THE 32 ELEMENTAL SOUNDS

JAPANESE SOUND EXPLORER GUIDE

DIRECTIONS: Use this checklist & the audio word lists to identify which of these
sounds of Japanese conversation that you currently struggle with.

Vowels

/ä/
naka, hada, hana, kaze, sakana, onna, watashi, kakato, atama, kata

/e̞ /
te, ne, nen, sune, ane, erebētā, hone, mune, kaze, geri

/i/
i, mi, genki, mushi, ji, kiba, hige, ine, kimo, mimi

/o̞ /
momo, go, chō, kokoro, yōbi, hone, hoshi, gakkō, botan, asoko

/ɯ/
maguro, pinku, kūkō, kuro, tekubi, yubi, mushi, shinu, kippu, shinbun

/ʉ/
suzuki, supotsu, nezumiiro, zutto, tsuchi, tetsu, hitsuyō, hitotsu,
tsumetai, tsurai

NOTES

MIMICMETHOD.COM
Consonants

/m/
majide, himo, tatami, hasami, megane, kuruma, moji, midori, murasaki

/p/
kippu, happa, pan, bōrupen, enpitsu, jippā, supeingo, pasokon

/b/
boku, bengoshi, kuchibiru, tekubi, yubi, kubi, byōki, bakemono, dōbutsu

/ɸ/
fuwafuwa, kangofu, hifu, sofu, shibafu, fun, taifu, fukuro, fude, futon

/n/
onna, no, naka, niku, kimono, fasuna, ni, nana, nandeska, nigai

/ŋ/
genki, ringo, nihongo, ningen, pinku, kangofu, kangoshi, bengoshi

/t/
tai, taifū, kata, tabemono, satō, watashi, atama, tako, tenki, tooi

/#/
chi, akachan, inchi, kuchi, chītā, chō, ocha, nichi, tsuchi, michi

/d/
densha, jidōsha, odoru, tetsudō, hidari, dono, dō, mado, denki, fude

NOTES

MIMICMETHOD.COM
Consonants
/t͡ s/
tsu, tsuma, tsume, tetsudō, butsu, oyatsu, kutsushita, supōtsu, atsui

/d͡ z/
zō, shinzo, zeni, kizoku, genzai, zutto, kanzō, shinzō, kinzoku, zero

/s/
asoko, asa, sō, asu, usagi, mise, kusai, hosoi, yasui, sode

/ɕ/
shimai, shiro, densha, kutsushita, shichi, koshi, shinzō, ushi, shōyu

/z/
kaze, hiza, mimizu, nezumi, dezāto, mizu, mazui, hazureru, muzukashii

/%/
jin, jōgi, jidō, jū, jisho, jippā, jikan, jinrui, ji, hikōjō

/&/
are, ore, ringo, eri, geri, tori, iro, kore, sore, hiru

/ç/
hikōjō, hito, hitsuji, hitachi, hiku, hibachi, yuhi, hisashiburi, hirune

/j/
yō, gyoza, yon, kyū, hyaku, naiyō, yoi, yasashii, kyoushi, Tokyo

NOTES

MIMICMETHOD.COM
Consonants
/k/
ku, ka, tenki, toki, kashu, kakao, kan, kirin, kuri, mikan

/g/
genki, geri, gamam, kaigara, gohan, higashi, guramu, gasu, gakkō

/w/
kowai, suwaru, kawaku, owaru, wakai, wafuku, nawa, niwatori, washi

/ɴ/
chōsen, jishin, pan, akachan, ojii-san, asagohan, jikan, en, tsurisen, sen

/h/
hana, hachi, hai, hone, homeru, hosoi, hon, haba, hajimaru, hanasu

/ʔ/
atama_, shita_, mado_, megane_, kuro_, rika_, taiiku_, kako_, uma_

/ɣ/
agemasu, hige, hage, mago, usagi, maguro, tokage, mugi, yūgata

/β/
kubi, eba, oba, yuba, obom, ibo, haba, saba, oboeru, kubomi

NOTES

MIMICMETHOD.COM