【ら／ラ＝La? or Ra?】
Should “ら／ラ(ra)” be pronounced as “L” or “R” in Japanese?
One of the difficult things for Japanese to pronounce is “L” and “R” in English.
Actually the pronunciation of “ら／ラ(ra)” in Japanese is different from both “L” and “R” in English.
Articulation point refers to the place in your mouth where you make a sound.
Articulation rule refers to how to make a sound.
“L” in English is pronounced by touching your tongue to the front tooth gum.
“R” in English is pronounced without your tongue touching anything.
“ら／ラ(ra)” in Japanese is pronounced by flicking your tongue a little to the back of your gum.
It is as if when your tongue makes the light sound of “tin tin”.
Pronouncing the “ら／ラ(ra)” row well will make your Japanese sound pretty.
Try it.
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Comments
Remon Ti vs. Lemon Tea heh. Thanks for this read ~
“L” and “r” are two sound which i often make mistake when speak. my teacher spent 5 months on teaching me pronoun “L” sound
In some instances り can have a sound approaching a “d”. I remember years and years ago seeing 便利 written in romaji for the first time, as “benri”. I had been under the mistaken impression that the word was written “bendy”. That’s how I had been hearing it. Of course, I was fresh off the boat at the time and didn’t know my “尻” from my “肘”.