Collins Dictionaries - Collins Gem стр 2.

Shopping

Shopping phrases

Shops

Food (general)

Food (fruit and veg)

Clothes

Clothes (articles)

Maps and guides

Post office

Technology

Leisure

Sightseeing and tourist office

Entertainment

Nightlife

Leisure/interests

Hot springs/public baths

Music

Theatre/opera

Sport

Walking

Communications

Telephone and mobile

Messaging

Internet

Practicalities

Money

Paying

Luggage

Repairs

Laundry

Complaints

Problems

Emergencies

Health

Pharmacy

Body

Doctor

Dentist

Eating out

Food in Japan

In a bar/café

Menu reader

Reading the menu

In a restaurant

Dietary requirements

Wines

Reference

Measurements and quantities

Numbers

Days and months

Time

Time phrases

Public holidays

Signs and notices

Pronouncing place names

Grammar

Dictionary

English Japanese

A C

D F

G I

J L

M O

P R

S U

V Z

LIFELINE words and phrases

About the Publisher

Pronouncing Japanese

Although the Japanese writing system is rather complicated, pronouncing Japanese is easy once you know the few basic rules. This book has been designed so that as you read the pronunciation of the phrases, you can follow the Japanese. This will help you to recognize the different sounds and give you a feeling for the rhythm of the language. Below are a few rules for you to note.

In Japanese the basic unit of speech is the syllable. Each syllable is pronounced approximately the same length and rather flatly. Japanese has a pitched accent (high and low) but syllables do not have tones as they do in Chinese. It is more important not to stress any one part of a word. For example, in English the word Paris is pronounced paris and in French paree. Japanese gives equal strength to both syllables: pari.

Japanese has relatively few sounds. Each vowel has only one sound.

Japanese vowels

Long vowel sounds

15 basic consonants

k, s, sh, t, ts, ch, n, h, m, y, r, w, g, z, d, b, p, n/m Each consonant is followed by one vowel to create a syllable as in

These consonants are close to their English equivalents but note the following:

g is pronounced as in golf, not as in Germany y is pronounced as in young, not as in cry.

The consonant n/m, which appears at the end of the list above, counts as a syllable in its own right. It is pronounced like the nasal n in sing when it appears at the end of words, e.g. en yen, and before most other sounds, e.g. onsen hot spring. Before p, b and m, it sounds more like m and is therefore written here as m, e.g. shimbun newspaper. When n appears before a vowel or y, it is written as n to distinguish it from the syllables beginning with n, e.g. kinen non-smoking compared with kinen commemoration.

Since Japanese lacks the consonants l and v, foreign loanwords with these letters are pronounced with r and b, respectively. Thus, English words love and rub both become indistinguishable as ra-bu in Japanese.