Hiragana for s/z + vowels

2.3. Hiragana for s/z + vowels

s + vowels:

Romanization	Pronunciation	Description
sa	[sa]	English "s" + Japanese "a".
si (shi)	[i]	Similar to English "sh" + Japanese "i". You shouldn't round your lips when you pronounce [], unlike the [] in she [i:].
su	[s]	English "s" + Japanese "u".
se	[se]	English "s" + Japanese "e".
so	[so]	English "s" + Japanese "o".

z + vowels:

Romanization	Pronunciation	Description
za	[a]	English "dz" + Japanese "a".
zi (ji)	[i]	Similar to English "j" + Japanese "i". You shouldn't round your lips when you pronounce [], unlike the [] in jeep [i:p].
zu	[]	English "dz" + Japanese "u".
ze	[e]	English "dz" + Japanese "e".
zo	[o]	English "dz" + Japanese "o".

Note that "si" and "zi" have different consonants from others because of palatalization.

The "z" in the middle of a word is commonly pronounced as [z] instead of [

]. Similarly, "zi" can be pronounced as [

] (as in azure [æ

]) instead of [

]. Since Japanese speakers don't distinguish [

] and [z] actually, you can pronounce "z" as the latter, which is easier for English speakers.

Hiragana examples:

Hiragana:

Pitch:

Romanization:

Meaning:

sushi (noun)

For your interest: Sushi is a popular food in Japan. It is made of raw seafood (!) and rice. It tastes good, so give it a try if you have a chance. Some people expect Japanese foods to be hot like Thai and Korean foods, but actually Japanese foods have delicate and elegant tastes. Japanese foods boast of being low-fat and healthful, which is one of the reasons why the Japanese have the longest life expectancy in the world.

Hiragana:

Pitch:

Romanization:

Meaning:

spoon (noun)

Hiragana:

Pitch:

Romanization:

Meaning:

small bell (noun)

Hiragana:

Pitch:

Romanization:

Meaning:

world (noun)

Hiragana:

Pitch:

Romanization:

sô

zô

Meaning:

imagination (noun)

Hiragana:

Pitch:

Romanization:

zô

Meaning:

elephant (noun)

Hiragana:

Pitch:

Romanization:

Meaning:

politics (noun)

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