How to pronounce itsu (its or itsu, with or without the last u) I'm studying japanese from Pimsleur's source and I have a question regarding the itsu (when) word.I have noticed that the native guys pr

aureliangtx

How to pronounce itsu (its or itsu, with or without the last u) I'm studying japanese from Pimsleur's source and I have a question regarding the itsu (when) word.I have noticed that the native guys pronounce it its but also itsu in the same context.I know about the devoiced vowels so I think it should be its ( same like wakarimasu which is pronounced wakarimas). Please tell me the correct spelling and also how can I be sure about how to correctly mute some vowels without the risk of native japanese be confused about my words. Doumo arigatou gozaimasu (sorry for mistakes if any, but for the moment I'm using romaji and later kanji, hiragana and katakana)

Jan 18, 2012 9:37 AM

Answers · 8

You have good ears! Actually, most native Japanese speaker doesn't care whether it's pronounced or not. There is a general rule, however, if you care. Vowels [u] and [ i ] are tend to become silent or very weak 1) between voiceless consonants For example, "hyaku-sai(100 years old)" pronounced like [hyaksai] 2) after voiceless consonants and at the end of a word(or a group of words) For example, "....desu." pronounced like [....des] Voiceless consonants are [k], [t], [p], [ch], [ts], [s], [sh], and[h]. This is just a general tendency, so it doesn't mean you have to follow it.

January 18, 2012

the "U" is muddled... however if you want to sound cutesy you may say itsuuuu...

January 18, 2012

that simple, u in the last word usually doesn't read. desu it's pronounce des. wakarimasu, become wakarimas, and ect. but you must can distinguish between when you can pronounce without u, and when you can not throw them. so, you can pronounce without u in desu, and ~masu.

January 18, 2012

Still haven’t found your answers?

Write down your questions and let the native speakers help you!