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Pronunciation of "e" and "g" 2007/10/23 14:15
I searched and couldn't find a discussion on this so I apologize if it's been answered already.

I am confused about the pronunciation of the romaji characters "e" and "g". Everything I have read about Japanese pronunciation says the "e" should be pronounced like the "e" in get, met, etc... However, I hear it pronounced like the "a" in "may" sometimes by native Japanese speakers. I was listening to Japanesepod101.com and on beginner lesson 15 they were clearly pronouncing it like "a" in "may". They even broke it down by syllables and it sounded the same. Is there any case where this sound is pronounced in the Japanese language?

Also, sometimes I hear the "g" pronounced as "ng". It sounds very nasally and usually happense if the "g" is in the middle of a word. Ex. Arigato. I've heard it pronounced "ah-ri-gah-to" 95% of the time but every now and then I hear it like "ah-ling-gah-to". Is this a difference in dialect?
Thanks.
by Matt  

about g 2007/10/23 19:10
It's a phenomenon called bidakuon (nasal voiced sound).

In "genuine" Japanese it is supposed that "g" must be pronounced nasally in the middle of a word or in the particle "ga".

Actually, however, this practice is mainly done in eastern Japan; in western Japan they tend to always pronounce "g" as it is. So do younger generations in eastern Japan.

by meringue4 rate this post as useful

'a' 2007/10/24 02:49
-------they were clearly pronouncing it like "a" in "may". They even broke it down by syllables and it sounded the same. Is there any case where this sound is pronounced in the Japanese language?--------

That's unheard of because their(Japanese)
"a"
is always pronounced with short syllable "a" as in English word 'Apartment'
by cc rate this post as useful

Correction 2007/10/24 05:49
"That's unheard of because their(Japanese)
"a"
is always pronounced with short syllable "a" as in English word 'Apartment'"


I think the OP is saying that when he hears 'え' (maybe け, げ, せ etc), it sounds like the 'a' in 'may', not like the 'e' in 'met' as described. He is not mentioning あ at all.
by Dave G. rate this post as useful

"e" pronunciation 2007/10/24 08:22
Matt,

The Japanese "e" sound on its own should always be pronounced like the "e" in "get". However, it will sound like the "a" in "May" when it is combined with "i".
Maybe that was what you were hearing?
by Dave in Saitama rate this post as useful

depends 2007/10/24 19:29
It also depends where Matt is from!!!
For example, a BBC English "get" sound different to a Californian "get".

And in fact a Japanese "e" can sound a bit like the "a" in May, depending on what accent you are comparing it to, and how long the "e" is.

by Sandy rate this post as useful

Reply 2007/10/25 01:31
Meringue4: Thanks for the clarification about the ''ng'' sound.

Dave G: You're exactly right. I was not implying it sounded like a long vowel.

Dave in Saitama: After reading your response I listened to the audio lesson again. The word she was pronouncing was kare (as in curry rice) and she pronounces it with the ''aye'' sound at the end. Peter (the Japanese Major) even has her break it down by syllable and it sounds the same. He even says ''Ok, now you have to be sure to hold the ''aye'' sound at the end right?'' To which she replies ''yes.''

Now, in regards to the ei, is that always pronounced as ''aye?''

Thanks.
by Matt rate this post as useful

Follow up 2007/10/25 01:37
After I posted I noticed your reply came in Sandy. I'm from Midwest America. My dialect is pretty standard and no one has trouble understanding anything I say.

I'm absolutely 100% positive it's not being pronounced with an ''eh'' sound at the end. It is clearly an ''aye'' sound.
by Matt rate this post as useful

e 2007/10/25 05:11
Japanese "e" is pronounced as 'a' in May without 'y'
'ie' would be 'i 'as in 'incredible' and 'e' as in 'experience' or 'may' without y sound.
by cc rate this post as useful

Curry 2007/10/25 07:47
Matt,

The final syllable of "カレー" (curry) is a long "e", not a simple "e" sound (hence the bar), so, yes, it will sound similar to "ray" in English.

cc,
Actually I was talking about the "ei" sound - not "ie".
by Dave in Saitama rate this post as useful

ei 2007/10/25 11:34
'e' in 'ei' is pronounced like 'e' in a word 'end'(in American English)
followed by strong 'i' pronounced as 'i' in 'inconsistant'
If individual is saying 'i' softly, it would sound like 'ay' in 'may' and most Japanese would follow foreigners pronounciation when they listen to it vocally but they are just communicating and Japanese way is ei えい respectively,
and both e and i spoken with short syllables.
by cc rate this post as useful

accent 2007/10/25 12:41
Matt, I wasn't talking about how understandable your "Mid West" accent is.

ANY American accent will have different vowels to other English accents.

For example, a US "may" does sound a lot like a Japanese "me-e" or a "mei".
An Australian "may" sounds like a Japanese "mai".

On the other hand a US "man" has no exact equivalent sound in Japanese, because it has a "hard" "a", but a southern English "man" would be closest to "man" in Japanese.
by Sandy rate this post as useful

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