Japanese Pronunciation Practice: Common Mistakes and Fixes

Japanese has only five vowels and a simple sound system, but English speakers still make the same pronunciation mistakes again and again. The good news: each one has a clear fix.

Most of these mistakes come from English habits: reducing vowels, stressing one syllable, gliding vowels into diphthongs, and ignoring sounds that English does not have. In Japanese, some of these habits change the meaning of a word.

This post covers nine common mistakes. For each one you get a short explanation, a table of minimal pairs (real words that differ by one sound), audio with the pairs in natural sentences, and a short drill. At the end there is a "listen and choose" quiz.

When you are ready to practise with real speech, Corodomo's pronunciation courses let you practise sentence by sentence and get an AI score for pronunciation accuracy and fluency.

• Why English speakers struggle with Japanese sounds
• Mistakes 1–2: English vowels and English stress
• Mistakes 3–4: Long vowels and small っ
• Mistakes 5–6: ん as a full beat and the Japanese r
• Mistakes 7–8: つ, ふ and whispered vowels
• Mistake 9: Saying katakana words in English
• Listen and choose: a 6-question quiz
• A 10-minute daily pronunciation routine
• FAQ
• Conclusion

Why English speakers struggle with Japanese sounds

English is stress-timed. Stressed syllables are long and loud, and the rest are squeezed. Japanese is mora-timed. Every mora (beat) takes about the same time, including long vowels, small っ and ん.

English also has many vowel sounds, and it changes them freely: "a" in "about" becomes a weak "uh", and "o" in "go" becomes "oh-w". Japanese has five short, pure vowels: あ, い, う, え, お. They do not change in unstressed positions.

So the core rule for this whole post is simple: keep every beat, and keep every vowel pure.

• Learn kana before working on pronunciation. Romaji pulls you back to English spelling rules.
• Record yourself. You will hear mistakes in a recording that you cannot hear while speaking.
• The audio in this post uses a synthesized (TTS) voice. It is clear, but slightly flatter than a real speaker.

Mistakes 1–2: English vowels and English stress

Mistake 1: Reduced vowels and diphthongs

English speakers often say 空手 (karate) as "kuh-RAH-tee": the first vowel becomes a weak "uh" and the last becomes "ee". A more careful learner may say "kah-rah-tay", but "tay" is still a glide (e + i). Japanese え is short and pure, like the "e" in "get".

The glide matters. In Japanese, え + い sounds like a long え. So if め (eye) becomes "may", it starts to sound like めい (niece). The same happens with お: "oh-w" sounds like a long お, so とる can drift toward とおる.

Word	Reading	Meaning	English habit	Aim for
空手	からて (karate)	karate	"kuh-RAH-tee"	か・ら・て, three even beats
カラオケ	karaoke	karaoke	"carry-OH-key"	カ・ラ・オ・ケ, four even beats
お酒	おさけ (osake)	alcohol, sake	"SAH-kee"	け like "ke" in "kettle"
寿司	すし (sushi)	sushi	"SOO-shee", round lips	す with relaxed, flat lips

Minimal pair	Romaji	Meaning
目 (め) / めい	me / mei	eye / niece
取る (とる) / 通る (とおる)	toru / tōru	to take / to pass through

Show transcript and translation

1. 空手を三年習っています。(からてをさんねんならっています) Karate o sannen naratte imasu. – I have been learning karate for three years.
2. 週末は、友だちとカラオケに行きます。(しゅうまつは、ともだちとカラオケにいきます) Shūmatsu wa, tomodachi to karaoke ni ikimasu. – On weekends, I go to karaoke with friends.
3. 日本のお酒を飲んだことがありますか。(にほんのおさけをのんだことがありますか) Nihon no osake o nonda koto ga arimasu ka. – Have you ever tried Japanese sake?
4. めいの目は、とてもきれいです。(めいのめは、とてもきれいです) Mei no me wa, totemo kirei desu. – My niece's eyes are very pretty.

Drill: say あ・い・う・え・お with a mirror. Your jaw and lips should stop still on each vowel, with no slide at the end. Then say め, めい, め, めい: the first is one beat, the second is two.

Mistake 2: Stress instead of pitch

English marks important syllables with stress: louder, longer and higher. Standard Japanese uses pitch accent instead: each mora is high or low, and loudness and length stay the same. In Tokyo Japanese, 雨 (あめ, rain) goes high-low, and 飴 (あめ, candy) goes low-high.

When English speakers stress a mora, they also make it longer. That extra length can sound like a long vowel, which is a bigger problem than wrong pitch. So the first fix is: keep the beats even, and change only the pitch.

Word	Reading	Meaning	Tokyo pitch
雨	あめ (ame)	rain	high-low
飴	あめ (ame)	candy	low-high
箸	はし (hashi)	chopsticks	high-low
橋	はし (hashi)	bridge	low-high, the next particle drops

Pitch accent is a big topic, so this post keeps it short. To look up patterns, try OJAD (Online Japanese Accent Dictionary) from the University of Tokyo, and read our guide to Japanese pitch accent with an accent checker. Note that Corodomo's AI scores pronunciation accuracy and fluency; it does not grade pitch accent.

Drill: hum the word first ("mm-mm", high-low or low-high), then say it with the same melody and two equal beats.

Mistakes 3–4: Long vowels and small っ

Mistake 3: Cutting long vowels

A long vowel in Japanese is two beats, not one. English does not use vowel length to change meaning, so English speakers often cut long vowels short. Then おばあさん (grandmother) becomes おばさん (aunt), and ビール (beer) becomes ビル (building).

Minimal pair	Reading	Romaji	Meaning
おばさん / おばあさん	お・ば・さ・ん / お・ば・あ・さ・ん	obasan / obāsan	aunt, middle-aged woman / grandmother, elderly woman
ビル / ビール	ビ・ル / ビ・ー・ル	biru / bīru	building / beer
主人 / 囚人	しゅじん / しゅうじん	shujin / shūjin	(my) husband / prisoner
ここ / 高校	ここ / こうこう	koko / kōkō	here / high school

Show transcript and translation

1. となりのおばあさんは、私のおばさんの友だちです。(となりのおばあさんは、わたしのおばさんのともだちです) Tonari no obāsan wa, watashi no obasan no tomodachi desu. – The old lady next door is my aunt's friend.
2. あのビルの一階で、ビールを飲みました。(あのビルのいっかいで、ビールをのみました) Ano biru no ikkai de, bīru o nomimashita. – I drank beer on the first floor of that building.
3. 主人は、学校の劇で囚人の役をしました。(しゅじんは、がっこうのげきでしゅうじんのやくをしました) Shujin wa, gakkō no geki de shūjin no yaku o shimashita. – My husband played a prisoner in a school play.
4. ここは、私が通った高校です。(ここは、わたしがかよったこうこうです) Koko wa, watashi ga kayotta kōkō desu. – This is the high school I went to.

Drill: tap the table once per mora. おばさん = 4 taps, おばあさん = 5 taps. The long vowel gets its own tap, with no break in the sound.

Mistake 4: Skipping the small っ

The small っ (sokuon) has no sound of its own. It is a one-beat pause where your mouth is ready for the next consonant but waits. English has a similar moment in "bookcase" or "hot tea", but it does not change meaning. In Japanese, it does.

Minimal pair	Reading	Romaji	Meaning
来て / 切手	きて / きって	kite / kitte	come (te-form) / postage stamp
音 / 夫	おと / おっと	oto / otto	sound / husband
坂 / 作家	さか / さっか	saka / sakka	slope, hill / writer
部下 / 物価	ぶか / ぶっか	buka / bukka	subordinate / prices (cost of living)

Show transcript and translation

1. 切手を買ってから、うちに来てください。(きってをかってから、うちにきてください) Kitte o katte kara, uchi ni kite kudasai. – Please buy stamps and then come to my place.
2. 夫はいつもテレビの音を大きくします。(おっとはいつもテレビのおとをおおきくします) Otto wa itsumo terebi no oto o ōkiku shimasu. – My husband always turns the TV up loud.
3. あの作家は、坂の上に住んでいます。(あのさっかは、さかのうえにすんでいます) Ano sakka wa, saka no ue ni sunde imasu. – That writer lives at the top of the hill.
4. 部下と物価の話をしました。(ぶかとぶっかのはなしをしました) Buka to bukka no hanashi o shimashita. – I talked about prices with my staff.

Drill: say "hot-tea" in English slowly and notice the stop before "tea". Now say き・っ・て with that stop held for one full tap. Alternate: きて, きって, きて, きって.

Mistakes 5–6: ん as a full beat and the Japanese r

Mistake 5: Treating ん as a quick "n"

ん is a full mora. English speakers often glue it to the next sound, so こんな (konna) becomes こな (kona), and きんえん (no smoking) becomes きねん (commemoration). Before a vowel or y, ん must not join the next syllable. Romaji shows this with an apostrophe: kin'en, kin'yū.

ん also changes its sound by position: like "m" before p, b, m (さんぽ, sanpo), like "ng" before k, g (ぎんこう, ginkō), and like a nasal hum before vowels, y, s and h (ほんや, hon'ya). You do not need to think about this much. Just keep it one beat long.

Minimal pair	Reading	Romaji	Meaning
粉 / こんな	こ・な / こ・ん・な	kona / konna	flour, powder / this kind of
記念 / 禁煙	き・ね・ん / き・ん・え・ん	kinen / kin'en	commemoration / no smoking
記入 / 金融	き・にゅ・う / き・ん・ゆ・う	kinyū / kin'yū	filling in (a form) / finance

Mistake 6: English r or l for ら行

The Japanese r (ら, り, る, れ, ろ) is a quick tap of the tongue tip just behind the upper teeth. It is close to the "tt" in American "better" or the "dd" in "ladder". An English r (curled tongue, round lips) or a heavy English l sounds foreign, although people will usually understand you.

The real risk is the other direction: if your tap is too strong, it sounds like d. Then まる (circle) can sound like まど (window). Keep the tap light and fast.

Minimal pair	Reading	Romaji	Meaning
丸 / 窓	まる / まど	maru / mado	circle / window
楽 / 抱く	らく / だく	raku / daku	easy, comfortable / to hold (in your arms)

Show transcript and translation

1. こんな粉は初めて見ました。(こんなこなははじめてみました) Konna kona wa hajimete mimashita. – I have never seen flour like this before.
2. 記念日の食事は、禁煙の席を予約しました。(きねんびのしょくじは、きんえんのせきをよやくしました) Kinenbi no shokuji wa, kin'en no seki o yoyaku shimashita. – For our anniversary dinner, I booked a non-smoking table.
3. この紙に名前を記入してください。(このかみになまえをきにゅうしてください) Kono kami ni namae o kinyū shite kudasai. – Please write your name on this form.
4. 兄は金融の仕事をしています。(あにはきんゆうのしごとをしています) Ani wa kin'yū no shigoto o shite imasu. – My older brother works in finance.
5. 窓に赤い丸がかいてあります。(まどにあかいまるがかいてあります) Mado ni akai maru ga kaite arimasu. – There is a red circle drawn on the window.
6. 赤ちゃんをだくと、気持ちが楽になります。(あかちゃんをだくと、きもちがらくになります) Akachan o daku to, kimochi ga raku ni narimasu. – Holding a baby makes me feel relaxed.

Drill for ん: say き・ん・え・ん with a small hum on each ん, and do not touch your tongue to the roof of your mouth before え. Drill for r: say "gotta, gotta" quickly in American English, then change it to ごら, ごら. Then try ら・り・る・れ・ろ with the same light tap.

Mistakes 7–8: つ, ふ and whispered vowels

Mistake 7: つ becomes す, ふ becomes "foo"

English has "ts" only at the end of words ("cats"). At the start of a word, English speakers often drop the t: つなみ becomes "soo-nami". In Japanese, that can change the word: つき (moon) vs すき (like).

ふ is not an English f. Your top teeth do not touch your lip. Bring both lips close together and blow gently, as if you are cooling hot soup. The vowel う after it is short, with relaxed lips.

Pair / word	Reading	Romaji	Meaning
月 / 好き	つき / すき	tsuki / suki	moon / to like
次 / 過ぎ	つぎ / すぎ	tsugi / sugi	next / past (a time)
冬, ふとん	ふゆ, ふとん	fuyu, futon	winter, futon
豆腐, 二つ	とうふ, ふたつ	tōfu, futatsu	tofu, two (things)

Show transcript and translation

1. 秋の月が好きです。(あきのつきがすきです) Aki no tsuki ga suki desu. – I like the autumn moon.
2. 次の電車は、十時過ぎです。(つぎのでんしゃは、じゅうじすぎです) Tsugi no densha wa, jūji sugi desu. – The next train is a little after ten.
3. 冬は、ふとんから出たくないです。(ふゆは、ふとんからでたくないです) Fuyu wa, futon kara detakunai desu. – In winter, I don't want to get out of my futon.
4. 豆腐を二つください。(とうふをふたつください) Tōfu o futatsu kudasai. – Two blocks of tofu, please.

Drill: say "cats" and hold the "ts". Add a short vowel: "cats-u". Now drop "ca": つ. Repeat つき, すき, つき, すき. For ふ, hold a sheet of paper in front of your mouth: it should move a little, and your teeth should not touch your lip.

Mistake 8: Over-pronouncing whispered vowels

In standard Japanese, い and う often become whispered (devoiced) when they sit between voiceless consonants such as k, s, sh, t, ch, h, or at the end of a sentence after one. That is why です often sounds like "des" and すき sounds like "s'ki". How much speakers do this depends on speed and region.

English speakers make two opposite mistakes here. Some say every vowel fully ("de-SU", "su-KI"), which sounds slow and robotic. Others drop the whole mora, which breaks the rhythm. The vowel goes quiet, but the beat stays.

Word	Reading	Sounds like	Meaning
です	desu	"des"	is, am, are (polite)
学生	がくせい (gakusei)	"gak'sei"	student
地下鉄	ちかてつ (chikatetsu)	"ch'katetsu"	subway
好き	すき (suki)	"s'ki"	to like
明日	あした (ashita)	"ash'ta"	tomorrow

Show transcript and translation

1. 私は学生です。(わたしはがくせいです) Watashi wa gakusei desu. – I am a student.
2. 地下鉄で来ました。(ちかてつできました) Chikatetsu de kimashita. – I came by subway.
3. あの人は、すしが好きです。(あのひとは、すしがすきです) Ano hito wa, sushi ga suki desu. – That person likes sushi.
4. 明日から、よろしくお願いします。(あしたから、よろしくおねがいします) Ashita kara, yoroshiku onegai shimasu. – I look forward to working with you from tomorrow.

Drill: whisper the whole sentence first, then say it aloud but keep the whispered vowels in です, がくせい and すき. Keep tapping one beat per mora.

Mistake 9: Saying katakana words in English

Katakana loanwords look like English, so English speakers say them in English. But they are Japanese words with Japanese sounds and Japanese rhythm. A vowel follows every consonant except ん, and English "-er" endings usually become a long vowel.

If you say "McDonald's" in English, a Japanese listener may need a second to understand you. If you say マクドナルド in six even beats, it is instantly clear.

English	Japanese	Romaji	Mora	Watch out for
McDonald's	マクドナルド	Makudonarudo	6	a vowel after every consonant
coffee	コーヒー	kōhī	4	two long vowels
hotel	ホテル	hoteru	3	end with a light る, not "tel"
convenience store	コンビニ	konbini	4	shortened word; ん is a full beat
computer	コンピューター	konpyūtā	6	"-ter" becomes ター, a long vowel
ice cream	アイスクリーム	aisukurīmu	7	no "cr" cluster: ク・リ

Show transcript and translation

1. マクドナルドで、コーヒーを買いました。(マクドナルドで、コーヒーをかいました) Makudonarudo de, kōhī o kaimashita. – I bought a coffee at McDonald's.
2. ホテルの近くに、コンビニがあります。(ホテルのちかくに、コンビニがあります) Hoteru no chikaku ni, konbini ga arimasu. – There is a convenience store near the hotel.
3. 新しいパソコンが欲しいです。(あたらしいパソコンがほしいです) Atarashii pasokon ga hoshii desu. – I want a new computer.
4. アイスクリームを一つください。(アイスクリームをひとつください) Aisukurīmu o hitotsu kudasai. – One ice cream, please.

Drill: write the katakana, split it into mora with dots (ア・イ・ス・ク・リ・ー・ム), and tap each one. Forget the English word while you say it.

Listen and choose: a 6-question quiz

Play the clip. You will hear six sentences. For each one, choose the word you hear. Do not look at the answers until you finish.

1. 駅の前の（　）は高いですね。 A. ビル – B. ビール
2. あの（　）は有名です。 A. 坂 (さか) – B. 作家 (さっか)
3. すぐ（　）ください。 A. 来て (きて) – B. 切って (きって)
4. （　）が大きいですね。 A. 音 (おと) – B. 夫 (おっと)
5. あの人は、友だちの（　）です。 A. おばさん – B. おばあさん
6. （　）は静かですね。 A. ここ – B. 高校 (こうこう)

Show transcript and answers

1. A. 駅の前のビルは高いですね。(えきのまえのビルはたかいですね) – The building in front of the station is tall, isn't it?
2. B. あの作家は有名です。(あのさっかはゆうめいです) – That writer is famous.
3. B. すぐ切ってください。(すぐきってください) – Please cut it right away. (It could also mean "Please hang up right away.")
4. A. 音が大きいですね。(おとがおおきいですね) – The sound is loud, isn't it?
5. B. あの人は、友だちのおばあさんです。(あのひとは、ともだちのおばあさんです) – That person is my friend's grandmother.
6. A. ここは静かですね。(ここはしずかですね) – It's quiet here, isn't it?

Missed 1, 5 or 6? Work on long vowels. Missed 2, 3 or 4? Work on small っ. In both cases, count the beats: listening and speaking improve together.

A 10-minute daily pronunciation routine

Pronunciation improves through short, regular practice with feedback. You do not need an hour a day. Ten focused minutes are enough if you work on one mistake at a time.

1. Warm-up (2 min): pick your weakest mistake from this post. Play its clip and repeat each sentence once.
2. Minimal pairs (2 min): say the pairs from the table out loud, tapping the beats.
3. Shadowing (4 min): shadow a short clip of real speech. Corodomo's shadowing practice splits videos into sentences and lets you slow them down.
4. Record and check (2 min): record one sentence and compare it with the model. Fix one thing only.

Week	Focus	Mistakes from this post
1	Pure vowels and even beats	1, 2
2	Length: long vowels and っ	3, 4
3	ん, r, つ, ふ	5, 6, 7
4	Natural flow: whispered vowels and loanwords	8, 9

For feedback beyond your own ears, the pronunciation courses on Corodomo give you sentence-by-sentence practice by topic. The AI scores your pronunciation accuracy and fluency and highlights unclear words, which is useful for catching dropped beats and unclear sounds. It does not grade pitch accent, so use OJAD for that. Full AI scoring is part of the Plus plan.

For more listening and speaking material at your level, visit the Learn Japanese hub.

Related reading: Japanese Shadowing Practice for Beginners: A Step-by-Step Guide · Japanese Shadowing vs Repeating: Which Method Should You Use?

FAQ

What is the hardest part of Japanese pronunciation for English speakers?

For most English speakers, it is timing: long vowels, small っ and ん each take a full beat, and English does not use length this way. These mistakes can change the meaning of a word, so they matter more than a slightly foreign r.

Do I need to learn pitch accent as a beginner?

You do not need to master it early, but it helps to know it exists and to copy the melody when you shadow. Focus on even beats and pure vowels first. When you are ready, use OJAD or an accent checker to look up patterns.

How do you pronounce the Japanese r?

Tap the tip of your tongue once, lightly, just behind your upper front teeth. It is close to the "tt" in American "better". Do not curl your tongue like an English r, and do not press hard, or it will sound like d.

Why does です sound like "des"?

The final う in です is usually devoiced (whispered) in standard Japanese, because it comes after the voiceless s at the end of a sentence. The vowel goes quiet, but the beat is still there. Many speakers devoice less when they speak slowly or carefully.

Can an app check my Japanese pronunciation?

Yes, for some parts. Corodomo's AI scores pronunciation accuracy and fluency and highlights unclear words. Full AI scoring is in the Plus plan (from $6/month billed yearly); the Free plan has limited AI usage. For pitch accent, use OJAD and compare by ear.

Conclusion

• Keep every beat: long vowels, small っ and ん each take a full mora, and missing one can change the word.
• Keep vowels pure and short: no "uh", no "ay" or "oh-w" glides, and no English stress.
• Practise with pairs, audio and feedback: drill minimal pairs, shadow real speech, and record yourself every day.

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