2.3. Hiragana for /s/, /z/ + vowels


/s/ + vowels:
HiraganaPhonemeRomanizationDescription
(sa)/sa/"sa" audio English "s" + Japanese "a".
(si)/si/"shi" audio English "sh" + Japanese "i".
Note that it is not "si" but "shi".
(su)/su/"su" audio English "s" + Japanese "u".
(se)/se/"se" audio English "s" + Japanese "e".
(so)/so/"so" audio English "s" + Japanese "o".


/z/ + vowels:
HiraganaPhonemeRomanizationDescription
(za)/za/"za" audio English "dz" + Japanese "a".
Note that its pronunciation is not "za" but "dza".
(zi)/zi/"ji" audio English "j" + Japanese "i".
Note that its pronunciation is not "zi" but "ji".
(zu)/zu/"zu" audio English "dz" + Japanese "u".
Note that its pronunciation is not "zu" but "dzu".
(ze)/ze/"ze" audio English "dz" + Japanese "e".
Note that its pronunciation is not "ze" but "dze".
(zo)/zo/"zo" audio English "dz" + Japanese "o".
Note that its pronunciation is not "zo" but "dzo".

Note that (si) /si/ "shi" and (zi) /zi/ "ji" have different consonants from others.
Since Japanese people don't distinguish "dz" and "z", you can pronounce /z/ as "z", not "dz". In fact, /z/ in the middle of a word is often pronounced as "z".


Hiragana examples:

Hiragana:(su)(si)
Phonemes:su'si
Romanization:sushi
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:(sa)(zi)
Phonemes:sa'zi
Romanization:saji
Meaning:spoon (noun)

Hiragana:(su)(zu)
Phonemes:suzu
Romanization:suzu
Meaning:small bell (noun)

Hiragana:(se)(ka)(i)
Phonemes:se'kai
Romanization:sekai
Meaning:world (noun)

Hiragana:(so)(u)(zo)(u)
Phonemes:souzou
Romanization:sôzô
Meaning:imagination (noun)

Hiragana:(ka)(sa)
Phonemes:ka'sa
Romanization:kasa
Meaning:umbrella (noun)

Hiragana:(se)(i)(zi)
Phonemes:seizi
Romanization:seiji
Meaning:politics (noun)



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