Ok now you hve had time to learn those phrases from earlier here is some background information for you.
The Japanese alphabet is simple. It is based on 5 vowel sounds (and the diphthongs made my combining the sounds) and everything is spelled syllabically.
Their 5 vowel sounds are "a, i, u, e, o". (Pronounced "ah, ee, ooh, eh, oh"). Then, consonants can be placed before the vowels. The consonants are "k, s (sh), t (ch), n, h, m, y, r, w, g, z (j), d (j), p, and b." Some combinations can also be made with "k" and "ya" to make "kya" and "r" and "ya" to make "rya"…etc. ^-^;;
Well, ANYWAY, the consonants are pretty straightforward as far as pronunciation goes (though "r" is sort of a mix between "l", "r", and "d"… it even varies from speaker to speaker…
). And, naturally, all of these sounds are slightly different from the sounds we make in English, but I’d need sound files to explain that ^^;;;;;,
So BASICALLY, to make yourself understood when pronouncing stuff you read from a dictionary or from my phrases, remember the vowel sounds mentioned above, along with these diphthongs and long vowels:
"ai" - as in "die"
"ei" - as in "day"
"oi" - as in "toy"
And as for the long vowels; the only confusing one is "oo". In many romaji-style dictionaries, you’ll find the word "benkyoo" for "study". If this word were spelled with the Japanese syllables, however, it would use "be-n-ki-(small yo)-u". The "ki" and the "small ‘yo’" combine to make "kyo", and the "u" after the "o" sound means you hold the "o" out a beat longer than just plain "benkyo". Sometimes you’ll also see a horizontal line over the "o"… All the other vowels can also be long (not just "o"); just if you see "benkyoo", don’t pronounce it "benkyue" as in rhyming with "shoe" ^_^;
Double consonants (like in "hara hetta") are spoken with an emphasis. Plain old "Heta" would be pronounced simply "he-ta". With "Hetta", however, you pause a little between the "he" and the "ta" and sort of spit out the "t" a little stronger. When singing a double consonant, you hold out the preceding consonant-vowel syllable for one extra count. In this case, "Hetta" would be pronounced "he-e-ta" ^_^; Just try not to mix up your singing and speaking accents…
Hope that helps you all a little.
