatsu - my blood pressure has risen

kossetsu - I have a fracture

haita - I have a toothache

shinzoubeu - my heart worries me

jutsuu - I have a headache

haien - I have pneumonia

mocheuen - I'm having an attack of appendicitis

yakedo - I have a burn

hanazumari - I have a runny nose

Gary - I have diarrhea

arerugia - I have allergies

Most used nouns:

juusche - address

Kuukou airport

ginkou - bank

yakkyoku - pharmacy

beuin - hospital

okane - money

bangou - number

keisatsu - police

yuubinkyoku - post office

jinja - Shinto shrine

Otera - Buddhist temple

eki - station

denva - telephone

kippu - ticket

denshcha - electric train

sakana - fish

yasai - vegetables

kudamono - fruit

niku - meat

mizu - water

fuyu - winter

haru - spring

Natsu - summer

aki - autumn

ame - rain

Most used verbs:

kau - buy

dekiru - to be able

kuru - to come

nomu - to drink

taberu - to eat

iku - to go

uru - sell

hanasu - talk

tomaru - rent (hotel room)

vakaru - to understand

aruku - to walk

kaku - write

Pronouns:

vataschi - I

wataschitachi - we

anata - you, you

kare - he

kanojo - she

karera - they

Most used adjectives:

ii - good

varui - bad

ookii - big

chiisai - small

You can also get acquainted with the phonetics of the Japanese language, learn the pronunciation of adverbs, colors, numerals, designations of directions, see the writing of useful hieroglyphs indicating the days of the week, months, announcements and signs, the names of cities and regions, you can download a free Japanese phrasebook. I will be glad if he helps you navigate when visiting Japan. Additionally, I recommend reading the article about the Japanese language and

To receive the Russian-Japanese phrasebook, you must subscribe to receive the electronic version of the phrasebook, located in the sidebar of the blog.

Everyone good day And Have a good mood! We replenish our lexicon, yes, probably today I will write about the rules of pronunciation of the sounds of the Japanese alphabet, and then we will continue to learn Japanese words that are often found in everyday speech. If you are already familiar with the alphabet and a, you will have noticed that the entire phonetic system is based on five vowel sounds:

• あ - A
• い - And
• う - U
• え - E
• お — Oh

the remaining syllables are formed on their basis, for example:

• か(ka) き(ki) く(ku) け(ke) こ(ko)
• さ(sa)　し(si)　す(su) せ(se)　そ(so)
• た(ta) ち(chi)　つ(tsu)て(te)　と (to) and so on

with the exception of ん (n), which itself is a mora-forming sound. When studying Japanese, the concept of mora (beat) is used - a unit of longitude of sound. This tact is very important to observe, since the use of a long or short sound changes the meaning of the word ゆき (yuki) - snow, ゆうき (yūki or yu:ki) - courage, courage.

1. On the vowel sounds of the first row "あ い う え お" and the row "や ゆ よ " I won’t stop, since there are no differences with Russian pronunciation, with the exception of う - u, when pronouncing the lips do not stretch out, as with the Russian sound, and therefore the sound is similar to the middle sound between “u” and “y”.
2. Always remember about the longitude of the sound, if it is written あ “a” this is one mora, but if ああ, then two moras, or a syllable ending in “a” - かあ - 2 moras - kaa. General rule when a vowel sound is lengthened: the same vowel letter with which the syllable ends is added to a hiragana sign from a certain series, for example, to a sign from the series あ (か- ka さ- sa た - ta な - na は - ha ま - ma ら - ra ) is added あ. For example: おば さん (obasan) - aunt and おばあ さん (obāsan) - grandmother. To the sign from the row い (き-ki し-schi ち-chi に-ni ひ-hi み-mi り-ri) is added い. For example: おじ さん (ojisan) - uncle and おじい さん (ojii-san) - grandfather. And so with all sound series. In writing, the long sign is written in two ways: ゆうき (yū ki or yu: ki), in katakana long sound is written with the sign “ー”
   
3. The reduction of the vowels “u” and “i” occurs when they stand between voiceless consonants; the sound “u” “i” is practically not heard during pronunciation. In the word すき (suki, u- reduced -ski), beloved. The vowel “u” in the final syllables ます and です is also reduced at the end of the sentence.
4. The sound series や ゆ よ is combined with the characters き, ぎ, し, じ, ち, に, ひ, び, ぴ, み, り. This combination of two characters gives one mora, that is, one sound, きゃ きゅ きょfor example: ひや く( hi ya ku), jump and ひゃく (hya ku), hundred.
5. In the Kana alphabet there is a special character sokuon っ (in katakana ッ), which is a shortened form of the character つ (in katakana ツ). The っ sign is used before a row か さ た ぱ , in this case, the sound following the sign is doubled and read as a separate mora, i.e. as many signs as there are sounds, for example: きって (kitte) - brand. In foreign (borrowed) words, the sign ッ occurs before any consonants.
6. Reading the sound ん (n). I have heard many variations on this topic, the first is that there is no letter m in the Japanese alphabet, there is only the sound series ma-mi-mu-me-mo, therefore the pronunciation of ん in other languages ​​as “m” occurs only as a result of transcription of the language and Accordingly, the pronunciation of the sound is incorrect. But when the Japanese themselves explain in what cases ん is pronounced like “m” all that remains is to learn. ん - one mora, never used at the beginning of a word, its sound depends on the sign that follows it and can be n m ŋ.

• Sound n pronounced before syllables rowた だ ら な, for example: みんな (minna) - everything
• Sound m pronounced before syllables rowば ぱ And ま, for example えんぴつ (em̩pit͡su) - pencil
• Sound ŋ pronounced before syllables row か が , for example てんき (teŋki) - weather

That’s all for today with the rules for pronunciation of the sounds of the Japanese alphabet; the table below shows the words of the Japanese language (a very small part) used in everyday speech.

Japanese words on different topics will be published gradually, in the section

Among people studying Japanese, the transcription of words is a real reason for a quarrel. Which is better to write: “ti” or “chi”, “si” or “shi”? Why is it that when a Japanese scholar sees that an anime character's name is "Senjougahara", blood starts flowing from his eyes? You will learn about the types of transcription and how to pronounce Japanese sounds in this article.

Before directly studying the signs of the Japanese alphabet, it is necessary to understand how certain sounds are pronounced and by what means they are conveyed in writing in other languages. We will consider three recording options:

1) Hepburn system (Latin);

2) kunrei-shiki (Latin);

3) Polivanov system (Cyrillic).

Hepburn system
(The Hepburn romanization system)

James Curtis Hepburn (March 13, 1815 – September 21, 1911) was a physician, translator, teacher, and Protestant missionary. In 1867, he published a Japanese-English dictionary in Shanghai. Later, the Japanese society "Romajikai", developing projects for the romanization of Japanese writing, borrowed and slightly modified English transcription Japanese words used in the second edition of this dictionary. In 1886, in the third edition, published in Tokyo, Hepburn introduced new option transcriptions that completely coincide with what was created by the Romajikai society.

After World War II, Hepburn's transcription quickly gained popularity. The Japanese use it to write down names on passports, names of places on road signs, and names of companies. Japanese language textbooks for foreigners also use Hepburn's transcription. Its peculiarity lies in the fact that the characters of the Latin alphabet convey the sound of Japanese words from the point of view of native speakers in English, without taking into account how sounds are perceived by the Japanese themselves.

Kunrei-shiki (訓令式)

This version of the transcription was created in 1885 by Professor Tanakadate Aikitsu (September 18 - May 21, 1952). The presence of two ways to write Japanese words in Latin letters caused controversy and confusion, so it was decided to choose only one of them. Thus, in 1937, the Kunrei-shiki system was established as a nationwide transcription standard.

This notation system is more scientific. It is most often used by the Japanese themselves and linguists studying the Japanese language. In the majority primary schools In Japan, in native language lessons, this particular way of writing Japanese words is explained.

Kunrei-shiki is a more faithful transcription from the point of view of the language system, reflecting sounds as the Japanese themselves perceive them. ABOUThowever, it may cause a non-native Japanese speaker to pronounce words incorrectly (more on this later).

Polivanov system

Evgeniy Dmitrievich Polivanov (March 12, 1891 – January 25, 1938) - Russian and Soviet linguist, orientalist and literary critic. He has been involved in the study and research of various Japanese dialects, phonology, and teaching and political activity. In 1917, he proposed a system for writing Japanese words in Cyrillic, which is still widely used today.

In its structure, Polivanov's system is similar to kurei-shiki: it is scientific and logical, but can contribute to misunderstanding of the rules of pronunciation of some Japanese sounds. Therefore, at present there are many disputes, as well as discrepancies in the Cyrillic recording of Japanese words.

Polivanov’s recording method conflicts with the so-called “folk” transcription, which, due to its unsystematic nature, will be considered in this article only in comparison with Polivanov’s.

Let's look at all three transcription methods in a comparative table:

Comparative table of transcriptions

Pay attention to the syllables in bold. They are the ones that always cause confusion when writing Japanese words in Cyrillic or Latin.

You may have noticed that in Russian transcription, for example, the letter “sh” is not used. That is why knowledgeable people I’m outraged that the word “sushi” is written this way, and not as “sushi”. There is no letter “e” in Cyrillic transcription. However, many words like “sushi”, “geisha” and “anime” have already firmly entered into everyday life in such a modified form.

Several factors contribute to the incorrect writing of Japanese words in Cyrillic. For example, when translating English-language texts in which Japanese realities are found, people, not knowing about the existence of Polivanov’s system, will write words in Russian, relying on their Latin version. Accordingly, “sh” can easily turn into “sh”, “j” into “j”, etc.

But another, most important factor is the auditory perception of the sounds of the Japanese language and, accordingly, their recording in a different way. So how are they pronounced?

Japanese pronunciation

In general, for a Russian person Japanese pronunciation will not seem difficult. Some confusion may arise due to attempts to read the transcription in the manner of the Russian language. Below we will describe how certain sounds are pronounced in the syllables of kana. However, to better understand the peculiarities of pronunciation, we advise you to use the Internet to listen to Japanese pronunciation. For example, here you will find hiragana, and here katakana. The resource provides the opportunity to listen to the pronunciation of syllables of the Japanese alphabet by clicking the mouse.

A - looks like Russian A; pronounced the same way as in the Russian word “sam”.

And – sounds like the Russian sound in the word “world”; if I is in a word after a vowel sound (except uh), it starts to sound like th.

U - lips do not round and do not stretch forward, as when pronouncing Russian at, but on the contrary, they stretch slightly, as when pronouncing And. The Japanese sound u resembles a sound intermediate between Russians at And s.

E - sounds like a Russian sound uh in the word “these”; does not soften the preceding consonant sound (therefore, it is incorrect to convey it in writing with the Russian letter “e”, as often happens in “folk” transcription).

O - pronounced like a Russian sound O, however, the lips do not stretch, but are only slightly rounded.

K and G - these sounds are pronounced in all syllables in the same way as Russian To And G.

S – in the syllables SA, SU, SE, SO, pronounced the same way as the Russian sound With. In the syllables SI, SYA, SYU, SYO, the first sound is a soft hissing sound and is pronounced as an average sound between Russians sya And sch(accordingly, there can be no question of transcribing it with the letter “sh”).

DZ - in the syllables DZA, DZU, DZE, DZO sounds like a fusion of sounds d And h(that is, you don’t need to say it first d, and then h). In the syllables DZI, DZYA, DZYU, DZIO, the first sound has no analogue in Russian. It can be described as a fusion of sounds d and soft and.

T – in the syllables TA, TE, TO coincides with the Russian sound T. In the syllables TI, TYA, TYU, TYO it is pronounced as a sound, average between Russians t And h.

D - in the syllables DA, DE, DO coincides with the Russian sound d.

Ts – pronounced the same way as the Russian sound ts.

N - in the syllables NA, NI, NU, NE, BUT, NYA, NU, NIO, pronounced the same way as in Russian.

X - in the syllables HA, HE, XO is pronounced more quietly than the Russian sound X; in the syllable HI is pronounced the same as in the Russian word “giggle”.

F – sound, average between X and Russians f.

P and B - pronounced the same way as Russian sounds P And b.

M – coincides with the Russian sound m.

R – sound, average between Russian sounds l And R(pronounce the Russian sound r, but so that your tongue does not vibrate). Due to lack of sound l the Japanese use sound instead R in borrowed words. So, for example, Russian names A l ina And A R ina they will sound the same in Japanese.

The syllables Ya, Yu, Yo are pronounced the same way as Russians I, yu, yo. They are called syllables because they consist of two sounds: a consonant (th) and a vowel (a/u/o).

В – represents a sound intermediate between Russians V And at. The syllable O (を/ヲ), once part of the BA series, is now modern language doesn't read like in, and coincides with the Russian sound O.

N (in the syllable ん/ン) – at the end of words or before vowels, pronounced as a nasal sound (as if you are saying the sound n not with your mouth, but with your nose); before the sounds b, p, m reads like Russian sound m; in all other cases it is pronounced as a Russian sound n.