The Vowels あ-い-う-え-お
Japanese has 5 vowel sounds [a-i-u-e-o] which have a fairly straight forward pronunciation. In this section we will review each of the 5 vowels.
You should take the time to look at each character, listen to the accompanying audio and try writing them out while sounding out their pronunciation. We've also included some notes to help you remember each character. It often helps to attempt to find a "pattern" or "image" in the characters.
あ
a
あ is pronounced 'a' as in 'apple' or 'can'.
い
i
い is pronounced 'ee' as in 'week'.
う
u
う is pronounced 'oo' and sounds similar to 'ooh' or the end of the word 'you.
え
e
え is pronounced 'e', similar to 'egg' or 'end'.
お
o
お is pronounced 'oh', as in 'orange'.