Japanese Pronunciation Series #4 – Double consonants
In this lesson, we will introduce you to double consonants and show how they differ from
single consonants.
Double Consonants
An important concept in Japanese pronunciation is double consonants, which can show up
in the middle of a word (but not in the beginning). These double consonant clusters (kk, ss, tt,
cc, etc.) differ from single consonants (k, s, t, c, etc.) in that it takes twice the amount of time
to produce them. Think about the word "bookkeeper" in English. We almost pause in the
middle as we take extra time to pronounce the double consonant cluster "kk." This is also
how it works in Japanese. Whether a consonant is double or not can change the meaning of
the word, making double consonants an important concept to learn. Compare the following
examples:
Japanese
Translation
Japanese
Translation
かこ (kako)
"past"
かっこ (kakko)
"brackets"
にし (nishi)
"west"
にっし (nisshi)
"daily report"
スパイ (supai)
"spy"
すっぱい (suppai)
"sour"
かた (kata)
"shoulder"
かった (katta)
"won"
きて (kite)
"come"
きって (kitte)
"cut"
あさり (asari)
"clam"
あっさり (assari)
"plain"
いち (ichi)
"one"
いっち (icchi)
"accordance"
In some instances, the Japanese language uses a double "n." We hold this "n" sound for
twice as long. Look at the following examples:
おんな(on'na)
"woman", "women"
ざんねん(zan'nen)
"regret", "unfortunate"
In some cases, the word meaning changes (as in the examples above) depending on
whether there is one "n" or two:
こんな (konna)
ほんね (honne)
"this kind of"
"true feelings"
Pronunciation of "n" (ん)
こな (kona)
ほね (hone)
"flour"
"bone"
Let's take a look at the pronunciation of the stand-alone "n" syllable. The pronunciation of
this "n" changes slightly depending on what kind of sound comes after it. Before "b", "p", and
"m", it sounds more like an "m" as in shimbun ("newspaper"). Before "k" or "g", it sounds like
"ng", as in genki ("energetic"). However, these differences are so slight that most Japanese
people aren't even aware of them, so do not worry too much about trying to remember these
rules. These sound changes occur naturally as you pronounce these words, but if you
pronounce them a bit differently, people will still understand you.
When "n" comes
The "n" sound
Example word
Sounds like...
before...
changes to...
しんぶん
b/p/m
→m
shimbun
shinbun
"newspaper"
げんき
k/g
→ ng
gengki
genki
"energetic"