Practice the sounds: ち, つ vs ぢ, づ
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| This is ち (chi), this is ぢ (ji), this is つ (tsu), and this is づ (zu). |
| 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 pair is |
| ち (chi) and ぢ (ji) |
| The second pair is |
| つ (tsu) and づ (zu) |
| The key difference between ち and ぢ lies in their voicing: |
| ち is voiceless, meaning your vocal cords do not vibrate while producing this sound. |
| ぢ is voiced, so your vocal cords vibrate while producing this sound. |
| ち is similar to the ch sound in "cheese" but with less rounded lips. |
| Try to intentionally spread your lips when pronouncing the CH sound in cheese, and you can get pretty close to Japanese ち. |
| ち |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ち (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ち |
| ぢ is similar to the J sound in "jeep." |
| Try to intentionally spread your lips when pronouncing the JEE sound in "jeep," and you can get pretty close to Japanese ぢ. |
| ぢ |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ぢ (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ぢ |
| In the following examples, we'll use じ to create minimal pairs for your practice, as they're interchangeable in pronunciation but can have distinct meanings. |
| The key difference between つ (tsu) and づ (zu) also lies in their voicing: |
| つ is voiceless, meaning your vocal cords do not vibrate while making this sound. |
| づ is voiced, so your vocal cords vibrate while making this sound. |
| つ is similar to ts in "cats." |
| Start with ts in "cats," and move the tip of the tongue close to the front of the teeth if possible. |
| つ |
| [3 sec pause] |
| つ (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| つ |
| The づ sound is similar to the ds sound at the end of "heads." |
| づ |
| [3 sec pause] |
| づ (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| づ |
| Listen and repeat or speak along with me. |
| Ready? |
| ちか/じか |
| (space for repetition) |
| ちか/じか |
| "underground"/"directly" |
| ちゅう/じゅう |
| (space for repetition) |
| ちゅう/じゅう |
| "medium"/"gun" |
| Let's review. Respond to the prompts by speaking aloud. Then, repeat after me, focusing on pronunciation. |
| Do you remember the sound that is voiced? |
| (3) |
| (2) |
| (1) |
| ぢ づ |
| (1) |
| ぢ づ |
| And the voiceless sounds? |
| (3) |
| (2) |
| (1) |
| ち つ |
| (1) |
| ち つ |
| Let's practice. |
| Compare the sounds of these minimal pairs. |
| ち/じ |
| (1) |
| ち/じ |
| ち means "blood," and じ means "character" or "letter." |
| Let's try another. |
| (3 sec pause) |
| ちか/じか |
| (1) |
| ちか/じか |
| (1) |
| Now, listen to the following sentences. Which word is voiced and which is voiceless? |
| (1 sec pause) |
| 地下のカフェでじかに作家の話を聞きました。 |
| (Chika no kafe de jika ni sakka no hanashi o kikimashita.) |
| "I heard the author speak directly at an underground cafe." |
| (3 sec pause) |
| ちか/じか |
| By the way, if you watched til the end |
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