A Short Guide to Understanding the Japanese Language

日本語がお上手ですね！

Nihongo ga o-jôzu desu ne !

This is probably what you’ll hear during your trip: “Your Japanese is so good!” In restaurants or stores, a simple “arigatō” from you will often bring a lot of joy and encouragement.

Japanese still has a reputation as a difficult language, even for native speakers. With its many characters to learn, its various levels of politeness, and especially the lack of a clear subject in many sentences (a nightmare for many learners), Japanese isn’t easy!

Yet, who hasn’t heard of matcha, maki, sumotori, or wasabi? These Japanese words are everywhere, especially on our plates! But also in our conversations, our travels… But… are you sure you’re pronouncing them correctly? Let’s check that out together!

The three writing systems of Japanese language: kanji, hiragana et katakana

One of the key features of Japanese is that it is not written using a single “alphabet,” but rather three different systems:

Hiraganas:

Hiragana are the first characters Japanese children learn in school. They have rounded shapes and are easy to recognize. Each character corresponds to a single syllable. Hiragana are used to write common words, verb endings, and grammatical elements.

Examples:

• ひ = "hi" in hiragana, pronounced hee

• ねこ (ne-ko) = a cat

• みかん (mi-ka-n) = a mandarin

Katakanas:

Katakana also represent syllables, but with more angular shapes. They are used for foreign words, onomatopoeia, or scientific terms.

Examples :

• ヒ = "hi" in hiragana, pronounced hee

• パン (pa-n) = bread

• ドキドキ (doki doki) = to beat fast (of one's heart), to throb

A Japanese sentence always combines two or three of these writing systems. It is impossible not to use kanji, or else the sentence will be unreadable and meaningless!

For example:

スマホで写真を撮った。 (Sumaho de shashin wo totta) “I took photos with my smartphone.”

Kanjis:

These are characters of Chinese origin that are often used alone or in pairs to form words. They may seem complex at first, but they add a lot of meaning to the language.

Examples:

• 火 (hi) = fire

• 山 (yama) = mountain

• 火山 (kazan) = volcano

A kanji can therefore have multiple pronunciations: the character 山 is read as yama, but also as san in Fuji-san (Mount Fuji) or zan in kazan (volcano). Kanji are essential because there are many homophones in Japanese: kami can mean hair, paper, or god, depending on the kanji used. The word kōshō has no fewer than 48 homophones!

Japanese Pronunciation: Consistent and Musical

Good news: Japanese pronunciation is consistent; every syllable is always pronounced the same way. There are no pitfalls or exceptions like in French or English!

Here are a few simple rules:

• “u” is pronounced oo like in moo:

  → sushi = soo-shee

• “e” is pronounced e like in egg:

  → karate = ka-ra-té

• “h” is aspirated, like in English:

  → Ehime city = e - hee - me

• “ch” is pronounced“tch” :

  → macha = ma - tcha

• japanese “r” is a quick tap of the tongue, somewhere between an English 'r' and 'l'.

Romaji: Writing Japanese Using Our Alphabet

When learning Japanese, you’ll come across romaji, a system for transcribing Japanese using the Latin alphabet. It’s useful for beginners and tourists, but it’s important to know that there are several ways to write certain sounds:

• the sound “sho” (しょう) used to be written as syo

• the sound “o - o” (おお) is formed of two o sometimes written oh like in “Ohtani”, the famous baseball player.

• the sound “o - u” (おう) is called a long o, i.e. a long “o” sound sometimes written ō.

Why learn to pronounce Japanese correctly?

Pronouncing a few Japanese words correctly is already a great way to show respect for the local culture! It also makes communication easier: a simple, well-pronounced “arigatō,” “sumimasen,” or “konnichiwa” instantly brings a smile to people’s faces and makes the experience richer and more natural.

In summary

You don’t need to learn to read Japanese to travel, but the pronunciation is actually quite simple. So, the next time you’re enjoying a matcha latte or ordering an okonomiyaki, remember that behind every Japanese word there are kanji—and often a lot of beauty.