Learn to pronounce the plosive consonants, k vs g
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| This is かきくけこ. |
| And this is がぎぐげご. |
| By the end of this lesson, you'll be able to tell them apart, PLUS you'll be practicing them and on your way to perfect pronunciation! |
| I'm Risa, and this is Japanese Pronunciation Through Minimal Pairs. |
| The first group is |
| か (ka), き (ki), く (ku), け (ke), こ (ko) |
| The second group is |
| が (ga), ぎ (gi), ぐ (gu), げ (ge), ご (go) |
| K and g are called "plosives" or "stop consonants" because they are pronounced by completely blocking the airflow and then releasing it. |
| Can you recognize the k sound in き is a little different from the k sound in か、く、け、こ？ |
| When pronouncing か、く、け、こ, raise the tongue to the back of the mouth, block the flow of the breath completely with the tongue, then release the sound. Try it! |
| か (ka), く (ku), け (ke), こ (ko) |
| For き, raise the tongue to the roof of your mouth, release the k sound, and make a sharp い sound. |
| き (ki) |
| か (ka), き (ki), く (ku), け (ke), こ (ko) |
| (3 seconds pause) |
| か (ka), き (ki), く (ku), け (ke), こ (ko) |
| か (ka), き (ki), く (ku), け (ke), こ (ko) |
| (3 seconds pause) |
| か (ka), き (ki), く (ku), け (ke), こ (ko) |
| The key difference between the two groups is voicing. |
| In the first group, the k sound in か (ka), き (ki), く (ku), け (ke), こ (ko) is unvoiced and aspirated. It's similar to the k in the English word "kiss," but with less breath. |
| In the second group, the g sound in が (ga), ぎ (gi), ぐ (gu), げ (ge), ご (go) is voiced. This means that when you pronounce these sounds, your vocal cords vibrate. |
| が (ga), ぎ (gi), ぐ (gu), げ (ge), ご (go) |
| (3 seconds pause) |
| が (ga), ぎ (gi), ぐ (gu), げ (ge), ご (go) |
| が (ga), ぎ (gi), ぐ (gu), げ (ge), ご (go) |
| (3 seconds pause) |
| が (ga), ぎ (gi), ぐ (gu), げ (ge), ご (go) |
| So, Listen to the difference and repeat after me. |
| か が |
| [1 sec pause] |
| き ぎ |
| [1 sec pause] |
| く ぐ |
| [1 sec pause] |
| け げ |
| [1 sec pause] |
| こ ご |
| か が |
| [1 sec pause] |
| き ぎ |
| [1 sec pause] |
| く ぐ |
| [1 sec pause] |
| け げ |
| [1 sec pause] |
| こ ご |
| Try to focus on whether your vocal folds vibrate or not when you pronounce these sounds. |
| Listen and repeat or speak along with me. |
| Ready? |
| かん/がん |
| (space for repetition) |
| かん/がん |
| こむ/ゴム |
| (space for repetition) |
| こむ/ゴム |
| けんり/げんり |
| (space for repetition) |
| けんり/げんり |
| Let's review. Respond to the prompts by speaking aloud. Then, repeat after me, focusing on pronunciation. |
| Do you remember the group of sounds that are voiced? |
| (3) |
| (2) |
| (1) |
| が ぎ ぐ げ ご |
| (1) |
| が ぎ ぐ げ ご |
| And the voiceless sounds? |
| (3) |
| (2) |
| (1) |
| か き く け こ |
| (1) |
| か き く け こ |
| Let's practice. |
| Compare the sounds in these two words. Which word has the voiced sound, and which word has the voiceless sound? |
| かむ/ガム |
| (1) |
| かむ/ガム |
| (1) |
| ガム has the voiced sound, and かむ has the voiceless sound. |
| Let's try another. |
| (3 sec pause) |
| くみ/グミ |
| (1) |
| くみ/グミ |
| (1) |
| グミ has the voiced sound, and くみ has the voiceless sound. |
| Now, listen to the following sentences. Which is voiced, and which is voiceless? |
| (1 sec pause) |
| クラスで組を作って、グミを食べました。 |
| (Kurasu de kumi o tsukutte, gumi o tabemashita.) |
| 組/グミ |
| (3 sec pause) |
| 金は高くて、銀は少し安いです。 |
| (Kin wa takakute, gin wa sukoshi yasui desu.) |
| (3 sec pause) |
| 金/銀 |
| (3 sec pause) |
| By the way, if you watched til the end |
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