Sorry, I Don’t Speak Manglenese: Pronouncing Foreign Terms through Japanese Phonetics (part 11)

Ideally, slang and foreign terms should compose 10% of an average conversation, even where they heavily influence the local culture (e.g. tech stores, skate shops, ranches and so on). On top of that, the nature of these terms is very volatile, which makes them susceptible not only to falling out of use in mere days of their invention, but also weeding out those not in the know and barring them from ever becoming part of the inner circle.

     Why, then, should anyone bother to employ something so fickle and exclusionary?

     Well, for one, it strengthens the bonds between us and those we speak with, as well as encapsulate concepts that'd take paragraphs to describe (such as Salty, the sports term to describe bitterness over an unfavorable situation, typically losing at something); like wise, using foreign terms can help you when you know the word you wanna use, but don't know it in Japanese yet-which will be quite a bit in your initial experiences with the language and long after. Most importantly, there will always be terms the language doesn't have that everything you've learned will help you express. Like what, exactly?

     Names are the area they'll make an immediate impact, specifically if they don't fall in line with traditional Japanese phonetics; same goes for terms tied to certain lifestyles and ways of doing things, terms that come with their own history and weight, terms that tell the listener the speaker thinks they know enough about the culture behind it to embrace all that and use it in a conversation. The best way to discover whether you have enough of that to use terms like Grinding or Mixing is the same way you can get all you've learned-as well as stuff I might've overlooked-down pat: chattin' with folks; that single act can teach you more about slang and how to use it than anything or anyone-myself included-could ever dream of doing.

     Books are static, blogs are static, people aren't and damn sure don't talk that way. As I see it, conversation is a living ocean with its own ebb and flow, never the same way twice and always demanding the focus of those riding it, lest it swallow them whole (though you can always try again, unlike actual ocean travel). Don't think this the only sure shot method to learning it, but since auditory memory sucks when not in use, you'll wanna reinforce what it gives you by pairing it with other methods-taking cell shots of where you parked your ride, for example, decreases the chance you'll need to comb the lot just to find it again.

     It's not guaranteed to make it stick(as guarantees are as real as tasty, hearty and cheap vegan cuisine), but all you've picked up will steady that initial voyage and give you the tools to plot your language learning course, wherever the destination might end up being. Safe travels, and may this info make your journey more like sailing these oceans instead of swimming across them.

Special thanks go out to Tomo Akiyama, who's assist during the planning phase played a major role in setting this thing off proper. Without it, this would've been a research nightmare. Greatly appreciated, Akiyama-san(orz). 

Sorry, I Don’t Speak Manglenese: Pronouncing Foreign Terms through Japanese Phonetics (part 10)

If you've caught a glimpse of the ひらがな or カタカナcharts, you'll notice there's nothing for Ye or Yi, primarily because there isn't a way to render the full sound; there is, however, a way to get an approximation of each-which you'll see again for the other sounds in this section.

     Yi sounds, as normally heard, use イ to render them, the harder version heard in Yipe and Yikes using ヤイ; for Ye sounds, the common way is to use イエ, in some instances using イェ to represent the actual sound. If you wondering how often you'll be able to practically use this, so was I when I started doing research and discovered how few words in the dictionary even have these sounds or the onescoming up. At least now you have something to refer back to and thus be less confused over the next time someone lets out a cheer of “イエイ(japanese rendition of "Yay")!” in celebration.

     Now then, on to 'W' sounds, in particular the sounds that either don't exist or are likely to cause a double take,starting with the 'wo', 'we' and 'wi' sounds. 'Wo' sounds come in 3 distinct varieties: medium (like in work and wonder), High (like in Wok and Woe) and low(like in wound and wolf); medium 'wo' sounds are rendered using 「ワ」, high ones, 「ヲ」, and low ones, 「ウ」. Low ones are likely the ones you'll need to spend some time before it really sticks, so don't get to flustered if you don't get it right away, just keep at it(note: the info 'bout low 'wo' sounds also apply when it's written as 'wu').

     Similarly, 'Wi' sounds comes in two types:soft(as in winter and withdraw) and hard(as in Wipe and Wise). Soft 'Wi' sounds are made using 「ウ」mora + イ + appropriate mora, where hard 'Wi' sounds use 「ワイ」 + any appropriate mora to form it.

'We'sounds (such as those in Wet and Well), similarly, also come in two varieties: short(rendered using「ウ」mora+ エ + appropriate mora) and long (extended「ウ」mora+ イ + appropriate mora). All these together will lay a solid foundation and let you grasp for possible words and names these sounds a reconnected to, like when your friend tells the tale of ワイルド・ウエンディー・アヴ・ザ・ウインズ, the girl who lassoed anyone foolish enough to pronounce her family name, 'Whip' as hwip(note about names: in Japanese,foreign names and strings of terms are typically separated with this dot(・), produced with the key that makes this (/) when the keyboard's set to Japanese). Get all that? Alrighty then, time for the next level of 'W' sounds: those using 'Wh' somewhere within them.

     In English, those sounds can be spoken one of two ways: the way normal 'W' sounds would be and the form which gives it a unique sound, e.g. saying 'Whip' as hwip. When this sound is rendered through Japanese phonetics, folks often use the latter way and base how they say it on that, so that's where the next section will be aimed, starting with 'wha'sounds.

     'Wha' sounds-heard in whack and wham-use ホ + 「ア」mora, long 'Wha' sounds using  ホ + extended「エ」mora; should one of your Japanese-speaking friends ask you what 「ホアック・ザ・ホエーラーズ」means, this knowledge will let you understand what they're trying to convey and tell them the implications of such a statement(which, if you can interpret the intended meaning, is very potent). 'Whe' sounds-heard in whet and when-apply the general principles you've picked up with 'E' sounds, utilizing ホ +「エ」mora　for short sounds and ホ + extended「イ」mora for long ones, the same going for 'Whi' sounds and what you learned from 'I' sounds; to be more specific, 'Whi' sounds-used in which and the previously whip-use ホ +「イ」mora, while long versions of it use ホ + ア + イ.


     The only 'Wh' sound where previous knowledge won't do you much good is with 'Who' sounds-short versions using just ホ and long versions using フ(bear in mind that the sound associated with フ in either formlies somewhere between the sounds made in words like hula and fool). Now that I've topped off your knowledge of how to say foreign terms through Japanese phonetics, you may still be wondering how much use this all has in the long run, after you've built up your vocab, grammar and other related knowledge. Sit tight, 'cause in the next part, I'll show you a taste of what you do and how all this can let you make the Japanese you pick up yours and yours alone, which is really what you want out of learning to use a language, right?


Key Takeaways!

ñ  Soft 'Yi' sounds →  イ(EX:Yiddish → イヂッシュ)

ñ  Hard 'Yi' sounds →  ヤイ(EX:Yipes → ヤイプス)

ñ  'Ye' sounds → イエ (EX:      Yes → イエス)

ñ  Medium 'Wo' sounds → 「ワ」(EX: One Pattern(word used to say someone/thing does things the same way over and over again and is boring to be around) → ワンパターン)

ñ  High 'Wo' sounds → 「ヲ」(EX: Wozniak →  ヲズニアック)

ñ  Low 'Wo' sounds → 「ウ」(EX: Woozy → ウージ)

ñ  Soft 'Wi' sounds → 「ウ」mora + イ + appropriate mora

(EX:Week → ウイーク)

ñ  Hard 'Wi' sounds → 「ワイ」 +appropriate mora

(EX:Winans → ワイナンス)

ñ  'We' sounds → 「ウ」mora + エ + appropriate mora

(EX: Wedding → ウエディング)

ñ  Short ‘Wha’ sounds → ホ +「ア」mora(EX: What → ホアット)

ñ  Long ‘Wha’ sounds → ホ + extended 「エ」mora

(EX: Whale -> ホエール)

ñ  Short ‘Whe’ sounds → ホ+「エ」mora (EX: Whey -> ホエイ)

ñ  Long ‘Whe’ sounds → ホ+ extended 「イ」mora

(EX: Wheezy ->ホエージ)

ñ  Short ‘Whi’ sounds → ホ+「イ」mora (EX: Whisper -> ホイスパー)

ñ  Long ‘Whi’ sounds → ホ +「ア」mora+イ (EX: White → ホアイト)

ñ  Short ‘Who’ sounds -> ホ (EX: Whole -> ホール)

ñ  Long ‘Who’ sounds -> Extended フ (EX: Whodunit -> フーダニット)

Extra Credit!

Asbest as you can, render the words Yenta, Wolverine, Smartphone, Wheedle and Whimper into Japanese phonetics

As best as you can, render the words イエルプ,ウインナー, ウマン,ホイットル and ホッパーinto English phonetics

Sorry, I Don’t Speak Manglenese: Pronouncing Foreign Terms through Japanese Phonetics (part 9)

'X' sounds are an interesting case within Japanese, since they, like the others you'll see in these last few sections, require you to 'expand your mind' in terms of how they're sounded out(lucky for you, you've been doing just that all throughout the Manglenese installments, so this shouldn't be much of a stretch). As for how it's done, let's review how the letter 'X', itself, is rendered: エックス. Simple, right? It and another, upcoming method are the foundation for the sounds this letter creates, so keep 'em mind as we move on to the two ways to render them.

     For 'X' sounds at the end of a word, like Max and Flex, the formula is an appropriate mora + ッ + クス; when they're somewhere in the middle of a word, as in Mexico and Foxy, the normal approach is mora before the X sound + キ or ク + the appropriate mora(s); since I'm assuming you want to build up to the tricky stuff, let's start off simple with the sounds made when X ends the word.

     'Ax/Ux' sounds are rendered using 「ア」Mora + ッ + クス, 'Ex' using 「エ」Mora + ッ + クス, 'Ix' using 「イ」Mora + ッ + クス and 'Ox' using 「オ」Mora + ッ + クス. As the time you put in with germinate consonants has shown, these alone can open a world of words you can now express in Japanese, and since I'm sure you picked up a lot of how to apply this from studying that stuff, I'll take off the other kid glove and plop you into the sounds X make when they're somewhere in the middle of a word, including Xa, Xi, Xu, Xe and Xo.

     One part of what make the formula for these sounds [mora before the X sound + キ or ク + the appropriate mora(s)] so tough to use is that it allows a lot of variation, with the choice between using  キ or ク hinging on the speaker's tastes and experiences.

For the most part, キ is the go to choice, as reflected in テキサス being the common way to say Texas and メキシコ, the one for Mexico, but the fact that most folks say sexy as セクシーand Mixi-Japan's response to Facebook-as ムクシーdoesn't help those still trying to get down what the words are for Up and Down. Time and experience will help you refine how you decide which one suits the way you want to talk, and since it's mostly applied to casual matters, folks won't be as likely to jump down your throat or give you the cold shoulder if you get it wrong; just relax, let it happen naturally and everything will be made clear(maybe). 

     Another reason to take it easy? 'Cause trying to match this with the multiple languages that use these letters in their words will drive you nutty. To keep it from getting too complex, this section will focus on the sounds found in English-origin words, but you know enough to render any names or words in the accent you feel more comfy with(e.g. Xavier as said in Spanish phonetics v. the English rendition of it), so just apply what you've picked up and let your skills handle the rest.

     Moving on to the aforementioned sounds, 'Xa/Xu' sounds-such as those in Roxanne and Nexus- use any mora before Xa/Xu + キ/ク + サ + any additional mora(s) to sound the word out, 'Xi' sounds-like in Lexicon and the previously mentioned Mixi- using any mora before Xi + キ/ク + シ + any additional mora(s). Similarly, 'Xe' sounds-heard in Execution and Lexington-are rendered using any mora before Xe + キ/ク + セ + other mora(s), 'Xo' sounds-used in Roxor and Toxic-using any mora before Xo + キ/ク + ソ + other mora(s).

     If a word uses the harder versions of these, it's a simple matter of altering the formula to voice it, hard 'Xa/Xu'　sounds　（e.g. Alexandra and Luxury） swapping キ/ク + サ with ギ/グ + ザ. For hard 'Xi' sounds (e.g. Exile), you just need to swap  キ/ク + シ with ギ/グ + ジ, hard 'Xe' sounds (e.g. executive) swapping  キ/ク + セ with  ギ/グ + ゼ and hard 'Xo' sounds(e.g. exodus) swapping  キ/ク + ソ with  ギ/グ + ゾ.

     It's not likely you'll be using these or the W and Y sounds coming up after this too often, but I'm sure lots of people will tell you the same about using Japanese outside of Japan or the communities that frequently use it, like those in LA, NYC, Oregon and other places. You know what, though? So what? You have own your reason for wanting to up your ability to interact with and understand another culture, which has always been the aim of this and the rest of the articles here. As long as you enjoy what you learn and grow because of it, why should it matter whether or not something's 'useful'?

     As long as you keep the humanity of those you use the language with close to your heart, I could care less if you're learning all this so you can navigate the world of Japan's geeks, want to date a Japanese speaker or seek to order auto parts from a hook-up in Japan. I say have fun and enjoy using what you learn, because you get one shot to live life well, no need to waste it trying to make every little thing 'mean' something(whatever that means). 


Speaking of those applications, though, hang tight, in addition to the sounds I mentioned, I'll also give you a peak into how you can use all your knowledge of saying foreign terms through Japanese phonetics, including the best way to use these foreign terms in your style of speaking Japanese. Stay tuned!

Key Takeaways

ñ  Ax/Ux Sounds → 「ア」Mora + ッ + クス(EX: Max → マックス/Flux → フラックス)

ñ  Ex Sounds → 「エ」Mora + ッ + クス(EX: Rex → レックス/ Dexter → デックスター)

ñ  Ix Sounds → 「イ」Mora + ッ + クス(EX: Kix → キックス/Mix → ミックス)

ñ  Ox Sounds → 「オ」Mora + ッ + クス(EX: Vox → ヴォックス/Cox → コックス)

ñ  Xa/Xu Sounds → Appropriate Mora(s) + キ/ク + サ + Additional Appropriate Mora(s) (EX: Alexa → アレクサ/Lexus → レクサス)

ñ  Hard Xa/Xu Sounds → Appropriate Mora(s) + ギ/グ + ザ + Additional Appropriate Mora(s)

ñ  Xi Sounds → Appropriate Mora(s) + キ/ク + シ + Additional Appropriate Mora(s) (EX: Lexi → レクシ/Auxin → アクシン)

ñ  Hard Xi Sounds → Appropriate Mora(s) + ギ/グ + ジ + Additional Appropriate Mora(s)　(EX: Exile → エグザイル)

ñ  Xe Sounds → Appropriate Mora(s) + キ/ク + セ + Additional Appropriate Mora(s) (EX: Axel → アクセル/Execrate → エクセクレート)

ñ  Hard Xe Sounds → Appropriate Mora(s) + ギ/グ + ゼ + Additional Appropriate Mora(s)　(EX: Executrix → エグゼキュートリックス)

ñ  Xo Sounds → Appropriate Mora(s) + キ/ク + ソ + Additional Appropriate Mora(s) (EX: Buxom→ バクソム/Luxor → ラクソー)

ñ  Hard Xo Sounds → Appropriate Mora(s) + ギ/グ + ゾ + Additional Appropriate Mora(s)　(EX: Exotic → エグゾティック/Exorbitant → エグゾービタント)

Extra Credit!

As best as you can, render the words Klaxon, Sexcetera, Mixology, Moxie and Suxurious into Japanese phonetics

As best as you can, render the words ブラクスプロイテーション, メキサキューショナー, キックスター, ロクソー and タクシド into English phonetics

Sorry, I Don’t Speak Manglenese: Pronouncing Foreign Terms through Japanese Phonetics (part 8)

Slang, or as it's known in Japanese, 俗語《ぞくご》, is the self-pruning Bonsai present in all languages, cutting off old limbs and growing new ones to refine its form and function. One of the major tools in its development is truncation, the practice of cutting words down to fun size treats for both speaker and listener; you know, like how the names Brad and Angelina are spliced together to create Brangelina, or how air conditioner is cut down to AC, or how Lamborghini is shrunk to just Lambo (a version of this used in shrinking down English terms used in Japan, such as DV [Domestic Violence]), NG [No Good-used when something sucks] and OL [Office Lady, the cultural equivalent of the secretary in other countries].  

      It's usage in Japanese is just as commonplace and just as frequently employed when creating pet names for someone, be they for people, places or things. With words, it can be as simple as taking the 1^st couple Mora of a word to make it, the same way Location was cut from the original way to say in Japanese (ロケーション) down to just ロケ-which in arcade gaming circles, can also refer to a location test, where games are brought for folks to play with and root out any trouble spots the developers might need to squash before release.

     With people, the process of making a pet name can be as simple as taking the 1^st mora of their name and adding a っ + ちゃん(less forceful)/くん (asserts the speaker is a bit higher on the social ladder than the listener), like talking to someone called Takashi and using this to call them たっくん (more on what these suffixes imply later. For now, just know they're more familiar forms of address).   What fuels their creation is how the creator perceives the person getting the moniker and implies not only that they feel more at ease around them, but also whatever feelings are built up around them as they see them being, which also applies to the next process you're about to learn.

     The next process can do the verbal equivalent of taking a lump of coal and squeezing it down to a tiny, sparkly diamond. Take, for example, the name of the Weezer-like band, Asian Kung Fu Generation. Through Japanese phonetics it's sounded out as アジアン・カンフ・ジェネレーション, which can be a bit much to remember on the fly, so to make it easier to whip out, the 1^st couple mora from the 1^st couple words-in this case アジ and カン-are taken and fused together. Now, the next time the band comes up, the linguistic slider of a pet name they made with this process can be used to refer to Asian Kung Fu Generation, now known as アジカン, with maximum efficiency. It may seem dumb now, but the shorter the name of something is, the more our mental muscles can hold on to it and shift through the clutter to find when we do want to talk about it.

     Other ways to use this include creating new criminal slang, known as 隠語《いんご》 in Japanese, and euphemisms, or for those needing a refresher, softening a word's impact by using less potent ones-i.e. saying someone passed on instead of just saying they died. With it, you can shrink the word Sexual Harassment down from セクシャルハラスメントto セクハラ　and Delivery Health (the 隠語 term for what folks in America know as Call Girls) down from デリベリヘルス to デリヘル, perfect for when you're in a rush and need to get to sensitivity training/pay the nice person.

     Variations of the formula are used to achieve the same end, like the one that compounded 僕《ぼく》は友達《ともだち》が少《すく》ない[I Don't Have That Many Friends] into はがない(Haganai), but don't worry about know them too much, you'll discover them the more you immerse yourself into the society that uses the language and start digging into the neat stuff around it.

     Speaking of those variations, though, one inverts the process and makes a new term from a word's last few Mora, thus changing Platform from プラットホーム to simply ホーム. Not as widely used as the ones you learned before, but still very nifty to know, like the next method you're about to learn-which was actually used to make the word Karaoke.

     This method, primarily used to capture a whole statement in one word, combines the 1^st few mora of a word in the statement with either a 1 漢字《かんじ》 word or the 1^st 漢字 of a word. If it sounds complex, that's 'cause it is, as a method made to capture highly detailed concepts probably would be. How detailed?

     How about singing in front of an empty orchestra?

     One of the most likely origin stories for the word Karaoke is that the creator wanted a name to convey the consumer would have a full instrumentation backing them up while they hung out and sang their hearts, even if it's just them, a mic and the machine. Eventually, he came upon the words “空《から》オーケストラ”, to which he applied the aforementioned process and created 空オケ/ カラオケ, which has now become synonymous with off key good times all over the world, but isn't the end of how flexible is in capturing a concept.

     The process can also be inverted-putting the 1^st few mora in front of a 1 漢字 word or the 1^st 漢字 of a word-to do the same thing, according to a statement and personal flair, like in the word スポ根《こん》. This particular term is meant to encapsulate an athlete's grit in the heat of competition, known in Japan as スポツマンの根性《こんじょうら》 , and uses the modified process I mentioned to create it. The better you get with the language, the more you can use these processes to create your own terms, including one coming up that relies on Romaji to craft it's terms.

     This needs a fairly tight grip on the language to use well, but if you know how to abbreviate words, you already have a good idea on how this works. This method uses the Romaji version of a statement + any numbers involved, taking the 1^st letter from 1^st 2 words of a statement, pairing it with the 1st numbers in the statement, if any, and creates a brand new word.

     The term most strongly associated with this method is KY《ケイ・ワイ》, which was made by applying it to the phrase Kuuki o Yomanai[Can't Read the Air-or more specifically the social context]. So strongly associated, is this term, that all terms created using this method are known as KY語《ご》, with enough being created and used in everyday chats to justify an entire book explaining them being published.

     One of the justifications for this has to be the length of phrase it can capture, which is seemingly limitless, if the term MK5 is of any indication. In the realm of KY語, this refers not to automatic, but to someone having a super short fuse, as the phrase the term was created from is “Maji de kireru, 5[go]-byou-mae[In about 5 seconds I'll totes flip OUT]”

     If you practice up and get all these methods down, you'll be able to both ID slang and add to the bonsai with your own creations, which you can then use among your buddies to foster stronger bonds and, should the unseen hand guiding its development favor you, bring to the masses for them to enjoy and incorporate into their vocabulary (If you're looking to work on your KY語, give this a peep). Before I turn you completely loose, though, I've got a few last things to tell you about 'x,' 'y' and 'w' sounds, as well as a taste of how all this can be applied to your Japanese development(it really is quite bountiful, as you'll soon see).

Key Takeaways

ñ  New words can be made  with the 1^st couple mora of a word

(EX: Sandwich →「サンド」イチ　→　サンド/Basketball →　「バスケ」ットボール　→　バスケ)

ñ  New pet names can be made with the 1^st mora of someone's name + っ + ちゃん /くん (EX: なつみ → な っちゃん/正行《まさゆき》→ まっくん)

ñ  New words can be made by combining the 1^st couple mora from the 1^st couple words (EX: Print Club →　「プリ」ント「クラ」ブ　→　プリクラ/Personal Computer →「パーソ」ナル「コン」ピューター　→　パソコン )

ñ  New words can be made with the last couple mora of a word

(EX: McDonald’s -> マク「ドナルド」→ ドナルド/ Corvette → コル「ベット」→ ベット)

ñ  New words can be made by  combining the 1st few mora of a word in the statement with either a 1 漢字 word or the 1st 漢字 of a word

(EX: 「朝」に髪《かみ》を「シャン」プーする → 朝シャンする[To shampoo your hair in the morning]/ 「サラ」リーマン・ライフを「脱」退《だったい》する → 脱《だつ》サラする(to ditch the daily grind)/ 「ニコ」ニコ動画(どうが) 「中」毒《ちゅうどく》→「ニコ中《ちゅう》 [a Niconico addict/troll]

ñ  New words can be made with the 1^st letter from the Romaji version of a phrase (EX: Chotto Ima Anne → CIA「シイー・アイ・エイー」/ Ichimon Nashi → IN「アイ・エン」/ Itsumo Osoi, 10(jup)pon Gurai → IO10「アイ・オー・じゅう」

Extra Credit!

Make a pet name out of your’s(or someone else’s!) name

Using the 1^st couple Mora of the upcoming words, make shortened versions of them: Spaghetti, Delicious and Bourgeois

Using the 1^st Couple Mora from the 1^st couple words, make a compact version of these names: Cross Training, Brad and Takako & Abington Boy’s School

Using the last couple Mora of the upcoming words, make shortened versions of them: Flannel, Internet and Ocarina

Using the 1st few mora of a word in the statement with either a 1 漢字 word or the 1st 漢字 of a word, make a compact version of this phrase: 夜《よる》 にドリフトに行(い)く
Using the 1^st letters of the words in these phrases, make a compact version of them: Light Novel, Ushinatta Generation & Kagai Mousou

Sorry, I Don’t Speak Manglenese: Pronouncing Foreign Terms through Japanese Phonetics (part 7)

As every language has sounds unique to it, so goes for how they're transcribed. For first time learners, this process of putting sounds to paper is crucial, since what they see on the page is is what they'll connect to those sounds. The words you're reading right now, for example, all have their sounds associated with them, and that connection allows people to grasp 'em, speak 'em and use 'em how they you see fit.

     What does that mean for saying foreign terms through Japanese phonetics?

     Well, let's say someone heard the word 先生(せんせい) for the first time while talking to their friend fresh out of Karate class. With nothing in front of them to refer to, they start rooting around their memory banks for any combination of letters to produce sounds close to 先生. This can create 'Sensey,' 'Sensee,' 'Sensai,' 'Cencei'  or anything else that can fit the word's sound, and any one of the combinations can be the 'right' one if someone with enough authority and conviction in their answer says it is.

     This authority is why, long after Catholic missionaries in Japan 1st used Roman letters to write out Japanese sounds-a method otherwise known as Romaji-multiple systems of it are still alive and kicking. Among them, the ones familiar to folks in and of Japan are the Hepburn System (the defacto one for modern students) and the Kunrei Shiki system (gov't made one used in Japanese schools and by older generation students).

     The Kunrei Shiki System, in particular, can cause rough spots for those not used to it, since the Romaji it  uses for ツ, シ, ジ, チ and others are tied to sounds in other languages, ツ using Tu, シ using Si, ジ using Zi and チ using Ti. Does that mean those sounds can't be made in Japanese?

     Not where Tu, Ti and Di (along with a few others) are concerned. 'Tu' Sounds-like those in Tune & tool can be rendered one of two ways: 「ツ」 or 「テゥ」. 「ツ」-said the way you first learned it-is the common way Japanese-speaking folks say it, while 「テゥ」-said like the actual 'Tu' sound-is used when you want to get closer to its natural sound.

     'Ti' sounds-as in those heard in Ticket and T-shirt-are much the same way, with 「チ」-said like you already know how to-being the common way and 「ティ」-said like the actual sound-being closer to the original version. With this and the other stuff you have-and will!-pick up, you'll be able to start putting the pieces together, like when your chats turn towards stuff like Baseball and you suddenly hear the word  チーム in discussing the Giants and the Tigers.

     In contrast, 'Di' sounds-like in Dig and Dimple-need just one way to render them: 「ディ」(which is said how you've always used 'Di' sounds);'Zi' sounds-used in Zip and Zim-are much the same, except they use  ヅ, which is said the same way you learned at the outset. For 'Du' sounds-as heard in Duke and Doom-, you'll need to make your thinking a bit flexible, since they use two entirely different sounds, namely 「ヅ」and「デゥ」.  For those needing a refresher,「ヅ」is said the same way as「ズ」、and is the preferred way to render 'Du' sounds, 「デゥ」being said the same as the 'Du' sounds you're been using all these years and best used when you want to get it across in a chat.

     When to comes to typing 'em out, the computer knows that whether you type it as Chi or Ti, you probably want「チ」, and thus gives it to you on screen. However, if you want something like this (テゥ), you'll want to type in this order: Te(to produceテ), x, then your chosen vowel, applying a similar process get something like this(デゥ)-except you'd type de instead of te, naturally.

     I can certainly understand if all this feels like playing guitar with your feet-I still sometimes confuse the the 1^st part of Tunagaru with Tuna, myself-, but learning these quirks and systems will let you see the language in ways few students ever do, including how abbreviation of foreign terms work (coming soon!). Just remember, different systems don't always mean different sounds.

Key Takeaways

ñ  There are 2 systems of Romaji: Hepburn and Kunrei Shiki

ñ  'Si'  sounds are rendered using「シ」

(EX: Sims → シムズ /Sick → シック)

ñ  'Zi'  sounds are rendered using「ジ」

(EX: Zipper → ジッパー/Zit → ジット)

ñ  'Tu' sounds are rendered using 「ツ」 or 「テゥ」

(EX: Tour → ツア /Two → テゥ)

ñ  'Ti'  sounds are rendered using「チ」 or 「ティ」

(EX: Ticket →　チケット /Tingle → ティングル)

ñ  'Di'  sounds are rendered using「ディ」

(EX: Dill → ディール/Dip → ディップ)

ñ  'Du'  sounds are rendered using「ヅ」 or 「デゥ」

(EX: Dooby → ヅビ/ Dufus → デゥファス)

Extra Credit!

As best as you can, render the words Tune, Dupe, Dizzy and City into Japanese phonetics

As best as you can, render the words チップ, シンプル and ジルチ into English phonetics 

Sorry, I Don’t Speak Manglenese: Pronouncing Foreign Terms through Japanese Phonetics (part 6)

Germinate Consonants, in English, are the sounds made by T, D, K and others when follow a vowel-like in the words rat, bid and lock-and are one of the milestones of fluency for students of the language. To understand how integral they are, lets examine the English way a gerund-the part of a verb pointing out somethings still going on-is used. '-ing'+ words using similar sounds are something many English speakers use as naturally as walking, yet when it's first taught, the process is like teaching a hamster to say row: long, hard and full of headaches. You sound it out and sound it and sound it out until in one brilliant flash, everything you've learned snaps in place and you start to get how to produce that tiny little pause in speech and fill in a major gap in the road to being a better language speaker (in case you're wondering, 'ing' sounds are rendered in Japanese using either（「イ」mora+ン+グ) or （「イ」mora+ン). Similar sounds, such as 'ang' and 'eng', switch 「イ」mora out for something close to the word's sound).

     There are a massive variety of 'em, so to grease the wheels up a bit, let's review a formula you learned a while back, this one for short 'oo' sounds(as heard in book and soot): 'OO' sounds → 「ウ」Mora+　ッ　+ an appropriate mora. This verbal recipe also applies to words with 'A' and 'U' sounds, but with one crucial tweak of switching 「ウ」Mora with 「ア」 mora; be sure to keep this in mind, because you'll be seeing the formula a lot as we learn how to use the appropriate mora for each sound.

     For example, the structure for 'at/ut' sounds, as heard in bat and nut, is 「ア」Mora+　ッ　+ ト. Presumably you've made yourself aware enough to tell when which is which-such as hearing マット in a chat about amateur wrestling-, so I'll refrain from bashing you over the head with it and move on to the other germinates, starting with  'ad/ud' sounds.

     'ad/ud' sounds-as heard in dad and crud-use the structure「ア」Mora+　ッ　+ ド, 'atch/utch' consonants-such as those in patch and clutch-using 「ア」Mora+　ッ　+ チ and 'ack/uck' germinates needing「ア」Mora+　ッ　+ ク to sound it out. I'm sure you'll enjoy using it to say words like black, slack, suck, and words considered 'uncouth' by some with your Japanese-speaking pals (if you happen to walk on that side of the road, that is).

     Likewise, 'ag/ug' consonants-like those in rag and bug-are rendered with 「ア」Mora+　ッ　+ グ, with 'adge/udge' sounds-popping up in words like badge and judge-putting the structure 「ア」Mora+　ッ　+ ジ to work and 'af/uf' germinates-heard in laugh and puff-doing the same with the structure 「ア」Mora+　ッ　+ フ. Laughing and puffing can be easily linked together, if you allow your mind, body and soul to work on their own to reach their own conclusions, and building your range of sounds is sure to give it more tools to work with.

     Among those tools are 'ap/up' germinates-used by tap and pup-, which employ the structure 「ア」Mora+　ッ　+ プ, 'ab/ub' sounds-including the sounds in grab and dub-rendered using the structure  「ア」Mora+　ッ　+ ブ. In some instances, the pause used in all these structures is dropped when sounding out a word, whether it's to match the most common way to say it or for personal style(except when l, m or n follow the Germinate Consonant, as you learned in a previous lesson). As long as you keep all you learn in mind, you'll easily be able to both sound words out and analyze unfamiliar ones, like, say, ラグ, for a possible match in your memory banks.

     Other types of germinate consonants apple these principles, but with one change to the formula, which depends on which you're looking at. Germinate consonants with an 'I' sound-like in flip, lid and kick-the formula is 「イ」Mora+　ッ　+ an appropriate mora, keeping in mind all the little stuff you've learned about 'I' sounds and others so far, of course.

     'E' sounds-including those in red, neck and pet, change it to 「エ」Mora+　ッ　+ an appropriate mora, 'O' sounds-such as those in  hot, rock and iPod-,switching it to 「オ」Mora+　ッ　+ an appropriate mora. As you get more accustomed to how all this works, keep this in mind: the way a word is said isn't the only factor in how it's rendered-case in point, studio being commonly said as スタジオ. Those other factors and the seeming oddities they produce will soon be examined, so keep those eyes open.

Key Takeaways

ñ  Germinate consonants(vowels+T/D/K/G/F/P/B) are rendered with this basic formula:  「ア/イ/エ/オ」Mora+　ッ　+ an appropriate mora

ñ  'ing' sounds are rendered using either「イ」mora+ン+グ or 「イ」mora+ン (EX: King → キング/Ring → リング/Bing → ビング)

ñ  'at/ut' germinate consonants use this structure: 「ア」Mora+　ッ　+  ト (EX: Matt → マット/Flat → フラット/Rut → ラット/Hut → ハット)

ñ  'ad/ud' germinate consonants use this structure: 「ア」Mora+　ッ　+  ド (EX: iPad → アイパッド/Bad → バッド/Dud → ダッド/Cuddle → カッドル)

ñ  'ack/uck' germinate consonants use this structure: 「ア」Mora+　ッ　+  ク (EX: Flak → フラック/Mac → マック/Luck → ラック/Buck → バック)

ñ  'ag/ug' germinate consonants use this structure: 「ア」Mora+　ッ　+  グ (EX: Bag → バッグ/Frag → フラッグ/Mug → マッグ/Lug-nut → ラッグナット)

ñ  'adge/udge' germinate consonants use this structure: 「ア」Mora+　ッ　+  ジ (EX: Cadge →カッジ/Grudge → グラッジ/Madge → マッジ/Fudge → ファッキ)

ñ  'af/uf' germinate consonants use this structure: 「ア」Mora+　ッ　+  フ (EX: Raffle → ラッフル/Staff → スタッフ/Buff → バッフ/Duff → ダッフ)

ñ  'ap/up' germinate consonants use this structure: 「ア」Mora+　ッ　+  プ (EX: Lap → ラップ/Map → マップ/Up → アップ/Rupp → ラップ)

ñ   'ab/ub' germinate consonants use this structure: 「ア」Mora+　ッ　+  ブ (EX: Slab → スラッブ/Dab → ダッブ/Rub → ラッブ/Sub → サッブ)

ñ  Germinate consonants w/ 'I' sounds generally use this structure:「イ」Mora+　ッ　+ an appropriate mora (EX: Clip → クリップ/Mitch → ミッチ/Rig → リッグ)

ñ  Germinate consonants w/ 'E' sounds generally use this structure:「エ」Mora+　ッ　+ an appropriate mora (EX: Peg → ペッグ/Blend → ブレンド/Def → デッフ)

ñ  Germinate consonants w/ 'Ｏ' sounds generally use this structure:「オ」Mora+　ッ　+ an appropriate mora (EX: Mop→ モップ/Notch → ノッチ/Dock → ドック)

ñ  In some cases the will be rendered without the ッ

(EX: Rugby → ラグビ/Time Lag (term for the amount of time a signal is delayed) → タイムラグ)

Extra Credit!

As best as you can, render the words Hack, Pitch, Blog, Cup and Jet into Japanese phonetics

As best as you can, render the words クリック, ネッグ, マッチand パッと into English phonetics