Step by Step Japanese translation lesson

Gyara de kotowararete shimatta n desu

Gyara - guarantee
de - at (occurrence at, where the action takes place - particle)
kotowaru - to reject, refuse, decline, dismiss

Now we take the verb of the sentence kotowaru and say that this verb was done unto me with the verb kotowaru in Base I + reru so that adding the polite desu to a compounded grammar of
base I + reru + shimau
kotowarareru or the in base TE to form the extension to the completely verb grammar of shimau in past tense or shimatta so that we have

kotowararete + shimatta + no desu.

In the past tense, the Japanes verb shimau becomes shimatta using the TA form
Shimmatta n' desu is an abbreviation of shimmatta no desu which makes it an emphatic. " ...has been completely done unto me"

Here are my translations:

1. Due to the guarantee, I have been (utterly) completely refused

2. I was denied by the guarantee.

It has been completely determined by the guarantee for me. Which sorta sucks.

The "sorta suck" part, is in the "shimatta n desu" part because it leaves a negative impression that it wasn't a good thing and that it was utterly done to me (bad thing)

The grammar pattern that we can extract for future use is for this phrase,"
I have been completely verbed upon

http://saketalkie.blogspot.com
http://spanishjapanese.blogspot.com
http://japanetics.blogspot.com
http://squidoo.com/howtosayinjapanese

Japanese adjectives

Japanese Adjectives –
Grammar construction for It seems like adjective What is known as descriptive noun gives some detail as to the noun in question.
D.N. + SO^ DESU = seems like adjective

Kawaiso^ ni = pitifully, shamefully.

Shiawase so^ na = happily, seemingly happy

Seems to have this form adjective + So^ na
Isogashiiso^ na furi o shite
忙しいそうな振りをして...– faking like he is busy

Kawai可愛いis the d.n. for cute. Intesified with the so marker and it becomes a different word.

A different kind of question mark, TO^ in Hakataben

The following pertains to the Japanese as spoken in the Hakata dialect of Fukuoka, Japan.

TO^ or tou is used as the ? or question mark sometimes in Japanese. Observe the way TO^ is used in the following sentences,

"DOKO NI IKIYORU TO^?" どこに往きよるとう - "Where are you going?(Where do you think you're going?)

also heard "DOKO NI IKIYO^ TO^" どこに往きようとう - same meaning, but in this example the verb iku is in Base II then adds + yoru to^

Doko kara kiyo^ to^?
どこから来ようとう - "Where does he come from?" or "Where do you come from?".

another variety of this construction that will mask the true traditional Japanese language, but there is a way to make these type of constructions polite. I've heard it covered up this way -

DOKO KARA KIYO^ TO^ DESU KA?
どこから来ようとうですか? - Where do you come from.

This way of phrasing the question, " Where do you come from?", appears and sounds polite so that it passes for polite Japanese. This is definitely not a good way to speak polite Japanese. The best way to speak it politely is to use honorific forms of the verb. Yes I know it is cumbersome to not only remember the rules for honorific verb forms but it is quite something also to pronounce them well. Especially for verbs with au ending such as arawareru. That there will be a tongue tie if ever there was one, for a gaijin that is.

Conclusion: Add DESU KA to anything makes to make your Japanese language more polite. Or at least it will sound that way.

This is not a short "TO". This is a TO with a "^" attached so it is long "o". Granted this is probably not at all a polite way to speak in Japanese, but is very congenial speech.

honorific adjectives in Japanese grammar

ai adjectives in Japanese become long o in honorifics

examples

hayai becomes hayo^ gozaimasu or hayou gozaimasu thus when someone says o-hayou gozaimasu we are really saying it is honorifically fast or good-morning

abunai - goes to abuno^ gozaimasu

mijikai - goes to mijiko^ gozaimasu

semai - goes to semo^ gozaimasu

chisai - goes to chiso^ gozaimasu -

Japanese grammar plug and play for after verbing

Japanese Grammar Plug and Play - Three Ways of Saying,"After Verb-ing" in Japanese.

There are three ways to form sentences that you can use when you want to say, "after verb-ing" in Japanese.

Here are the constructs:

I. Verb (base TE) + KARA
II. Verb (base TA) + ATO DE
III. Verb (base TA) + NOCHI NI

By themselves KARA, ATO DE, NOCHI NI all mean, after. All are similar to each other and are the equivalent for expressions relating to the English terms following or later, thereafter etc.

The first way to say that you will do something after doing something else in Japanese, is by using the kara bunpo (grammar):

I. Verb (Base TE ) + KARA = after verb-ing

Take verbs and put them into base TE-て.

Verbs ending in KU くbecome ITE いて.

Verbs ending in GU ぐbecome IDE いで.

Verbs ending in Uう, TSUつ, or RUる become TTEって

Verbs ending in BUぶ, MUむ, or NUぬ become NDEんで.

The verb suruするor verbs ending in SUす become SHITE して

After putting verbs into base TE, add + KARA (after) to complete the construction

1. HANASU 話す(v. to speak)
In Base TE-て the Japanese verb HANASU話す = HANASHITE話して
HANASHITE + KARA 話してから = after speaking , or after talking

CHOTTO HANASHITE KARA IKIMASHO^
ちょっと話してから往きましょう
Let's go after we talk a little.

2. YOMU読む (v. to read) -
In Base TE-て the Japanese verb YOMU読むbecomes - YONDE読んで
YONDE KARA 読んでから= after reading

HON O YONDE KARA NERU TO OMOIMASU.
本を読んでから寝ると思います
I think I'll sleep after reading a book.

3. TABERU 食べる (v. to eat)
TABERU 食べるin Base TE-て becomes – TABETE 食べて
TABETE KARA食べてから= after eating

TABETE KARA SHUKUDAI O SURU.
食べてから宿題をする
After I eat, I'm going to do homework.

4. UNDO^ SURU 運動する(v. to exercise)
SURU するin Base TE-て becomes - SHITEして
SHITE KARA してから= after exercising

UNDO^ SHITE KARA SHAWA WO ABIRU.
運動をしてからシャーワーを浴びる
I’ll take a shower after doing my exercise.

II. Verb (base TA) + ATO DE - after verb'ing

The second way to say "after verb-ing" in Japanese is by using the following construct.

Verb (base TA) + ATO DE - after verb'ing

Take verbs and put them into base TA. (Base TA is the past tense form of Japanese verbs.)

1. NOMU飲む (v. to drink)
For verbs ending in BU (ぶ), MU (む) or NU (ぬ),
The TA た form = NDA んだ
NOMU 飲む in base TA -た is NONDA 飲んだ (past tense of drink or drank)
NONDA ATO DE飲んだ後で = after drinking

SAKE O NONDA ATO DE NEMUKUNATTA
酒を飲んだ後で眠くなった
I got sleepy after drinking sake.

III. verb ( base TA) + NOCHI NI - after verb'ing
The third way of saying "after verb-ing" in Japanese, is to substitute the word+particle NOCHI NI のちに or 後に, , for ATO DE あとでor 後で. ATO 後 and NOCHI 後 actually use the same kanji as you can see. This being the case you can use them interchangeably and the meanings will stay the same. As a general rule, you can use NOCHI with NI (different particle) any time you would use ATO DE.

NOCHI NI and ATO DE are interchangeable thus: NOCHI NI = ATO DE

Verb (base TA) + NOCHI NI - after verb'ing

1. SAKE O NONDA NOCHI NI IE NI KAETTA
酒を飲んだ後に家に帰えた
I went home after drinking some sake.

2. SAKE O NONDA NOCHI NI INU O SAMPO SHI NI ITTA
酒を飲んだ後に犬を散歩しに行った
After I drank some sake, I took the dog for a walk.

As you can see from these examples, there are two sides to every sentence. On one side is verb 1 that comes before transforming it into its TE or TA base, and verb 2 which occurs after KARA, ATO DE, NOCHI NI

- Verb 1 in base TE + KARA and Verb 2
- Verb 2 can be past, present, negative or positive, but Verb 1 must be in base TE.

I hope that you too can start-up some cool and interesting conversations using these Japanese plug and play grammar constructions. Test your creations out on your Japanese friends to see if they fly. If not revise and do it again. Plug and play is drill and kill for Japanese language learners of the 21st century. Good luck in all your Japanese learning endeavors.

As Always,
Ganbatte Ne! 頑張ってね
Do Your Best!
Makurasuki まくらすき.

To pretend to verb in Japanese

Verb (p.f.) + to shimasho^ - to feign as if you would
Meaning –
To pretend as if
We (Any pronoun: I, He,She,We,Us,Them,They)
verb or
Let’s say we were to
verb.
1. Iku to shimasho^- 行くとしましょう –
Let’s pretend like we are going to go. Let’s say we are going
Iku (行く) = verb to go

2. Hanbun datta to shite mo – 半分だったとしても
Even if it was only half
Suru in base TE = Shite
Shite mo = Although I do (suru)


In example 2, the verb before to suru is the copula de aru in past tense de atta (で あった) or abbreviated d’atta (だった). Hanbun (半分) is the Japanese word for half. There are two grammar points here. VerbTE + Mo is discussed in another lesson and it constructs, - Even though I verb - (TE)て”, in this example the verb is suru in base TE (て)or shite (して) and then the mo (も) particle is added meaning although, or even though.



3. Mizu ga chikyu^ kara nakunatta to shimasho^ -
水が地球から亡くなったとしましょう

Number 3 above contains two smaller bunpo; one nestled inside the other. At the end of the construction, we have to shimasho^ (としましょう) - which implies that we will be doing this together, “Shall we do this thing of pretending together? Where do this thing is any verb in base TE It could mean something like, “Let’s just say we did, since did is the past tense of the verb to do.” etc.

Anata dake shika chikyu^ ni inakatta to shimasho^ -
貴方だけしか 地球に いなかったとしましょう
Let’s say you were the last person on earth or
Let’s just say you were the only person on the face of the Earth… etc.


4. Okane wa mondai nai to shimasho^ -
お金は問題ないとしましょう (としましょう) - lets pretend that the money wouldn’t present a problem, or Let’s just say that money isn’t a problem.

How to use Japanese to pronounce difficult English Terms like Habukkuk

When I hear badly pronounced Japanese, it’s like hearing fingernails scraping against a chalkboard. I have been known to turn red in embarrassment for the person committing the foul pronunciation. Why is pronunciation such a big deal? There are many reasons why language learners should practice pronouncing their words correctly. In this article I I’ll touch on a few topics I feel are important concerning learning, studying and practicing pronunciation in Japanese.

In speaking another language, the main goal is to try to get your message across, unless you are looking for some chit chat. You need to understand how important it is to be understood quickly, and, clearly. When your pronunciation isn’t very good, then that means it isn’t very legible, audible, excusable nor is it understandable. The time wasted correcting badly pronounced communication doesn’t outweigh the benefits of learning first to pronounce correctly before ever learning any of the tango (vocabulary). Even if the sentences had perfect grammar and style. What are the words by beginners who feel the topic of ‘pronunciation’ shouldn’t be treated as a ritual. If we are to be understood, we must use correct pronunciation. There is no way other way for communication to take place efficiently with more words understood per /1000 than can otherwise be had.

If you want to be a well liked and a well respected speaker of Japanese then put pronunciation practice at the top of your priority list for things you need to study. Bad pronunciation is not cool. It is simply irresponsible for a beginning Japanese language learner to continue learning Japanese without making attempts to improve upon their own particular pronunciation situation. A good steward of SLA makes sure that he/she is pronouncing the words they use in conversation correctly. A learner of the Japanese language must never neglect pronunciation in their studies. The art or skill of the lips the teeth and the tip of the tongue can spell the difference between effective communication, or, utter confusion.

A tongue defines the soul and character from which tribes are made. How words are communicated amongst individuals also shows clearly to foreign outsiders trying to take a peek through the Japanese window, to find themselves in an onsen at Unzen. And it defines the type of people they represent; The Japanese have a very long heritage and lineage of traditions, festivals, and ceremonies that have been passed down through the generations. I mean Santa Claus is one thing but, carrying the big Butsudan all through town in a thong, at those types of butsuri, matsuri.

Giving a little extra effort in your practice of correct pronunciation displays a sincere desire to understand the people and culture through the words of their mouth. Words of a language were not just some accident. Or were they?
Japanese pronunciation is probably one of the easier aspects of the language to learn yet it is often put aside due to the seemingly lack of similarities between the two languages.

Japanese vs. English.

I use to think that if I just copied the way native speakers spoke then I should be ok, right? Well, in retrospect I do believe it is a good thing to copy speak when it comes to simple pronunciation of words, but be careful not to copy speak grammar or sentence structure because that can turn out to give you trouble later on. Mimicking native speakers is good as long as you aren’t copying their bad habits also. Men should never copy the speech of women.

It is a good thing to sound like a Japanese native when speaking, so on is allowed to copy native’s pronunciation, but stay very far from women’s nuances, sentence endings, and their use of certain words if you are male Japanese language learner. If a male Japanese language learner pronounces words or copies the speech, expressions in a like manner to the words and sentence endings he hears because he has copied a Japanese females nuances, this could prove disastrous and could portray an overzealous Japanese SL male learner as an okama (homosexual). If you don't want to be considered an OKAMA, you must pay attention to the way men use the words for you and I as well as sentence ending particles and other nuances. Careful attention should thus be given to sentence ending particles like na no (なの), no da (のだ), or sa (さ), or za (ざ), or ze (ぜ), zo (ぞ) or soi (そい), zoi (ぞい), kusa (くさ).

Unaccompanied particles can be quite rude in the mouth of a gaijin. That’s harsh and if you don't know what an okamaオカマ is, look it up in the Sanseido Wa-Ei and if you don't have one go to my lens http://squidoo.com/japponics wherein is a link to the Sanseido publishing company. It is so important to have a dictionary as an aid for studying Japanese it goes without saying. So get one if you don't already have one.

If you are going to learn to speak Japanese please try to speak with correct pronunciation. It shows bad manners, and lack of commitment. It also sends a message of disgrace for your native country. It is important also while in Japan to show that you love your country. They are quite accepting of many gaijins (foreigner in Japanese) in this respect. Especially since you'll usually be the only gaijin within a couple of hundred miles so make your pronunciation count.

One cool thing about Japanese pronunciation is that vowels do not vary as they do in English. They stay straight, and you are never fooled as to their pronunciation. English combines and distorts the mouth and fashions its shape by using the 5 letters a e i o u to make around 20 vowel sounds. In Japanese 5 vowels sounds make 5 vowel sounds. In English the vowels vary in shades of pronunciation. The wider or thinner the lips are stretched or cheeks are pulled apart, how open the throat is, how nasal you want to get etc. all make for quite a lot of different vowel sounds. That is why if you ask an Englishman from England to pronounce for you , “apple” you will hear it differently than if you were to ask an American to pronounce “apple”.
In English you find words that elide. The same is true in the Japanese language (and do other crazy things). A careful study of dipthongs of a language should be beneficial to its study. In general pronunciation and diction should rank high on your list of things to study habits.

There are many sounds in English that Japanese just doesn't have, and vice versa. In Japanese there are no v type sounds so in order to say the v sound a Japanese person will substitute b in its stead. There really isn’t an L sound in Japanese so they replace it with their r or d sound. There has yet to be a native Japaenese speaker that I could ask to pronounce for me the words world or squirrel or even url. It is impossibly difficult for the Japanese to prounounce these 3 words correctly. Now on the other hand try to get a gaijin to say for you in correct pronouciation words like tan’i or gen’in and you have a similar situation.

I like to cross reference both languages to find the true pronounciation of words that are difficult to pronounce. It is for this reason I find it easier to locate the pronunciation of any foreign word that is difficult to pronounce (i.e. Books or names in the Bible for example Habukkuk or Nebuchanedzar etc.) If you read those foreign names which are difficult to pronounce in English in Japanese, the pronunciation is straight forward and clear and there is no variance. It reads as it reads as to how it is pronounced. In Japanese it comes out closer than attempts I have made in English because the vowels never change when saying a word. Using both your native tongue (whether it be English or otherwise) and Japanese together to help you can come up with a closer approximation as to the true and correct pronunciation of any difficult biblical term.

Let me give you one example: In the book of Numbers in the Old Testament, chapter 13 there is a lot of names that who knows how to pronounce correctly. What I do is cross reference what I see in English with the Japanese pronunciation of each. So in Numbers 13:15 is written “Of the tribe of Gad, Geuel the son of Machi.” How does one pronounce the word Geuel? That is 3 vowels in a row in English but I really have no idea of how to pronounce it. So I look in my Japanese Bible at Numbers 13:15 and see what it says. “ガドの部族ではマキの子ギウエル”

To find out how to pronounce the word Geuel then, I just dive into the pronunciation by saying everything ver batim. So we will have in the above Japanese quote, “Gado no buzoku dewa maki no ko Giueru”. Now when a word in Japanese ends in the eru (エル) that is the same as saying the English “el”, so that part is easy. The rest of that word is simply glottal gee ooh then add el. So Geuel’s pronunciation is English can be derived from the Japanese katakana or romaji pronunciation to get at the closer, more true pronunciation of it.

In Japanese, there are five vowels, and five vowel sounds. This makes learning Japanese easier than other languages. The order of the vowels is a little different so that might be the first thing to look at in your study of Japanese. The first five syllables in the Japanese syllabary are a i u e and o. It has to be said that if you were to gather a group of Japanese people and make a choir out of them, oh how satisfied the director would be because of the purity of their vowels. International phonetics could straightway use Japanese for these vowels written in Romaji as a i u e o. Or Hiragana as あ,い,う,えand お. The benefits of knowing another language are limitless. In this instance we found the pronunciation of difficult words easier by using Japanese + English...cool.

As always,
Ganbatte Ne!
Do Your Best!
Makurasuki
If you want a list of vocabulary to start your study of the Japanese language then go to http://squidoo.com/japanesevocabularyindex

Learn Japanese Now! by Makurasuki Sensei

#17 in a 25 part series aimed at overcoming second language acquisition
obstacles and barriers by using effective memorization. Click Here!

Memory techniques applying tried and true techniques that are
effective in mastering an SL and in particular improving Our Ural Altaic progeny ~
Learn Japanese Now!A useful Grammar, Vocabulary, and Conversation e-course
With emphasis on long term retention through effective memorization.
The best language acquisition e-course on the net!
Japanese Edition. http://jappermon.com 2007

Lesson #17 – Putting verbs into the TA –form た-form

The abilitiy to put Japanese verbs into the various bases quickly without pause is a pre-requisite for speaking fluently and being perceived as being a capable conversationalist. Of all the verbs Bases (I, II, III, IV , V, TA, and TE) the TA form ranks high in usage as one of the top three most used bases for verbs only after TE-てand Base-III or root form. I am focusing on it now in order to prepare you for the quick powerful grammar secrets that employ Base TA verbs which will catapult your Japanese speaking ability through the roof. I’ll be discussing many grammar rules that use the verb in Base TA. One of the main things you should know about the TA form of a verb is that it is used to put verbs into past tense plain form. A verb in base TA form is equivalent to English’s have done or past tense perfect. The TA form of a verb has evolved from the classical form tari and it still has many uses (see lesson #23 and #19)
Tip #17 How to put a verb in Base TA

Vowel Stemmed verbs (i.e. those ending in either eru or iru)
to put a verb into the TA form when the verb has a vowel stem simply add ta
Base III
Dictionary form
Stem
Base Ta
Meaning
kanjiru
oboeru
kangaeru
deru
iru

kanji
oboe
kangae
de
i
kanjita
oboeta
kangaeta
deta
ita
To feel becomes to have felt.
To remember becomes to have remembered.
To think becomes to have thought.
To leave becomes to have left.
To be becomes to have been. (was, were)

Try putting your favorite verb ending in iru or eru into the TA form today and get your Nihongo more Jozu!
And remember…
MORE WORDS MEMORIZED = HIGHER RATE of FLUENCY.
Want more information on how you can use your memory and the laws of attraction to master any language you so choose!
Memorizer

Until next time. Ganbatte ne! Do your best!
Makurasuki Sensei
Looking for more ways to be successful in all that you do including mastering a language?
Japanese Language Advancement

Japanese lesson on Bakari grammar

Verb (base TA) + bakari desu - to just 'verb'


First putting some verbs into base TA like -


iku --> itta
dasu --> dashita
suru --> shita
kuru --> kita
umu --> unda
deru --> detta
tatsu --> tatta
abiru --> abita
suwaru --> suwatta
umareru --> umareta
etc.

then adding the polite sentence ending desu to bakari (just)

verb (base TA) + bakari desu - to just 'verb"

ex.1 suwatta bakari desu. I just sat down

ex.2 deta bakari da! He just left.

ex.3. umareta bakari desu


As Always,
Ganbatte Ne!
Do Your Best!

Makurasuki

Base Ta Japanese Grammar

Learn Japanese Now! by Makurasuki Sensei

#17 in a 25 part series aimed at overcoming second language acquisition
obstacles and barriers by using effective memorization. Click Here!

Memory techniques applying tried and true techniques that are
effective in mastering an SL and in particular improving Our Ural Altaic progeny ~
Learn Japanese Now!A useful Grammar, Vocabulary, and Conversation e-course
With emphasis on long term retention through effective memorization.
The best language acquisition e-course on the net!
Japanese Edition. http://squidoo.com/ghettogrammar109

Lesson #17 – Putting verbs into the TA –form た-form

The abilitiy to put Japanese verbs into the various bases quickly without pause is a pre-requisite for speaking fluently and being perceived as being a capable conversationalist. Of all the verbs Bases (I, II, III, IV , V, TA, and TE) the TA form ranks high in usage as one of the top three most used bases for verbs only after TE-てand Base-III or root form. I am focusing on it now in order to prepare you for the quick powerful grammar secrets that employ Base TA verbs which will catapult your Japanese speaking ability through the roof. I’ll be discussing many grammar rules that use the verb in Base TA. One of the main things you should know about the TA form of a verb is that it is used to put verbs into past tense plain form. A verb in base TA form is equivalent to English’s have done or past tense perfect. The TA form of a verb has evolved from the classical form tari and it still has many uses (see lesson #23 and #19)
Tip #17 How to put a verb in Base TA

1. Vowel Stemmed verbs (i.e. those ending in either eru or iru)
a. to put a verb into the TA form when the verb has a vowel stem simply add ta
Base III
Dictionary form Stem Base Ta Meaning
kanjiru
oboeru
kangaeru
deru
iru
kanji
oboe
kangae
de
i kanjita
oboeta
kangaeta
deta
ita To feel becomes to have felt.
To remember becomes to have remembered.
To think becomes to have thought.
To leave becomes to have left.
To be becomes to have been. (was, were)

Try putting your favorite verb ending in iru or eru into the TA form today and get your Nihongo more Jozu!
And remember…
MORE WORDS MEMORIZED = HIGHER RATE of FLUENCY.
Want more information on how you can use your memory and the laws of attraction to master any language you so choose!
Click Here!

Until next time. Ganbatte ne! Do your best!
Makurasuki Sensei
Looking for more ways to be successful in all that you do including mastering a language?
Click Here!

Japanese Pronunciation

Table 1 - The 46 Syllables of the Japanese Syllabary (romanized)
a ka sa ta na ha ma ya ra wa n
i ki shi chi ni hi mi ri
u ku su tsu nu fu mu yu ru
e ke se te ne he me re
o ko so to no ho mo yo ro wo

Table 2 - The 46 Syllables of the Japanese Syllabary called the gojuon or 50 sounds (Hiragana)
あ か さ た な は ま や ら わ ん
い き し ち に ひ み り
う く す つ ぬ ふ む ゆ る
え け せ て ね へ め れ
お こ そ と の ほ も よ ろ を


When the tsu syllable is added before the syllables beginning with k,p, and t (ie. the consonants sounds of k,p, or t), a hardened double consonant sound is produced. You literally spit out the sounds or, as I like to put it, smack the consonants. To better understand where I am coming from, imagine two billiard balls sitting on a pool table. One of the balls is a word that contains a single consonant sound like k, the other ball is the syllable tsu. Now shoot the k ball with your cue ball and when they hit upon impact kk sound. when the consonant sounds are doubled. This doubled consonant phenomenon can be likened to the English word bookkeeper. In bookkeeper the sound of the consonant k is doubled, adding the syllable tsu to ka, ki, ku, ke, ko, ta chi, tsu, te, to or, pa,pi,pu,pe,or po doubles the consonant sound of the consonant sound of the syllable immediately following it.

Japanese pronunciation rule #1 - A small つ(tsu) doubles the consonant sound that immediately follows it.

Examples:
makka – deep red, completely red
jikken – experiment or test
shuppan – publish , shuppatsu – departure
zettai – absoluteness
tokkyo – patent (not the city toukyou which has the elongated
happi – the English word happy in katakana
gakkou – school
chotto – a little bit, a dink
appuru - apple


When n is not connected to a vowel (ie. usage of the last syllable of the Japanese syllabary or ん(n) , it is like a syllable unto itself. It receives a full count if language were a music it would receive the same amount of time that a 2 lettered syllable receives., and is denoted by the apostrophe ‘. For example:
1. Kin’en this is Japanese for no smoking not kinen or the word for anniversary.
so it has 4 syllables and the word for anniversary has 3.

To get a better feel of how the Japanese say words that begin with ra, ri, ru, re, or ro, do this: First, say to yourself in English the word Eddy then, make sure the tip of your tongue is touching delicately behind the upper front teeth and say it again Pronouncing it with just the right amount of lightness of tongue and a flicking forward of the tongue in this manner, you will come close to an acceptable pronunciation of the Japanese word for eri or collar.