Five Japanese vowels: あ い う え お

The idea

Japanese has five basic vowels: あ, い, う, え and お. Keep each sound relatively steady; う is usually made with less lip rounding than English “oo”.

Examples

• 犬いぬは小ちいさいです。The dog is small.
• 朝あさ、犬いぬと歩あるきます。I walk with my dog in the morning.
• 駅えきはどこですか。Where is the station?
• 机つくえの上うえに本ほんがあります。There is a book on the desk.
• 空そらは青あおいです。The sky is blue.
• 朝あさは早はやく起おきます。I get up early in the morning.

Watch out

A longer vowel occupies extra time and can change a word’s meaning. Avoid turning one vowel into a glide.

Try it yourself

1. Write the hiragana counterpart of イ.

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   い

   イ and い represent the same sound, i; い is the hiragana form requested.

2. Complete う＿ (above) with one hiragana character.

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   え

   うえ means above; え completes its spelling.

3. Complete ＿さ (morning) with one hiragana character.

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   あ

   あさ means morning; あ completes its spelling.

Use it today

Cover the chart. Read two words from the examples aloud, write their readings in kana from memory, then compare them with the furigana and chart. For sound practice, use Japan Foundation recording 01-30 linked in Sources.