Why Your Japanese Doesn’t Sound Natural (Easy Fix)

[00:00:00]When I practice Japanese with my students, I often notice one small thing. Their Japanese is correct. The grammar is correct. The words are correct. And I can understand them perfectly. But sometimes, one tiny pronunciation habit makes their Japanese sound a little less natural. For example, arigato gozaimasu. Many learners say just like that. It's very clear. And this is not wrong at all. Yep, it is correct Japanese. But in natural conversation, many Japanese people often say more like arigato gozaimasu. You see the difference? The last u becomes very small, right? Not gone, just very quiet.

[00:00:47]So, today's tip is very simple. Don't think delay that u sound. Think turn the volume down. The one I did can make your Japanese sound much smoother.

[00:01:01]>> [music] >> Before we start, if you feel lost learning Japanese alone, I made a community where you can learn with clear materials and practice with other learners. I put the link in the description, so check that out. All right, let's start with the two words you already know. desu, masu. If we say very clearly, it is desu. But in natural conversation, it often sounds closer to des. Now, masu.

[00:01:32]Clearly, masu.

[00:01:34]Naturally, again, desu and [music] masu are not wrong. Japanese people can understand you. But if you make the last u smaller, your Japanese sounds smoother. Now, here's a real rule, but I'll keep it simple. Some sounds use your voice. Try this.

[00:01:53]Mhm. Mhm. Mhm. Mhm. Mhm. You can feel vibration in your throat, right? [music] Mhm. Mhm. Mhm. That is a voice sound, right? Now, try this.

[00:02:06]No vibration.

[00:02:09]That is a air sound. In Japanese, when e or u is near air sound, it can become small and airy, too.

[00:02:17]>> [music] >> It is like this. If you sit between two quiet people, you naturally become quieter, too. The vowel does the same thing. For example, suki. This is written suki, but the u is between two air sounds, right? S and K, right? So, the u becomes very small.

[00:02:39]That's why suki can sound very close to suki. Ski. Right? Another example, masuka.

[00:02:48]Right? The crucial form. Something masuka. Masuka. The u in su is between S and K again, right? So, masuka often sounds close to masuka. Masuka.

[00:03:02]Right? Another example, shita, which means bottom. Shita.

[00:03:07]The i in shi is between shi and t, right? Shi and t. So, shita can sound close to shita. Shita. Right? Shita. So, the rule is not all e and u [music] can be quiet. Cuz when you look at this word, uta. Uta. The first u is clear, right?

[00:03:29]Uta. Uta. You can't say uta, right? What about ikura? Ikura. Ikura. The first e is, again, is clear. E. Ikura. Right?

[00:03:41]So, the real idea is e and u can become small when they're near air sounds, right? Air sounds. Not gone, just very quiet. Right? Have a look at more examples here. This also happens in questions, right? Ikimasu ka? Ikimasu ka? Clearly, ikimasu ka. Naturally, ikimasu ka? Ikimasu ka?

[00:04:06]Right? Tabemasu ka? Clearly, tabemasu ka? Naturally, tabemasu ka?

[00:04:13]Right? Wakarimasu ka? Clearly, wakarimasu ka? Naturally.

[00:04:18]>> [music] >> And it can happen inside words, too.

[00:04:21]Again, suki suki suki becomes closer to suki suki. Shita shita shita becomes closer to shita shita. Sukoshi sukoshi sukoshi. The first u can become small, so it sounds a lighter, right? So, this is not only about the end of the words.

[00:04:45]It can happen inside words, too. All right, so today's idea is very simple.

[00:04:49]In natural Japanese, i and u can [music] become very small because these are not clear sounds, right? Especially when they're near air sounds like k s t k sh ch and t.

[00:05:03]Right? That is why desu sounds closer to des. Masu sounds closer to mas. Masu ka sounds closer to masu ka. Suki sounds closer to suki. Right?

[00:05:17]But remember, this is not just about delayed u sounds, right? And saying desu and masu clearly is wrong. The image is turn the volume down, make a u small, like light and airy, right? Like blowing out a candle, like right? At first, just practice with des and mas because we use it a lot, right?

[00:05:42]And over time, you get used to pronouncing them. This one small change can make your Japanese sounds much more natural and smoother. Right now, bye for now.

[00:05:59]>> [music]