Italian speakers already distinguish consonant length, as in pala and palla. Japanese also uses duration to distinguish words, but counts timing in morae.

The idea

A basic kana usually represents one mora. Small っ takes a mora before the next consonant, much like the extra closure in an Italian double consonant. A long vowel and ん each add a mora; small ゃ, ゅ or ょ joins the preceding kana. Thus きって is き・っ・て and きゃく is きゃ・く. Italian stress and Japanese pitch accent are separate from this count; natural morae are not mechanically equal in duration.

Patterns to compare
WordMorae
きゃくきゃ・く
きってき・っ・て
にほんに・ほ・ん
がっこうが・っ・こ・う
コーヒーコ・ー・ヒ・ー

Examples

  • おばさんと公園こうえんで話はなします。I talk with my aunt in the park.
  • おばあさんと公園こうえんで話はなします。I talk with my grandmother in the park.
  • 切手きってを二枚にまい買かいます。I buy two postage stamps.
  • ここに来きてください。Please come here.
  • 父ちちはコーヒーを飲のみます。My father drinks coffee.
  • 今日きょう、客きゃくが来きます。A guest is coming today.

Read-aloud uses a synthetic Japanese voice available on your device. Voice quality and availability vary; it does not assess your pronunciation.

Watch out

Do not add a beat for small ゃ or omit the time for っ. Italian vowel length varies with stress and syllable structure, while Japanese vowel length can distinguish words, as in おばさん and おばあさん.

Try it yourself

  1. Choose the word with 3 morae: （きって／きて）

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    きって

    きって has three morae: き・っ・て; the closure takes time.

  2. Choose the word with 4 morae: （コーヒー／コヒー）

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    コーヒー

    コーヒー has four: コ・ー・ヒ・ー; each long vowel adds a mora.

  3. Choose the word with 2 morae: （きゃく／きやく）

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    きゃく

    きゃく has two: きゃ・く; small ゃ joins き.

Use it today

Tap きゃく, きって and コーヒー once per mora, then say each naturally.