How to Pronounce Japanese Songs: Vowels, Long Sounds and a Practice Order
Singing Japanese songs naturally comes down to four habits: say each vowel cleanly, count the beats of long vowels and the small っ, check the readings before you sing, and practice slowly. The sections below explain each one.
How should I pronounce Japanese vowels?
Japanese has only five vowels: あ, い, う, え, お. Sing each one with a single, steady mouth shape for the whole note, even when the note is long, and don’t glide into a diphthong the way English does. When the mouth shape drifts, the word becomes hard to understand.
How long is a long vowel?
A long vowel is the same vowel held one extra beat. 東京 (とうきょう) is “toh-kyoh,” with two beats on each of those syllables. Syllables like えい and おう are usually read as a long e or a long o too (先生 is read as せんせー). Cutting a long vowel short can turn the word into a different one, so check the notes to see where to hold.
How do I sing the small っ?
The small っ (sokuon) is a one-beat pause placed before the next consonant. 学校 (がっこう) has four beats: が, っ, こ, う. How the beat is filled depends on the next sound:
- Before k, t or p sounds (as in がっこう): stay silent for one beat, then say the consonant.
- Before s or sh sounds (as in ざっし): hold that sound for the beat instead.
Either way, the っ takes up a full beat, so count it.
How are は, へ and を read?
Only the particles は, へ and を change their readings. Inside ordinary words they keep their usual readings.
| Written | Read as a particle | Example |
|---|---|---|
| は | wa | 私は (watashi-wa) |
| へ | e | 東京へ (tōkyō-e) |
| を | o | 本を (hon-o) |
The exceptions are greetings like こんにちは and こんばんは, which are not particles but still read は as wa. In modern Japanese, を is almost always read “o,” particle or not.
How do I check how a kanji is read?
One kanji can have several readings. Before you sing, check a dictionary or a lyric sheet with reading aids. Official lyrics and lyrics with readings printed are the safest, and listening to a few versions helps too. For why automatic readings are tricky, see How furigana is added automatically.
What if the lyric reading is unusual?
Lyrics often print a kanji with a different word’s reading beside it, chosen to match the meaning rather than the standard reading. One example is the kanji for “fate” read as さだめ. Many of these readings aren’t in a dictionary, so rely on the lyric booklet or official readings. For help with annotated lyrics, see Can’t read Japanese lyrics?
What order should I practice in?
Go reading first, then beats, then tempo. Fixing the melody and the pronunciation at the same time is harder than locking in one thing at a time.
- Read the lyrics aloud with no melody.
- Clap each beat to find the long vowels and small っ.
- Sing one phrase at a time, slower than the original.
- Raise the tempo bit by bit, then sing it through.
How can I check readings while singing at home?
If kanji worry you, Hitokara can show furigana or romaji above the lyrics, so you can check readings while the song plays.