Provide drills to improve Japanese pronunciation

To improve Japanese pronunciation effectively, focused drills that target key aspects of Japanese phonetics are helpful. Here are some practical drills:

Basic Sound Practice

• Practice the five Japanese vowel sounds (a, i, u, e, o) repeatedly to master their pure form.
• Move on to the consonant + vowel combinations (ka, ki, ku, ke, ko; sa, shi, su, se, so, etc.) saying each clearly and distinctly.

Mora Timing and Rhythm

• Japanese pronunciation has a rhythmic timing called mora. Practice saying short words or phrases with even timing, such as:
  • さくら (sa-ku-ra)
  • たまご (ta-ma-go)
  • にほん (ni-ho-n)

Pitch Accent Drills

• Practice minimal pairs with different pitch accents to differentiate meaning, e.g.:
  • はし (hashi) meaning “bridge” with a high-low pitch
  • はし (hashi) meaning “chopsticks” with a low-high pitch

Consonant Drill: Double Consonants and Nasals

• Repeat words with geminate consonants like きって (kitte, stamp) and words with nasal ‘n’ sounds like ほん (hon, book) to develop precise articulation.

Intonation Practice

• Mimic native recordings or use shadowing technique to imitate intonation and rhythm in sentences.

Sample Drill Routine

• Warm-up vowels: a, i, u, e, o (10 times)
• Consonant-vowel combos: ka, ki, ku, ke, ko (5 times each)
• Minimal pairs pitch practice: Repeat pairs 10 times each
• Double consonant and nasal words: Repeat 5 times each
• Shadowing sentences: Choose native audio, repeat along 3 times

Regularly recording and listening to your pronunciation will aid self-correction. These drills help develop clear and natural Japanese pronunciation.