Devoicing of vowels in between or after unvoiced consonants | A key to sounding natural! | 母音の無声化

[@lisamariefan]

Tangentially related, but since I had learned that 靴 means shoes recently it's actually really interesting that socks is 靴下, or kinda like "undershoes." It's satisfying to have little revelations like that.

[@flyback_driver]

3:07 ah yes I knew I wasn't going mad. I never hear いただきます pronounced with the "masu" but almost always just "mas" from native speakers. Same withございます. This video gave me a little more confidence to try speaking more outside of reading out loud.

[@MMMTAL]

It's very rare to find someone who talks about these things. Thank you so much

[@melanietaylor5453]

Great topic. It's interesting to hear why the vowels are silent between certain sounds. Another great and informative video, sensei!

[@SpeakJapaneseNaturally]

Hi, nice to hear from you! Thank you for the comment 😊

[@johnnylee3505]

Thanks a lot! I've been trying to look for the answer to this topic for a long long time.

[@mr_yoshidasan]

Vi este video de principio a fin. Enorme trabajo y una excelente explicación. Mi pronunciación es realmente mala y debo esforzarme por mejorar primero mi oído. Muchas gracias por este video.

[@n20games52]

I could always hear this in Japanese but never had it explained so clearly. ありがとうございます。ビデオはすばらしいでした。:D

[@SpeakJapaneseNaturally]

I’m glad this video was helpful. コメントありがとうございます😊

[@shizuokaBLUES]

Thanks, your short sent me here. This is a great lesson.

[@SpeakJapaneseNaturally]

Glad it was helpful!😊✨

[@victorchen5663]

先生、面白い動画を作ってくれてありがとうございました！　日本語の発音って本当に奥深いですね！　いろいろな細部がありすますね！　私はもっと頑張りなきゃ！

[@SpeakJapaneseNaturally]

そうなんです、いろいろ細部を見ていくと、発音はおもしろいですよね！　がんばってくださいね😊

[@SpeakJapaneseNaturally]

Join my subscription course!😊 www.speakjapanesenaturally.com/ You'll learn about Japanese phonetics, such as pronunciation, rhythm, pitch accent, intonation and so on. Those knowledge will help you sound natural when speaking Japanese.

[@massvt3821]

I was the one who mentioned the difference between "Shizuka" and "Suzuki". There is a Japanese KZbinr named "Shizuka" who pronounces her name without the "U", and this channel is the source for this comparison. ( Good channel, by the way, with a young Japanese woman who spent years living in England, but because of personal tragedy, is now back in Japan. Her English is basically native-level)...

[@SpeakJapaneseNaturally]

I knew it was you but i didn’t mention it, I’m sorry. I have been thinking about “ Shizuka” for a while and I could finally make it into a video. Is it easy for you to tell the difference between the devoiced “u” and the voiced “u”? As for me, it is hard to tell the difference in “u” in Shizuka, so it took me while to make this video. I guess I can tell the difference now…🤔

[@massvt3821]

@@SpeakJapaneseNaturally Yes, she basically removes the "U" completely, so it sounds like "Shizka". I wonder if the difference lies in the "ka" in comparison to the "ki", to decide if the "u" is devoiced...

[@SpeakJapaneseNaturally]

Another interesting point...! I don't think the difference lies in the "ka" because when we say "Suzuka," which is a place name, we don't usually devoice "u." So I think it's "u" before "zu" that makes "zu" voiced...

[@massvt3821]

@@SpeakJapaneseNaturally I should have looked up "suzuka" first..lol I'd love to see a video about English education in Japan, and your experience with it...

[@SpeakJapaneseNaturally]

Thank you for the suggestion. It's not actually about learning Japanese, so I'm not sure if I will make a video about that, but that sounds interesting, so I'll think about that. It'll again take a while...(I always need time😅)

[@japanese2811]

What an amazingly useful video, I always wondered about this and finally I understand a bit better. Thank you so much!

[@prichitoadiamantadoP3-18]

One of the few videos, if not the only one, about this topic. I was looking for it because european portuguese also has an unvoiced vowel. Arigatou

[@SpeakJapaneseNaturally]

Oh, I didn’t know about that. Thank you for the information 😁

[@frederickchung1662]

本当に素晴らしい講義だと思います！Great Japanese teacher!

[@SpeakJapaneseNaturally]

ありがとうございます！

[@夢子-t5q]

I thought, Japanese pronunciations are too easy now dying 💀💀

[@frederickchung1662]

私は心の底から先生を尊敬しています! Thanks a lot!

[@SpeakJapaneseNaturally]

ありがとうございますーー！✨😊

[@Medivh73]

I found a way to remember the first 4 unvoiced consinents - just say ku-so-shi-to. Hope you will find it helpful. Have not come up with mnemonics for remaining ones just yet.

[@SpeakJapaneseNaturally]

Well… it doesn’t sound good though…😅 “ku so “ ta has a bad meaning, so ..

[@Medivh73]

@@SpeakJapaneseNaturally I'm sorry, it was just bad joke on my part(it did help me memorize it though). すいません先生、失礼しまた。

[@gramsmith1366]

Thank you for your entertaining and informative presentations. Is there a connection between devoicing and maintaining integrity of mora? Thank you

[@debwefoxx9389]

Thank you for this topic. I follow Japanese figure skating and have wanted to understand how to say names well. It is the first place I heard the Japanese language and I fell in love with it. Question: Is it appropriate to write お願いします the first time you write to someone (email or direct message) or is it for physical meetings only? Thank you

[@SpeakJapaneseNaturally]

お願いします as in よろしくお願いします？ Yes, you can write the phrase to someone who you write to for the first time! Is there any specific figure skaters that you want to know how to say their names?

[@jasenkaizeljkosikic493]

Uaaaau, beautiful and so interesting topic of this video. この動画 とてもよかった です。ありがとう。

[@SpeakJapaneseNaturally]

ありがとうございます！ そう言っていただけてうれしいです😊

[@frederickchung1662]

大変勉強になりました! 嬉しいです!! Thanks a lot

[@SpeakJapaneseNaturally]

それを聞いてこちらもうれしいです！　コメントありがとうございました〜😊

[@lisamariefan]

So here's a question regarding devoicing: Are loan words like パスタ or whatever specifically given the ス in the middle to specifically take advantage of devoicing?

[@SpeakJapaneseNaturally]

Whether the word is loan word or not doesn't matter. If the sound after す is an unvoiced consonant, like t in タ, then the ス is devoiced.

[@lisamariefan]

@@SpeakJapaneseNaturally I mean, is pasta transliterated with ス vs サ/せ／ソ because ス is the only one that actually gets devoiced, making it sound closer to the loan word it's derived from?

[@SpeakJapaneseNaturally]

@@lisamariefan I'm not sure whether it's related to devoicing, but as you said, ス is the closest sound for "s" to Japanese people's ears.

[@NN-rn1oz]

I'm Americanu from Ohio (good morning ). For breakfast I eat Furosutadu Furekusudu cereal and for lunch I go to Makudonarudo.

[@fmg8350]

My sensei is back! Sensei ga kaette kimashita! 😊

[@SpeakJapaneseNaturally]

Yes, I’m back!! You haven’t believed, have you?😂

[@johnnylee3505]

Btw, could you make a video on "ta" and "da"; and "ka" and "ga"; as well as "ga" and "nga" when they have sound changes as particles. Thanks. 😊

[@jacobcrowley8207]

Thank you. Arigato gozaimasu, with an unvoiced ending. 😋

[@SpeakJapaneseNaturally]

😂😂

[@keonscorner516]

Arigato gozaimas because devoicing

[@stephan3077]

Thanks for your latest video! This reminds me of a question I always wondered about: should the "u" in Asakusa be devoiced or not? 😊🤔. I seem to hear both, also from Japanese native speakers.

[@SpeakJapaneseNaturally]

I’ve been asked this question, and I forgot to include it in the video!! Was it you who wrote the question? I’m sorry! Usually, u in Asakusa is devoiced. But devoicing happens only in Standard Japanese, Tokyo dialect, so Japanese people who are from other places might not devoice u.

[@stephan3077]

Dear Fumi -sensei, thank you very much for your reply. No, it wasn’t me who asked this question before 😊. But your answer explains it, now I finally know, thank you!

[@Kha162]

At 9:11, why i hear yorosh KO onegaishimas? (It means you link KU and O become to KO) Sometimes when i hearing, i feel like japanese peaople usually link Su and o (of を or just お) become to SO (THEY DO NOT SPEAK "SU O" BUT "SO"). 静岡県(しずおかけんbecome shizokaken) Am I wrong, sensei? I have this confuse in a really long time and not have an answer yet (so sad).

[@SpeakJapaneseNaturally]

As for "yoroshiko," I recorded myself saying "Yoroshikonegaishimasu" and it sounded like "Yoroshiku onegaishimasu," as you pointed out, which makes me really surprised. But as for Shizuoka, when I say Shozoka, it sounded like Shizoka, not Shizuoka. I guess the reason is that the former doesn't have a pitch change in "uo," but the latter does. So when I say しずおかけん with けん, then there's no pitch change in "uo" part, thus when I say Shizokaken fast, it sounded like Shizuokaken. Anyway, you're right, "Yoroshikuonegaishimasu" sounds like "yoroshikonegaishimasu" and "shizuokaken" sounds like "shizokaken," when we say them fast. I guess It's because u and o are very close in sound and o is more prominent because o comes after u. We know the word, so we hear "uo" sound there.

[@Kha162]

@@SpeakJapaneseNaturally Thank you very much, senseiii. Your precious answer help me find a big puzzle piece in my progressing japanese.

[@timlarsson]

Great video explaining something that I have not been able to fully understand before. Especially rule number 3, which was really a moment of なるほど！💡 But if I understand you correctly, ティムです would not be devoiced (ム I mean) since it was only for し and す. And actually, ム would never be devoiced since it's a voiced consonant, right? 😮

[@SpeakJapaneseNaturally]

You're right, ム is never devoiced because of the "m" before "u." Thank you for the comment!

[@WarapornTahira]

Anan let me know how to shape the the ei hair 7:45

[@WarapornTahira]

You take care

[@manfredmclaren3408]

A great video. Thank you. Could you, please, tell if the つ numerals that have the Odaka pitch pattern would have the う reduced at the end of a phrase (before a vocal pause), e.g. 2つ、3つ、4つ etc. Since the accent nucleus is on う it should not be devoiced but as う is at the end of the sentence, it kind of should be. While listening to natives speak, I heard both versions. Hence I am bit confused here. Thank you in advance.

[@SpeakJapaneseNaturally]

I think you’re right. It can be either devoiced or not👍

[@The_DoubtingThomas]

名前の発音を教えてくれてありがとうございました！嬉しいです🙂

[@SpeakJapaneseNaturally]

そう言ってもらえてよかったです！😊🙌

[@lkj2727]

ふみさん, I have a question; Can "devoicing" occur in a row? For example, when pronouncing 「外出する(がいしゅつする)」, しゅ and つ are both "u" sounds, and are both placed in between "unvoiced consonants". In this case, is correct to pronounce it as 「がい-sh-ts-する」? (Roman alphabets represent devoiced sounds) I believe when する is detached(thus only 外出), it should be pronounced 「がい-sh-つ」. So I'm not very sure if I should pronounce 「外出する」as 「がい-sh-つする」or 「がい-sh-ts-する」.

[@SpeakJapaneseNaturally]

Hi, usually, some people say devoicing doesn't occur in a row, but when I say it quickly I say「がい-sh-ts-する」but sometimes I say 「がい-sh-つ-する」 . I think either is fine.

[@lkj2727]

@@SpeakJapaneseNaturally なるほど！大変助かりました~ありがとうございます。😃

[@SpeakJapaneseNaturally]

いえいえ、お役に立ててよかったです😊

[@silevol]

I'm a bit confused right now. In your pitch diagram the accent of ありがとうございます is on が, isn't the accent supposed to be on り in Standard Japanese? Or am I missing something?

[@SpeakJapaneseNaturally]

I'm sorry, it's a mistake that I haven't noticed. You're right, り is high, and が isn't high. I added the correction to the description of the video. Thank you for letting me know. I'll be more careful.

[@silevol]

@@SpeakJapaneseNaturally Alright, thanks for responding and correcting it! ありがとうございます！

[@markas798]

Isn’t ピカチュウa 中高 noun?

[@SpeakJapaneseNaturally]

Yes, it is.

[@markas798]

@@SpeakJapaneseNaturally It shows as 平板 in the video

[@SpeakJapaneseNaturally]

Thank you so much for letting me know! I added the correction in the description. I need to be careful. I'm very sorry.

[@WarapornTahira]

Let see when we agree to correct 😂. when are you correct 😁.hi

[@WarapornTahira]

They are carousel 🎠 what are you added put in the Thi car 🚗🚨 wires are you are assembling okay...

[@WarapornTahira]

No one is accusing aloud here Blue diamond 💍💎 Ru

[@WarapornTahira]

Adjustable a a out

[@nootherlikemyownskin3818]

Part 2 11 more word in Japanese

[@SpeakJapaneseNaturally]

What words do you suggest?🤔

[@WarapornTahira]

I take that ko kka I. Tt

[@WarapornTahira]

Like😢😂🎉