Japanese Pronunciation Basics | Japanese From Zero! Video 02

[@japanesefromzero]

Power up your Japanese on FromZero.com (lessons, quizzes, games, ask-a-teacher)

[@tiltnexus3157]

Aw, come on! I'm watching this on my phone!

[@dooplon5083]

You heard him! >:D

[@colonelunderrated1076]

Same here

[@shirousnow3619]

Yup, same

[@collinsxvibez3926]

Same

[@Vagolyk]

You bring dishonor to sensei, commit sudoku!

[@melzap1728]

haaa, it's pretty cool because the vowels' pronunciation in spanish is the same as in japanese, so it's even easier for spanish speakers like me

[@adreambetweenrealms9687]

Same as portuguese.

[@philf.5676]

+A Dream Between Realms I also am Portuguese. One of the few times that I'm actually happy for being Portuguese :')

[@ric2025]

And I'm happy for being Brazilian, because I also speak Portuguese! haha

[@sakswa4411]

Most european countries have the same concept, I imagine.

[@manuel0578]

german too

[@PdawgUltimate]

japanese person: do you wanna eat icecream? me: *house*

[@szecr]

いいえ

[@Doubleboobs]

Hai

[@sincerearealone]

Hai

[@mrpaniniqc]

XD

[@mello4734]

@@szecr isn’t “no” written: いいえ ?

[@catoticneutral]

ojisan: kinda old dude ojiisan: older old dude ok so the number of i's is directly proportional to oldness got it

[@atmanawaksara]

So what would "ojiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiisan" means?

[@szecr]

@@atmanawaksara ultimate boomer

[@alexanderzippel8809]

@@atmanawaksara Someone who rode a T-Rex

[@tonk1381]

what about ojsan

[@joshpitre3870]

i + 1

[@jimoneil9578]

when he tells you to get of your phone me "I'm watching this on my phone do you want me to stop learning?"

[@sandninja1795]

Yeah, haha watching his videos on my phone too XD "They let you have your phone there? Where are you?" ...In bed...

[@japanesefromzero]

I am always watching. I just am not into watching when people are on the toilet so I figure it's safe to say "not on the phone".

[@matto2121]

Dabouwss KZbin exactly what I was gonna say

[@cookielord8770]

Dabouwss KZbin omegerd we twins

[@tabbet]

XD I think most of us had the same reaction

[@shutit1135]

I like how you just randomly drank water Im sitting there like... Is this apart of the lesson?

[@XxReDxFoXxX]

Perfect hydration is serious business, I'd say it is.

[@xTnTWoLF]

as soon as he did that i got a ad break

[@dexterous3806]

i really love the way you teach, it’s fun and relaxed, i don’t feel like i’m pressured to get everything right all the time :)

[@Akiruizz]

R u fluent now ?

[@haunted_caprisun]

"do u wanna eat ice cream?" *"H O U S E"*

[@me-sg8im]

😂😂😂

[@jvu2ilj26]

George, I'm really glad you're making content again and I love your energy in these new videos! Looks very much like the hyper George from 5 years ago... :) You make any topic so fun and I love your sense of humor too. By the way, in your previous video you said that those who are just starting to learn Japanese are probably going to text you in 4-5 years to say they've gotten fluent. Well, I've been learning it for almost 2 years, and about a year ago I watched one of your old videos where you speak Japanese and I didn't understand a thing. One year later I watch the same video and I understand everything! It feels so good to see yourself making progress and I recommend to all those considering to learn Japanese to just go for it! So thanks for all your hard work and I hope you keep it up! :) (By the way, I'd like to see you make content for intermediate students as well, where you would explain a bit more advanced concepts. I'm sure a lot of us would find it useful).

[@sophiejones1596]

I learnt hiragana in a week but it's gonna take me forever for kanji 😯😯😯

[@ag267]

Sophie Mendes don't try and rush through kanji, it takes japanese people the entire school system to learn kanji

[@RaneBane]

How is the English coming? Lol

[@blackbeanerzey9307]

Did u learn kanji yet😭 i got frustrated with japanese and stopped trying to learn anymore and now here i am again 2 years later starting where i left off🤦🏽‍♂️ i could of gotten so much japanese done in 2 year but instead i was focused on playing video games than learning japanese

[@lordsasquatche8608]

BlackBeanerZey Don't give up!! I'm still learning kanji, and I started a year ago. Don't rush through it, as Utter Otter CHOICE stated previously in the thread. Its going to take a while, but one day, you'll look back at yourself and say, "I'm glad I kept going." I gave up a few times, and it will seem impossible at times, because theres obviously a lot of elements in Japanese that aren't present in English, but I promise you, you'll get through it with the right amount of dedication. *ありがと!!!*☆☆☆

[@inspirit2018]

O learnt hiragana and katakana in three days..

[@Acolytemedia]

There are ONLY FIVE SOUNDS!!!... literally one minute later - Only one hundred and five sounds!

[@dwigttaylor3544]

Actually (oh wow, saying that word already makes me sound like an a$$hole) there would be 107 because of the ん character

[@googleuser5120]

In kannada there are 14 and these 5 are in it. The double sounds are a part of the vowels in kannada.

[@lolalynnk]

Only 5 vowel sounds,, in american ( not english, american should be it's own sub language) unless you are from here or already know english any one of our vowels can make like 3 different sound,, but in japan an ..a.. sound only has 1 sound, always, and that makes reading romonji super duper easy, I just don't know what the hell it means yet

[@LawsonEnglish]

@Bradley Stoddern Ever live in England? American English is quite different (in subtle ways) from British English. Our USAF briefing about language differences 40+ years ago had the dignified 40+ female British director of the recreation hall explaining the hilarity that ensued when she broke her pencil eraser and walked into the room of male USAF personnel, and asked: "Does anyone have a rubber? Mine broke."

[@LawsonEnglish]

@Bradley Stoddern Still, those are counted as different enough that linguists give them their own labels. There's the Spanish spoken in Mexico, Spain, etc., as well.

[@Melbester9]

Hey George, just wanted to say that I've enjoyed your videos. I noticed that you haven't uploaded it in a while, but I'm glad you're back. Your videos have really helped me understand the clarity of Japanese. Luckily, I won't ever have an issue with Japanese pronunciation because I'm Spanish, and the two languages use the same vowels, so I'm already used to pronunciation. One of the many reasons I decided to get into Japanese and I already speak English and Spanish. You were a great guide for me, and I'm in the grammar, kanji phase, but I still follow your videos, really appreciate the time you take to upload the lessons.

[@yowo6105]

Whaha, I am Dutch and the pronounciation is exactly the same!!!

[@an8202]

Marloes Oosterhoff Same in Germany XD

[@Kabika117]

Same in Hungary :)

[@Esther_8]

Marloes Oosterhoff Same!

[@adreambetweenrealms9687]

When you say it like that is like its not the same as in Portugal lol Just say portuguese.

[@Kizylle]

French here :)

[@Zeke_Plus]

This teacher has got to be the most authentic man on the internet. He just is who he is and skews knowledge at you. I find myself listening to him for hours. He reminds me of the best high school teachers who fill your head with random knowledge in addition to the lessons.

[@milkgxng]

I can 100% say I am here for the personality right now, no I didn't find it from Tik Tok, just been looking to learn recently. You remind me of a lot of people from my past, in a good way. Very likable, relatable person. Thanks for the lessons, man.

[@japanesefromzero]

Thanks for the kind words. I hope along the way your Japanese improves.

[@XxthefailnessxX]

I love the style you do while teaching, it's a classroom feel and not overly scripted, love it!

[@hikarusarah8991]

Hello my name is Sarah I am from Iraq i just speak a little English i am not a fluent speaker but i try to be ( ok you are great teacher (sensie i love Japan so much and my big dream is visit japan and learn japanese language i think i have a long way because i wanna learn korean too i know a few words from japanese like ohayou arigato gomenasai sumimasn baka oni san and more also i dont love kanji bc its so difficult its looks like chinese letters but dont give up gambari yosh

[@edurodeiro2105]

weeebbbbbb

[@jane6357]

@@edurodeiro2105 u have tokyo ghoul profile pic 😂

[@abadgurl2010]

I think it's "sensei".

[@rat838]

@@abadgurl2010 yes yes it is

[@camila_costa12]

@@edurodeiro2105 says the guy with a picture of an anime

[@rownrown]

You're such a good teacher! This lesson was not only loads of fun but you made me feel so much hope and confidence that I could learn this language. Thank you for demonstrating all the important points so clearly with examples too.

[@kyndo9060]

WTF! I'm watching this on my laptop and a message popped up on my phone, i went to read it then he told me to "get of my phone" WTF! This guy has super powers!

[@skystone101]

Okay wtf! I was watching the video and then scrolled down to read comments about useful apps for learning Japanese as I'm using few myself. And I read this comment and then scrolled up to the video and a few seconds later checked my phone. And at the same time the guy said the same thing, just when I was wondering when will this part appear. Hahahahah I love it :D

[@OwlBajs]

@@skystone101 Omfg, i just scrolled down to read the comments, and he literally says "get off the phone" as I read your reply, LOL

[@lennarthoekveen9339]

Starts talking about vowels. I wonder what they are. (Heard it many times but never got to the meaning) Then he goes U DON'T KNOW WHAT VOWELS ARE??!! 😂😂😂 Then starts explaining. This man DOES have super powers after all (and he can look into the future since this video is already is already a couple years old)

[@brogamer4520]

I know Spanish as my first language and English as my second and I love learning languages xD. English was fun and hopefully, I learn Japanese as well. And those sounds that you said at first are exactly how you would pronounce them in Spanish :D.

[@Tuesday902]

BroGamer oh thats cool, maybe i will learn spanish after japanese!

[@El1as--]

Same

[@reubencf]

Yes same in Portuguese to

[@cheyennethomas6105]

Been teaching myself Japanese for a few months now and WOW I'm so happy I found this channel.

[@TheOneTycoo]

@2:52 "get off your phone" but I'm watching this video on my phone ;-;....

[@jonathanlusk4564]

Ikr

[@Angelorozcozamora]

I’m watching this since I have the book also I don’t wanna pay 8 dollars for crunchyroll anymore also how ppl have two phones?

[@aleksandarar5489]

You are an amazing teacher because you are able to draw attention of students and make something complex look so easy and funny to study.

[@johntitor1619]

2:50 I was legit playing on my phone while listening to you and that scared the living sh*t out of me. Hahahaha oh my lord!

[@travstravinho2766]

Being bilingual already helps making these concepts soooo much easier!! I do have a part of my brain that interprets "to" as the English "to", but at the same time I have a part of my brain that interprets "to" as the Japanese to, since the Portuguese pronunciation of vowels is so close to the Japanese one.

[@Justin-sh4sq]

Thank you for explaining the double vowel

[@ahmedelsherief5106]

First lesson, I learnet today FROM YOU 困ったときは入居 Komatta toki wa nyūkyo when you are in trouble, move in. love it ! 大好きです

[@Vaedyx]

2:57 "dude get off your phone" Me: "bbut... I'm watching this on my phone"

[@madisonthomas2906]

He’s such a cool dude, he’s like that one teacher in school you’re always excited to see

[@polishingplatinums]

Bought your first book today, now I am rewatching all these videos. Your book is freaking amazing man.

[@anon_148]

I love how japanese vowels are pronounced exactly(and I mean EXACTLY) like in my mother tongue, which is romanian, this makes things so much simpler!

[@worldaviation4k]

could you explain the 3 north's. There's Kita (japanese) and Bei (chinese north) but there's that Hokkaido place that has a north in the title.

[@learningkanji3930]

きた(kita 北) means north. kita is the kun-yomi(kun-reading) of 北. The on-yomi(on-reading) of 北 is "hoku". In th word of Hokkaido（ほっかいどう 北海道）, it was originally read as "hokukaido"(北 is read as "hoku") and it became read as "hokkaido".

[@worldaviation4k]

Learning Kanji and then there's the chinese of BEI

[@khanhhuynh3145]

I highly appreciate your lessons. It's very helpful for a Vietnamese to learn Japanese since I can learn Japanese and improve English at the same time.

[@Grof142007]

This is so cool cause i knew some of these words already via Anime and makes it easier

[@Underneaththebottle]

Hi George, just started watching this series here on KZbin. I have been learning Japanese without any structure for about 1,5 years now and I just finished Hiragana. I have a busy life and can't find the time to sit down and do more "work". But I have decided to follow your Lessons here on the tubes and watch one video every day to get a little more structure on my learning! So glad I found your channel. Thanks. よろしくおねがいします

[@SpikyNewt]

it's been 4 years since this has been made, I love your books and they've helped me a lot on my journey to self study Japanese, I hope to hear more from you. Cheers!

[@marcussosa3542]

How much have they helped?

[@diamond3178]

@@marcussosa3542 "a lot" they already said

[@Pandalolz]

as a chinese i know everything in this video because the pronunciation is kinda the same as chinese pinyin and i am very happy about it

[@takumui3332]

He's personality makes it easier to remember

[@davicinderace9500]

As a brazillian, the pronounciation is actually really easy to learn, some of it is similar to words we say over here in brazil.

[@lizmasang9163]

Hello George! Thank you for such a great video. I'm very interested in learning Japanese. I like your teaching style. It's so fresh, funny and at the same time is easy to understand the lesson. I'm a spanish speaker and I'm very pleased to found that japanese sounds are very similar to spanish sounds! We pronounce the vowels sounds the same way and I have found many consonants are pronunced the same way too! Isn't that wonderful! Greetings from Southamerica!

[@patrickblack4992]

This guy's voice is so soothing.

[@TheAbandonedTeddy]

Just got back from a trip to Japan and It was amazing! I feel like great things are going to come my way in the next few years by using these books/videos/other methods to learn this foreign language. I'm now starting book one and I hope to one day come back to this comment section and thank you for the basic foundation you have brought to me by using your books and awesome videos, thanks!

[@Ikaxas]

For the double consonants, the pause is exactly the same thing as the pause in the middle of "uh-oh". Think of it as that little dash written between the "uh" and the "oh". The fancy linguistics term is "glottal stop" because what you're doing is cutting off your airstream completely using your glottis, i.e. your voice box/vocal cords

[@YOUTUBEFELON]

You are brilliant man... I am going to make more effort to learn Hiragana .. thanks.

[@SoundVillageChunin17]

After watching a few of your videos I have a feeling you'll be a great teacher for me an absolute beginner. Just purchased the first book, don't let me down George!

[@dwigttaylor3544]

Him: get off your phone Me: but, that’s how I’m watching this

[@lordreno8911]

Gonna start this series, and I am committed to watching till the end, wish me good luck.

[@edytaprozny969]

My journey with Japanese language starts today ;) wish me luck!

[@japanesefromzero]

Welcome!!! I am jealous of all the fun you are going to have from this point. Enjoy the ride!

[@zx0w0xz]

As a portuguese person the sounds were so much easier to me because it’s how we say it! I’m loving these videos are so informative and help a lot!!

[@Rafaela_S.]

Same for german. Except the RA/LA sound ら, which for my ears seem to tend more to RA if used in words, but when my japanese teacher was calling just the letter it sounds more like a LA sound.

[@fangbangga]

When your already bilingual you don’t have to fight your brain on pronunciation 😏

[@nichts-8yearsago]

Yeah, when he went on about not having paid attention and then telling us how it's supposed to be pronounced I was like ?? That's how I pronounced it (grew up with German and English)😂

[@Collins.J.Kaboggoza]

I think this is going to be fun for me to learn.

[@sheaferguson1184]

Great video wish I had this to tell me when I first started lol

[@soothingtherapymusic9426]

learn japanese with fun, the phone part was awesome. thanks *George* for your effort.

[@IonicSplash365]

Surprisingly all the pronunciation sounds stuff I learned from singing Japanese by reading romaji lyrics for anime openings 😂 so I guess I'm not totally at 0

[@futoma21]

I love all the comments where people are comparing the Japanese pronunciation with that of their native languages. Just goes to show that knowing one language is always a stepping stone to finding familiarity with another, no matter how different they may seem on the surface!

[@amarsingh-eb5ic]

nice teaching skills.................

[@funnyweirdovideos]

Learned basic Hiragana by myself in a week and decided to start this video course, and I'll just say he includes you in a way nobody else does, plus I've already learned a few new things already! :) I'll be buying his books!!

[@philsstudytime2709]

I'm interested in getting your books. What JLPT levels would you say each volume goes up to in terms of reading and writing?

[@glitchsteph]

THANK YOU MOM FOR TEACHING ME SPANISH AND MAKING THIS EASIER!!!!

[@kabeerrajoria]

its actually easy if you're hindi\urdu speaker

[@jedivind]

True. I speak multiple Indian languages, and I find spoken Japanese quite natural, easy and pleasant. Kanji on the other hand, not so much. After learning basic grammar and hiragana/katakana, you can just build your vocabulary by listening to spoken japanese organically over time. For me, I like music, so japanese songs are a good way for me to build vocabulary.

[@Bellasbliss12662]

I've just learned like almost all the words he said in this video simply because he entertaining in a way I can Remember...low key proud of myself😂😂

[@FranchottBarnwellJr]

the messed up part is at 3:00 someone on discord messaged me and I was responding.. thanks I had to close it to keep paying attention hahahaha.

[@the_arkeologist]

Thank you for having your daughter reach out theough Tik Tok just saw her and she told me about this video series. Going to start learning and cant wait.

[@fire_aspect_5142]

Him: get off ur phone Me: I’m watching this on my phone...

[@moonlight_orange]

In the Philippines, we have a-e-i-o-u, ga-ge-gi-go-gu (ka/da/ra etc.) introduced during preschool/grade 1. Same pronunciation (except for し) but written in english alphabet. So learning hiragana and katakana is like getting on to the basics again but writing in a different way.

[@TerryAB]

Im not gonna lie the pronunciation is easier to learn when you are a french speaker.

[@yashiro3568]

reallyyy? i thought french r and japanese r was so so so different.

[@norshenturkishedits3759]

@@yashiro3568 for example "a" in English is pronounced "ay" but in French it's the same as Japanese just an "a"

[@El1as--]

Yep also Spanish

[@Slammer_1970]

I really enjoyed this video and the previous one as well. I got the first book - Japanese From Zero! 1 this past week and I have just started to read it. I'm up to lesson one right now. I bought this book to help me learn Japanese and became a member of you website. Over the past year and a half I have started to plan future trips to Japan. I am following such KZbinrs as Abroad in Japan and Only in Japan for great ideas on place to visit during my trips to Japan. I learning Japanese is something that I have always wanted to do since the early 1990s when I got into Anime full blast. Back to the lessons.

[@arjunmathi6312]

When he tells you to get off the phone but that’s where you’re watching his lesson on 👁💧👄💧👁

[@tokkicabo4578]

This is very interesting because you can see, obviously, that the audience that he has is predominantly native English speakers, because when he asked “what do you see here?” with “to” I immediately thought of the Japanese pronunciation, because being a native Spanish speaker that’s just how I naturally read it. And when he said you probably see “to” as in the English “to” I got super confused for a second. Languages are just so fascinating to me.

[@kat3lynhammer801]

Man: get off the phone Me: but then I can't watch the video

[@tomi4682]

When he said “dude gett off your phone “ 😭😭😭how the hell did he knows that i was busy deep in cleaning the case of the phone. lol

[@absolutelyfookinnobody2843]

"Dude get off your phone" but. I am watching you on my phone.

[@absolutelyfookinnobody2843]

I forgot I typed this comment and almost typed it again lol

[@beanpaste2009]

He is cool and fun. I am excited to learn Japanese; my 9 year old little nephew is learning Japanese in Mongolia and he has recommended his channels, webs, and books. Thank you~

[@edwardgomez4765]

dude you are an inspiration/role model do you do other languages although I know you just grew up in japan

[@japanesefromzero]

I also do Korean. I will start a Korean From Zero! video series also when this is done. kzbin.info Also I am doing Chinese now.

[@JohnnyLynnLee]

Thanks a lot! I'm from Brazil and your books and course is helping me too much!

[@JohnnyLynnLee]

And about this specific video of pronunciation it's a lot easy for us, portuguese speakers cause the sounds are the same in portuguse. I think its a little bit harder for a english speaker. In portuguese A I U E O (hrre the order is A E I O U) soudns exactly tha same. The only diference is that in portuguese in some words E may be pornounced as I and O as U, mostly when they are in the end of the words.

[@samdennis2802]

"Put down your phone" im watching this on my phone D:

[@RaneBane]

Bukkake makes more sense than ever now. Thank you

[@jssberry]

"Dude get off your phone!" HAHAHA! #MyBad I'm trying to multitask. I can do that while learning Japanese right...? Oh, no? Oh...okay. (-_-,) #TheStruggle

[@smusicchannel5174]

It’s really interesting to see how similar the Japanese pronunciation to the German pronunciation is. It’s nearly identical

[@DeerestAshe]

When you’re watching the lesson on your phone :3

[@Duma86]

I like this guy.

[@alexstone691]

a i u e o is same pronounced on serbian lol

[@MrDirtBaggins]

Same in German too

[@Nekorashii]

+MrDirtBaggins ja ;)

[@mateuszdworak1252]

And Polish. And Latin. And many other languages.

[@matthewtheobald1231]

and Spanish

[@trimmien2350]

Matthew Theobald The Japanese "e/え/エ" ("eh") is pronounced a bit differently from the Spanish "e" ("ey")

[@LeMonBLOCK]

The double constants and double vowels are both concepts in the Arabic language and they sound exactly the same. Even the way all the sounds are based on five sounds is similar to what we call تشكيل (tashkeel). I speak both English and Arabic, and one of the most fun things I like to do while learning Japanese is comparing how different things are said in the three languages.

[@emilygriggs4745]

When he said get off your phone I just had turned it one and that scared me omg

[@fanimeproductionst.v.3735]

@@mock15halo 😂😂😂😂 omg

[@ComradeScrungus]

Just found this channel, really excited to take this course.

[@Frahamen]

1:13 yeah. Blame English. The romanji pronounciation makes sence for about 99% for languages that uses Roman letters.

[@TheRealKimKitsuragi]

ngl, the way he struggled at 1:21 really just shows how fluent he is

[@Konuvis]

"when Japan...." I died! lol

[@neptune2395]

just started watching and I'll have to say this, your teaching method and intuition were on point. I always postpone doing things and I have this heavy load on my back when I try to start things and you started and caught me off guard with your words. I feel like I will enjoy watching and learning from you.

[@Vankkkkkk]

Who is watching this in 2024?

[@nadys6206]

me August 2024

[@ErdanMNE]

​@@nadys6206me too. I am here agsin for the 10 time

[@batman27920]

Me

[@JepangLagi]

Count me in

[@jtmix5545]

2024年これビデオは見てますよ😅

[@AIZEN155]

As someone who speaks the Arabic language natively, this looks very familiar it even has things the same as arabic

[@Justin-sh4sq]

Fine I put my phone away jeez

[@leonjiahuahuang3316]

Justin I am watching this with my phone XDXDXD

[@AP-rr7sg]

I speak English and Spanish and I'm feeling pretty lucky because the pronunciation of the vowels is exactly the same in Spanish as it is in Japanese which I think will make learning a tad bit easier. I'm excited :D

[@a1.w6]

I'm fluent in afrikaans and because of that for some reason learning this was so easy!

[@blackferrets820]

I speak German and English and the Japanese pronunciation wasn’t hard for me because of fluent German(German has double vowels and consonants) it took like 1-2 weeks to nail it I love how you get sidetracked all the times

[@golvellius6855]

as a Spanish native I am having fun learning as is pretty similar on the vowels

[@Karanagi]

Hey, I bought the first of your books a few years back. Stumbled upon this youtube channel just now. I have to say, you are just an extremely likeable fellow. You also sound as though you've been teaching classes for a long time :D

[@psalmr98]

As a native Spanish speaker who learned English, the pronunciation feels like a breeze, it’s so fun!!

[@psalmr98]

I struggle so much with English pronunciation still, so it’s nice to feel at home with the pronunciation 😁

[@Iamchaoss]

i love this teacher already...