Have you noticed that in words like shika ("deer" ) and hiku ("to pull" ), the "i" sound is almost inaudible?  This often happens also at the ends of the grammatical endings desu and masu, which are pronounced and , respectively. We call this devoicing "i" and "u". That means that they become almost "whispered." This happens when these vowels come between two of the voiceless consonants: p, t, k, s, or h. Also, you will notice that in Japanese, there are some sound syllable sounds that don't exist. For example: "si" doesn't exist, but is replaced by "shi". "ti" becomes "chi" and "tu  which becomes "tsu" "hu" doesn't exist, "fu" is used. However, the "fu" sound is a lot lighter than in English. (To make the sound, blow... Show more

This Japanese All About lesson will teach you five critical words and phrases you need to know to get around Japan unscathed-and without offending anyone who might be helpful to you. You'll learn how to say "please," "yes," and "thanks,"-and, just in case you do overstep your bounds, you'll also learn "I'm sorry" in Japanese. Sumimasen (すみません) "Excuse me" / "I'm sorry" / "Thanks"Sumimasen is a versatile phrase with a few different meanings depending on the situation, the closest of which is "excuse me." Doumo (どうも) "Thanks" / "Hi" Domo is a simple and easy way to say "thank you" as well as greet someone. Douzo (どうぞ) "Please go ahead" / "Please" If you're offering something to someone or would like someone to go ahead of... Show more