Learn Japanese Online - Free Studies

To get full access, please Login or Register

For the Latest Talk, open the Chat Popup

Main Menu

Home

Dictionary (New!)
Enter the word to look up: Show on full page

Kanji Lookup
Enter Kanji to look up: [+] Advanced search Kanji Jouyou Grade Stroke count Bushu nr.

v Advertisment

Extended sounds

In this lesson you will learn about Japanese extended sounds - when the vowel is voiced longer.

Japanese extended sounds are marked in hiragana with an extra u, う, or i, い, after the character to be extended. In katakana it is marked by a line looking like a hyphen. The result is that the vowel before is voiced longer.

Listen to and compare the sounds in the following table of examples, going from left to right, one row at a time.

おばさん	おばあさん
obasan	obaasan
Aunt	Grandmother


おじさん	おじいさん
ojisan	ojiisan
Uncle	Grandfather


ビル	ビール
biru	biiru
Building	Beer


来て	聞いて
kite	kiite
Come! (-te form or order form)	listen! (-te form or order form)


地図	チーズ
chizu	chiizu
Map	Cheese


好き	スキー
suki	sukii
To love	To ski


主	週
shu *	shuu
Main thing, lord	Week (as in raishuu, next week)


沖	大きい
oki	ookii
Hill	Big


鳥	通り
tori	toori
Bird	street


掘る	ホール
horu	hooru
Dig	Hall

Comments (6)

Written by arigato, on 04-09-2008 04:27
thank you very much study japanese.org

thank♥you
Written by EgyptLearn123, on 30-08-2008 21:43
this is very helpful thank you! :grin

Sounds not working?
Written by johan, on 10-08-2008 14:44
Chilimaera, can you please check these things?
- does other websites sound work on your computer? Please try if sound at www.youtube.com works.
- does the progress bar move?
/Johan

Written by Chilimaera, on 10-08-2008 13:27
I'm afraid I can't open the sound files. When I click on the "play" button, nothing happens. What am I doing wrong?

Written by phanith, on 10-08-2008 05:17