Japanese names that foreigners have difficulty with

It seems that it is often a little difficult for foreigners to pronounce Japanese names correctly. While names have beautiful sounds and deep meanings, it can be hard to know how to read them or what gender they are. Because of this, it seems that they can have a hard time remembering and pronouncing names.
This time, we will introduce names that foreigners often have trouble with!

• "Sato"
  The sounds of "sa" and "tou" sound flat to English speakers, which can make the accent sound unnatural.
  Example: It can be mistaken for Sato or Sado.
• "Otani"
  The "oo" part is a pronunciation that does not exist in English, making it difficult to reproduce accurately.
  For example: It can also be Ootani or Otani.
• "Nakamura"
  "Mura" is difficult to pronounce, and sometimes "Mura" becomes "Moola" or "Mara."
• "Sho"
  The sound "sho" is written as "sho" in English, but because it is difficult to connect the sounds "sh" and "o," it is often pronounced "Sho" or "Shou" rather than "Shou."
• "Aoi"
  "Aoi" is one of the names that is difficult for foreigners to pronounce. In particular, the "A" can be pronounced as "ae" or "ei", and "Aoi" can be read as "ei-oi". It is also difficult to pronounce the vowels "a" and "o" separately.
• Pronunciation of "Ry"
  Names that include "Ry" such as "Ryo" and "Ryu" are also difficult. Names like "Ryo," "Ryu," "Ryosuke," and "Ryuta" are very common in Japan, but in English-speaking countries, the combination of the "R" and "y" sounds complicated and can be difficult to pronounce correctly.

Difficult pronunciations unique to Japanese

Besides names, here are some pronunciations that foreigners have difficulty with.

1. The double consonant (っ)

example: "Stamps"
It is difficult to distinguish between "kite" and "kitte", and it is very difficult to pronounce "tsu" correctly.

2. Long vowel (ー)

example: "Grandma" and "Auntie"
Omitting the long vowels results in a completely different meaning, so many foreigners seem to have trouble pronouncing it.

3. Nasalized consonants (soft pronunciation of the ga row)

example: "Painter"
The nasal "ga" sound that is unique to Japanese is an unusual sound for many foreigners.

4. Difference between R and L

example: "Ramen" and "Lemon"
The pronunciations of "ra," "ri," "ru," "re," and "ro" can easily cause confusion between "L" and "R" for English speakers.

Tips to make it easier for foreigners to pronounce

Japanese is difficult not only to read and write, but also to pronounce. So, we've put together some tips to help foreigners pronounce words more easily! Please take a look!

1. Practice by separating the sounds
For difficult names, practice by breaking down the sounds one by one. For example, "Aoi" can be easily pronounced by pronouncing the sounds "A", "O", and "I" in that order.

2. Learn English sounds
For example, it's easy to remember "Ryo" as being pronounced similarly to "Rio."

3. Check the intonation of the name
Japanese names generally have a flat accent, so if you keep this in mind it will sound natural.

4. Ask the person you're speaking to for advice
It is also effective to have a native speaker check your pronunciation and give you feedback.

Let's have fun learning Japanese

Japanese Language School in OsakaClover AcademyAlso, the e-learning system developed by Clover Academy"PLAT CLOVER"Here you can learn Japanese in an easy and fun way.
If you can pronounce names and difficult Japanese words correctly, communication will become much smoother!

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