Written in Latin letters (Romaji), Japanese is remarkably true to sound – but a few letters are read differently than English leads you to expect. This table helps when learning the pieces.
| Sound | Example | Pronounced like … |
|---|---|---|
| ts | tsuma (wife) | like "ts" in "cats" → tsuma |
| z | kaze (wind) | like "z" in "zoo" → kaze |
| s | musuko (son) | always unvoiced, like "s" in "sun" → musuko |
| j | jikan (time) | like "j" in "jungle" → jikan |
| ch | ichi (one) | like "ch" in "cheese" → ichi |
| ou | toukyou (Tokyo) | a long "oh" as in "go" → toh-kyoh |
| e | heya (room) | like "e" in "bed" → he-ya |
| ei | eiga (film) | like "ay" in "say" → ay-ga |
| wo | ki wo tsukete (careful!) | "o" – without the "w" → ki o tsukete |
| r | ringo (apple) | between l, d and r – a very short, light "l" |
| u | sushi (sushi) | a relaxed, lightly spoken "u" |
The Latin-letter transcription of Japanese is called "Romaji".