DESU or DES? Pro Japanese Pronunciation Tips

Support Misa on Patreon
- / japaneseammo
In this video, I am going to teach you how to improve your Japanese pronunciation.
How to correctly pronounce:
- Japanese vowels (あいうえお/aiueo)
- Japanese "R" sound (らりるれろ/rarirurero)
- ふ (fu/hu) sound
- desU or deSS? masU or maSS?
- EIgo or Ēgo? (long vowels)
The Katakana blanket on the chair :3
- bit.ly/3BXr8cG
Hiragana blanket
- bit.ly/3pe1RmT
Buy me a cup of matcha :3
- ko-fi.com/japaneseammo
Pitch Accent
- • Japanese Pitch Accent┃...
★Check out my merch
bit.ly/3jIqAMR
Follow me and read posts I write in Japanese! :)
★ Instagram @japaneseammo_misa
bit.ly/35urpjr
★ Twitter lessons! Talk to me @japaneseammo
/ japaneseammo
★ Facebook (Sharing is caring!)
/ japaneseammo

[@gomijiji7060]

I really appreciate the effort you put into making these lessons. It's helped convert my "textbook" Japanese to "real world" Japanese.

[@Lavendermama]

wow

[@ozthekeymaster]

"I'm not an expert in English"!?! Don't be dense Misa. You are FLUENT! If i could speak Japanese like you speak English I would die a happy man!

[@hlthere]

Speaking fluently and being an expert are two different things. She might have a great speech, but it doesn't mean that she knows the history and the in-depth stuff of the language.

[@plimsoul27]

I agree Chris...Mia speaks english so well...she even correctly knows the differnt inflections for UK english vs. American english... I love this channel!

[@greenyonder]

For American English speakers the closest related sound we have to the ra ri ru re ro sounds is when we quickly say LETTER or LADDER. When we speak normally we do not pronounce either the Ts or the Ds in full, it would sound odd if we did. So we tap our tongue on the roof of our mouth just behind our top teeth, and THAT is the closest we come naturally to the Japanese R. (Also if you learn Spanish, you learn the Spanish tap their Ds similarly to the Japanese R.)

[@nuchivonbuk]

Exactly, other good examples would be "kitty" or "kiddy"

[@RuthMcDougal]

Latter vs ladder. That one trips me up how it sounds the same!

[@user-qn8xf4ct8d]

I know portuguese and it is a blessing that portuguese sounds are the same as japanese xD

[@koffiegast]

Except that it isnt like "just a t or d or r tap". It has a l pronunciation, that means the sound goes alongside your tongue, yet you position your tongue like a tap r.

[@aaronwalcott513]

The phonetic term is a "flap" if you're looking to reproduce this explanation to someone unfamiliar with how Americans speak.

[@johnp.johnson1541]

*Misa has such a beautiful sounding voice.* 1. Pronounce Japanese vowels as you would Spanish vowels. 2. Pronounce Japanese consonants as you would Anglo-Saxon English consonants. 3. Speak "through your teeth" / with you mouth nearly closed. If you watch Japanese speak Japanese, hardly do they open their mouths .

[@m.s.5370]

The funny thing is, since I'm German, I don't really have an issue with the vowels. They're actually quite close to how I'm used to pronouncing them (except for う, which is somewhere between u and ü). The ones I find more difficult are し,じ,ち,らりるれろand the different facets of ん. Like how it changes in 繊維(せんい) vs. 安心(あんしん) and again in -番目(-ばんめ).

[@massvt3821]

I wonder if Misa is a certified language teacher--she certainly has a command of teaching all aspects of language learning...

[@SansAppellation]

26:15 I think the word you are looking for is "a tap" Thank you for a really needed video. Typically this is not taught outside of a university. And it really is something most Japanese language learners want to know.

[@LadyBug-ox8bg]

ミサ先生のチャネルが大好きです！🫶🏻💕

[@anakinsghost]

This is EXACTLY what I've been needing!! I love linguistics and really want to improve my accent/pronunciation. Thank you SO MUCH Misa sensei♡

[@khalilahd.]

Your videos have really made learning Japanese so much easier so thank you!!

[@CarlosMFigueiredo]

Thank you so much for your videos Misa Sensei! I've just started to learn Japanese and your channel was such a great find! Your explanation of pronunciation was spot on, really helpful. As a native Portuguese speaker, I feel that the らりるれろ sounds are not too difficult, but the ふ sound is so hard! 😅

[@JorgeBriggs]

I'm also a native Portuguese speaker and didn't have any trouble pronouncing ふ . I guess the sounds we find hard to replicate vary from person to person even though we speak the same language 😅. I'm not sure, but It could also be because I'm a Brazilian-Portuguese speaker (don't know about you), and since Brazilian pronounciation of Portuguese differs quite a lot from other Portuguese-speaking countries and is a little closer to Japanese phonetics, it might've been a helping factor.

[@CarlosMFigueiredo]

@@JorgeBriggs indeed, what I found difficult was that it was something between a hu and a fu, and I was tending more towards fu. I got it right after a little bit more practice. Also Brazilian here by the way.

[@jaycee330]

Don't round the lips, that's the key. Say "roda" (circle) without rounding the lips, and you are halfway there, just change the vowel.

[@CarlosMFigueiredo]

@@jaycee330 that works :) Thanks for the tip.

[@moisesflores9109]

Awesome video on Japanese pronunciation, being a Native Spanish speaker Japanese is easy to pronounce ,both Spanish and Japanese share a lot of sounds that sound so much alike,we have almost the same 5 vowels:)

[@frankhooper7871]

I speak Spanish as a second language (started learning in 6th grade back in 1962) and find the Japanese "R" very close to the Spanish intervocalic "R" - ie as in "pero", not as in "perro".

[@funeralparties]

Your visual on R sounds is super super helpful!! Thank you!

[@v.doroshyn]

Misa is putting so much work into these :) ありがとうございます、先生

[@funeralparties]

Thank you so much, you are one of my fave channels to watch.

[@shawn4515]

Beautifully done. Love the video. Thank you so much!

[@aliyaf9869]

This is PERFECT!!! This is exactly the kind of video I’m looking for when perfecting my Japanese. Please make more

[@sereenattili9328]

ありがとうございますみさ先生 Please make a lot of video for kanji 😭💕💕

[@SBJ696]

Saving this video for after work. Needed this! Asked this question awhile ago been waiting for an answer

[@ericpug9154]

I can't wait to hear this explained - thank you in advance.

[@Claudia_87]

Thank you so much! Your videos are always so useful. 💕

[@user-gp4fz2fw4f]

Your videos are soo helpful ❤️❤️

[@louieestrivo]

Ms. Misa. Thank you. Love you for giving valuable videos 😊

[@Extra_Monolith]

Your explanation is very good and clear, that's great

[@annagraham_737]

This video is so useful! Thank you so much!💛

[@matthewthompson5655]

Signed up your patreon. Your videos have helped me get a teaching job in Japan. You’re awesome 👏🏻

[@taimao2]

"Fu" uses the voiceless bilabial fricative for those of us that know IPA. As opposed to "f" in English which is the voiceless libido-dental fricative

[@Elessar00]

This was very much needed, thank you. I was wondering about most of these and now i know how to pronounce them.

[@qcontinuum5088]

Your lessons are so good!! Thank you 🙏

[@igottapoop1862]

Thank you for the effort you put into making this video. Really helped me learn some new things!

[@MountainSkyBlue]

Misa, awesome approach to teaching pronunciation, the diagrams and using your hand to simulate how the tongue should move were really helpful!

[@planetes82]

I just love it when you point out our typical mistakes and laugh!!! 🤣🤣🤣 thank you Misa for another great video!😘

[@mattp3252]

Misa I had just found you here and the 2 videos so far I've watch I love them. I have been trying to find ways to learn Japanese. Now that I have found you I can. I want to thank you so much. Not only are you helping with pronouncing the words properly you are also helping with spelling. I will be binge watching all your videos this weekend just so I may learn.

[@spookybuk]

This channel is awesome. Thanks!

[@shannonjones8877]

みさ先生、手伝ってくれてありがとうございました!

[@ChenchiGames]

I really appreciate the time and effort you put into your videos. They really help a lot with learning this language. Thank you so much 🧡

[@FuikaMusic]

Thank you Misa!

[@tcsocal5554]

I’ve been learning from you for years now, and while watching this video it really struck me how strong your command of English has become. And also how strong your teaching skills are. You are clearly more comfortable and confident in the way you teach now. You are a truly gifted language teacher. Thank you for all your hard work and great lessons.

[@Alriightyman]

So far, this is one of the better explanations of the "r" sound I've found so far. Thank you. You got a new subscriber.

[@ADreamerTravels]

Thank you so much! Really helped me with the Japanese R 💕😊

[@konstantinoskarkavitsas9147]

I really like the way Misa-sensei explains Japanese so that everyone can understand and learn them easily!Please keep going like this it is really helpful for the people who want to learn Japanese! ☆Thank you☆ ☆ありがとうございます☆ ○●○●CHECK POINTS FOR EVERYONE●○●○ 🌸Did you drink water today? 🌸Did you eat anything today? 🌸Did you take your pills?(if you take) 🌸Did you take care of yourself? 🌸Is there something you forgot to do today? {And always love and take care yourself. You are important to your family and friends!Also NEVER GIVE UP and try to make your dreams come true!}

[@IroAoYaMaDa]

The funny thing about pronounciation tips is that it's fun to see how native English speakers has to adjust their Japanese pronounciation, especially with wovels, while in Finnish, the wovels sounds very similar, and if someone wants to sound like native speaker, watching KZbin videos, like yours goes long way. Myself I already have the speech in very good shape, only thing is that I have to start memorizing the kanji which is going to be a massive pain since I'm still in the start line, but I'm very certain that some day I'll get it! がんばります！

[@awxsomx_Adam]

The title of this video cleared up the pronunciation of “Desu.” I knew something was going to be uploaded. Thanks.

[@klaso]

Brilliant as always

[@sandyrothman2430]

Misa-sensei, this is a terrific video. It's the best thing I've ever seen on the subject of Nihongo hatsuon. Your explanation of mouth shapes is great! Hontoni subarashii desuyo. Thank you very much.

[@ArchyDolder]

本当にありがとう！ It’s very helpful! This is a class that’s also difficult for the teacher. Thank you for your hard work. Please make more pronunciation videos from time to time.

[@profdaniellinhares]

OMG! I LOVE your content! Thank you so much for all the details

[@lilyofluck371]

THANK YOU!!!!!!! I watched like 4 videos and this is the one that finally got me to make the r sound!!! (Now I just gotta practice to make the sound feel more familiar)

[@ArchangelGavriel]

I think if I combine your videos with my Japanese from zero books I might actually learn better. Always easier when you have someone to listen to or talk to. Thanks for the lesson. I really appreciate it. Arigato gozaimasu!!

[@reedminello1590]

This was great! Thank you!

[@TuyetNguyen-le5rv]

I really appreciated the way you showed the difference of the sounds btw English and Japanese as well as the tongue position. Could you make more video about pronunciation of other letters? Tks

[@Virginie-ro8yo]

thank you so much Misa ! it's great lesson

[@taetae1381]

Misa sensei is the best teacher I've ever found👍 I'm really glad that you provide us with deeply detailed lessons, Thank you for the efforts you put in your videos 💕 Today lesson is very great , I wasn't sure how to pronounce the Japanese letters right especially the ら sound, but thanks to you now I know and I shall keep practicing more.✨ + it would be great if u can make other video about pronounciation.👍

[@lpi3]

Fantastic lesson! Finally I understand how to pronounce R sound in japanese :) SHI and JI are still my week point though. ありがとうございます！みさ先生‼

[@Shady272]

You've become such a language master at this point, excellent video as always! I still struggle with the う pronunciation, I have the tendency to go for an "oe" sound (I'm Dutch)

[@serenityssolace]

Thanks Misa! You will turn us into fluent Japanese speakers 😁👍

[@robojobot77]

Really good at explaining these ideas. I got some good practice in too because you build that in. Thanks!

[@user-rk2ns6ql6o]

Please watch

[@juddsmith1]

Super helpful to get the nuances of the lingual part of linguistics. How to position your tongue against your teeth and such is super important. I am trying to teach my five-year-old Rs and explaining that tongue position is pretty challenging!

[@joelguillerm4278]

Very useful details !! どうもありがとう !

[@eddiemowery8777]

Thank you so much for this video, this was very helpful for a beginner like me! :)

[@AC-dd3rb]

This is great content thanks for that. I sometimes dabble in Duolingo and it finds certain words hard to pick up with my fairly thick Scottish accent but this has helped considerably so I guess it was pronunciation that was the biggest issue.

[@PinkishBeans]

Ty so much! I learned so much from you already! ありがとう！

[@justinmace5670]

I just found this channel you are are a great instructor with a great personality =j I need this to be more prepared for my trip to Japan.

[@jamesnoonan9302]

Did you consider that I love you? Ohh Misa desu, you were the one who turned me onto Japanese learning. I was going to be learning Russian but your video was in the thumbnail on the side I clicked on it, and I haven't stopped since. Oh Misa child. Misako

[@nigsbalchin226]

The English name for the Japanese pronunciation of the R sound is: The Flapped R. We still speak using the flapped R in the Cumbrian dialect, and we're apparently the only English dialect that does, or still does.

[@Kingofgibraltar]

Really really helping me a lot! xx

[@ryuzakisimms1019]

ありがとうみさ先生

[@Steve-rb8eh]

Fantastic. My wife is third generation (sansei) American and used to hear her mother use Japanese words differently. Your note that masu/desu in Kansai has the ending u sound helped my wife to understand why her mother's Japanese sounded different than in Tokyo. Thank you so much.

[@DrBreyn]

I tought myself the japanese R just for the fun of it. And this was the first time I actually watched an explanation of it, and lo and behold, I was doing it perfectly correct!! I am so happy :) It was such a hurdle though, to try to make an R sound with your tongue. Since I'm German, my R is even more different than for the English, we do our R completely by throat!

[@jaquaviuspeterson8785]

こんにちはみさ先生これが面白くて発音を練習のために役に立った時々ふとらりるれろに自信がないけどこの動画の説明が分かる安かったいつもありがとうございますところで髪がめっちゃくちゃ綺麗で似合う

[@randycouch9571]

Another great video Misa and a subject a lot of people don't get right. Especially the R's.

[@steviewes8197]

Great stuff as always 先生！おつかれさまでした🙏🏻✨ (wonderful Care Bears dress also! ☺️🌸🐻).

[@bunnylova]

Keep it up with the inspiring content

[@abigailyacht2278]

Super! Gracias!

[@christiankolbeck7380]

Youe simply fantastic!! ❤️❤️❤️

[@hayacchi2790]

I find Misa in this video very cute yet interesting, the way she explains her tutorial with hand gestures and some "heh" behaviours. I've been smiling for about 30 minutes as I watch this video. Lol. It made me even learn faster since, you know, it's Misa-sensei, the very punctual and well-detailed instructor. I've been practicing this kind of vowel pronunciations most of the time the only difficult one for me is the "RA" because I have somewhat deficiency in R's, I always sounded like italian. But when the "RA" ones in japanese due to muscle control, i always nailed it perfectly. みさ先生 has been a lot of help to learners and I always compliment her tutorials the way how she explains it very carefully. Always made me smile even the intro of her video. Much love, Misa-sensei! いつもありがとう！ちゅぅ～

[@rigbyb]

Thank you!!

[@zyphar7323]

the desu masu explanation was very welcome.

[@VtubShorts]

I always had trouble pronaunciating the word 水泳 instead of (suiei) i said something like (sueei) This video really helped me, thank you Misa-Sensei! 🖤

[@aaronwalcott513]

These explanations remind me of my 1st year in phonology in linguistics in UWI. Very clear and scientific. Subarashi!!

[@bambipickle]

whoa im impressed with your rolled R, in my first language it is pretty strong and native speakers often struggle with that sound at least until school if not their entire lives

[@eniky]

I'm so glad that English my 3rd language and in my first 2 native languages, vowel sounds are always pronounced in the same way, so, it was pretty easy to pick up how to properly pronounce vowel sounds, but, R or L and pitch pattern it's all just headache

[@Lavendermama]

I like the ninja bunny😌 I know how hard it is to explain Japanese for non Japanese speakers. This channel is great♡

[@Bluk1tty730]

ありがとうございます！

[@Minicooper_forpresident]

みさ先生、存在ありがとうございます ♡

[@Condeycon]

Definitely do more videos on pronunciation! This was very helpful. Please cover the ち, つ and りょう sounds, those always give me trouble. 落ち着いて remains difficult for me to say.

[@klbzplb]

Im kinda thankful i was born in poland. Polish 'r' is similar to the japanese one, so i had almost no problem learning how to pronounce it. Thanks for the video!

[@romchikyoung6863]

Thank you!!!!

[@Reymax164]

The more I watch about how to pronounce Japanese, the more I think that I shouldn't have much problem with it because of how similar it is to the pronunciation of our language. ありがとうございます、みさ先生~

[@gsr4535]

I'm sure you are bored doing these beginner video lessons Misa but they do n gave help us beginners! Hello from the USA. 👍

[@berpetualangbersamaadi5081]

ありがとうございましたみささん。

[@HeliosEffect]

Was really struggling with the tongue position when using ra/ri/ru/re/ro, but this was tremendously helpful, thanks once again Misa :)

[@noxiousdow]

What an interesting video. That 日本語を勉強していますぅ〜〜〜〜 was hilarious! i'm gonna talk like that from now on lol

[@AaronH]

Those damn hidden う's... Trip me up constantly in writing😂

[@Luvvc1ara]

ive been struggling to pronounce the r's in japanese, everytime i heard a teacher say 'ra' it sounded similar to 'la' or 'da' and i thought you would pronounce it as either la or da. Thank you for the tips!

[@chippisc7120]

ビデオは素晴らしいです！イギリス人とかアメリカ人じゃないのに音が分かれたと感じます😊 絵のため「う」や「え」の発音方はちょっといいなってます。ありがとうございます。

[@Indoor_Carrot]

Hope you're feeling okay Misa :)

[@kumanagi]

i don’t have trouble with pronunciation, but i have a lot of trouble with long vowels so this was pretty helpful

[@Ciaseea]

This was a good video

[@ponyxaviors4491]

This is a very helpful video 🙂 ありがとうございます！🙏🏻 Sometimes, when I'm practicing my Japanese pronunciation, I lightly place my fingers across my lips. If my lips only slightly brush my fingers, it usually sounds more accurate. If I feel them pressing too tightly into my fingers, I know I'm pronouncing things closer to the English sounds. As a native English speaker, it's very difficult for me not to over use my lips when speaking Japanese 😅 Lip movement seems to be a huge part of the English language (or at least of my American English dialect).