# Do all words end in a vowel?



## Whodunit

Whenever I get the chance to read some Romaji, I see that every Japanese word ends in a vowel (a, e, i, o, u). There seem to be exceptions like those that are written with "eh" or "ih" at the end would "yajuh" and "oboemasyoh" be examples for this?).

I'm not talking about foreign word. I don't consider those like "rakuen" (paradise) very Japanese. 

Does this hold for almost all Japanese words or am I on the wrong track?

Arigato!


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## instantREILLY

I wouldn't trust Romaji, there are a million different ways to Romanize Japanese, and most are very misleading.  For example, there really is no H in "oboemasyoh".  I think a better Romanization would be "oboemashou".  Some people use H to represent a double-vowel, but I think this is silly.  The best way to solve your curiosity would be to learn about the Japanese writing systems.

There are 3 systems which are used in unison.  Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji.  Here, we are only concerned with the first two: Hiragana and Katakana.

Instead of independent letters, like in English and German, the Japanese writing systems Hiragana and Katakana each represent a full syllable.

Consonant sound + vowel sound = one syllable.  These characters are put together to form words.  Naturally, because each syllable ends in a vowel sound, these words will end in vowels also.

For example, the K line of Hiragana is:

か　き　く　け　こ
ka ki ku ke ko

Its Katakana counterpart is:

カ　キ　ク　ケ　コ
ka ki ku ke ko

One character = consonant + vowel.  You can't get the K on its own.

The only exception is the syllablic N.  N is the only consonant that can stand alone in Japanese.  However, it is held out for a full beat.  Depending on the speaker, region, and word, it may sometimes sound like an M sound or an NG sound.  (You may run across words like せんぱい Romanized as "sempai", when they are more truthfully represented as "senpai".)  Have no doubt, though, it is the syllablic N.

ex: かんじ = ka + n + ji = kanji

"Kanji" is actually 3 syllables, not 2 (kan + ji) as it would appear in English.  The syllablic N is often romanized as N'. (kan'ji)

Then there are tense syllables, which are usually represented by a double consonant in Romaji, but actually are no different from a regular syllable in Hiragana/Katakana (a little character called a "tsu" will appear before it).  But we don't need to get in to that.

In summary, Romanization is complicated and silly, really.  There are literally volumes to be written on the subject, even though Romanization is entirely unnecessary to being with.  The simplest way to avoid confusion is to just take a few days to learn the 46 Hiragana and Katakana.  It will erase all question from your mind that Japanese is probably the easiest written language in the world.

On a side-note, rakuen is most certainly a Japanese word (or at least, as much as any other Sino-Japanese word is).  However, when foreign words are expressed in Japanese, they will sound just like Japanese words.  For example, unlike the way that people pronounce an English name in Italian the English way (because the word can technically be expressed similarly in the Italian alphabet), in Japanese (and Korean, and other languages), it would be pronounced the Japanese way.

Tom = トム = to + mu = tomu
Elizabeth = エリザベス = e + ri + za + be + su = erizabesu


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## Whodunit

Thanks for your thorough answer, Instantreilly!



			
				instantREILLY said:
			
		

> I wouldn't trust Romaji, there are a million different ways to Romanize Japanese, and most are very misleading. For example, there really is no H in "oboemasyoh". I think a better Romanization would be "oboemashou". Some people use H to represent a double-vowel, but I think this is silly. The best way to solve your curiosity would be to learn about the Japanese writing systems.
> 
> There are 3 systems which are used in unison. Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji. Here, we are only concerned with the first two: Hiragana and Katakana.


 
I know about the three writing systems. Hiragana and Katakana are easy to grasp - just like Russian or Latin letters. But I find it hard to understand Kanji, as I don't know anything about Chinese writing. Romaji is somewhat easier for me, because I haven't tried much to understand Hiragana and Katakana.



> Instead of independent letters, like in English and German, the Japanese writing systems Hiragana and Katakana each represent a full syllable.


 
I know, but is that a reason why almost every word has to end in a vowel? 



> For example, the K line of Hiragana is:
> 
> か　き　く　け　こ
> ka ki ku ke ko
> 
> Its Katakana counterpart is:
> 
> カ　キ　ク　ケ　コ
> ka ki ku ke ko
> 
> One character = consonant + vowel. You can't get the K on its own.


 
Okay, if I were to write "hulk" in Japanese (I know you have an own for it, but if it was a title of a movie or the like), would I have to write it like "ha - lu - ku" (correct me please)?



> The only exception is the syllablic N. N is the only consonant that can stand alone in Japanese. However, it is held out for a full beat. Depending on the speaker, region, and word, it may sometimes sound like an M sound or an NG sound. (You may run across words like せんぱい Romanized as "sempai", when they are more truthfully represented as "senpai".) Have no doubt, though, it is the syllablic N.
> 
> ex: かんじ = ka + n + ji = kanji


 
Okay, I know about the thing with the N from Japanese names, but aren't there really any other exceptions?



> "Kanji" is actually 3 syllables, not 2 (kan + ji) as it would appear in English. The syllablic N is often romanized as N'. (kan'ji)


 
Hm, interesting. 



> Then there are tense syllables, which are usually represented by a double consonant in Romaji, but actually are no different from a regular syllable in Hiragana/Katakana (a little character called a "tsu" will appear before it). But we don't need to get in to that.


 
What do you by that "tsu"? Is it ず?



> In summary, Romanization is complicated and silly, really. There are literally volumes to be written on the subject, even though Romanization is entirely unnecessary to being with. The simplest way to avoid confusion is to just take a few days to learn the 46 Hiragana and Katakana. It will erase all question from your mind that Japanese is probably the easiest written language in the world.


 
Japanese is the easiest written language? I have never heard about that.



> On a side-note, rakuen is most certainly a Japanese word (or at least, as much as any other Sino-Japanese word is). However, when foreign words are expressed in Japanese, they will sound just like Japanese words. For example, unlike the way that people pronounce an English name in Italian the English way (because the word can technically be expressed similarly in the Italian alphabet), in Japanese (and Korean, and other languages), it would be pronounced the Japanese way.


 
Well, now I see that "rakuen" doesn't end in a vowel, because the letter "N" can stand alone. Are there some other words that end in a consonant?


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## Thomas F. O'Gara

A few clarifications.

All _native _Japanese words must end in a vowel.

You will see plenty of words that end in -n. But these are all words borrowed from Chinese.

Endings like "oh" usually are an older variant of a long vowel, which I fancy is particularly common in transliterations of proper names.

As for anybody objecting to Romaji, I'm surprised to hear it. After all, there has to be some standard for transliteration, and the Japanese government has their own official version.

As for Japanese being the easiest written language in the world, I beg to differ.  In fact, I think it's the most difficult written language in the world.  Bear in mind that while you're generally intelligible if you only use kana, if you don't use kanji to write, you're not writing adult Japanese.  And Kanji in Japanese are a much bigger challenge than the original Chinese characters.  Generally speaking, most kanji have at least two pronunciations, one Chinese and one Japanese.  For example, the character for "mountain" can either be "yama" (the Japanese pronunciation) or "san" (the "Chinese" pronunciation, which isn't really the way it's pronunced in standard Chinese any more).  Sometimes the same character will have more than one Japanese pronunciation, either because the original Chinese character meant two different things in Japanese, or because it has a different pronunciation when used in proper names, or a plethora of other possibilities.  Sometimes also it will have more than one "Chinese" pronunciation too, if the character was borrowed from Chinese on two different occasions, with slightly different meanings.  The end result is that learning to write Japanese ends properly up becoming more of an arcane art form than anything else, taking up a lot of time for Japanese youngsters and driving foreign learners to distraction, unless they like that sort of thing.


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## toscairn

Hi Whodunit, thanks for helping me in the German Forum! I felt the need to repay your kindness, so here goes, 
[Originally Posted by instantREILLY]


> I wouldn't trust Romaji, there are a million different ways to Romanize Japanese, and most are very misleading. For example, there really is no H in "oboemasyoh". I think a better Romanization would be "oboemashou". Some people use H to represent a double-vowel, but I think this is silly. The best way to solve your curiosity would be to learn about the Japanese writing systems.
> 
> There are 3 systems which are used in unison. Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji. Here, we are only concerned with the first two: Hiragana and Katakana.


It would be good to note that romaji transliteration is often misleading because there are mainly *two* types of them: one is convenient for Latin (or Italinan) speakers, the other for English speakers. For example, 野獣　(beast) can be transliterated as "yajuh" according to the one for the latter, or "yaju" for the former. 

One merit for the Latin type of transliteration is that it is much more *closer to IPA* than the English type. "h" in 野獣(beast) (voiceless glottal fricative) is never pronounced, which you might mistakenly think it is, looking only at the English type of transliteration.



> I know, but is that a reason why almost every word has to end in a vowel?


Let's look at the hiragana table. You'll see that except for ん　(n) and small letters like っ、ゅ,　ょ、 there is no letter ending in consonant. The same can be said for kanji in theory.

But that's what is taught in introductory or intermediate couses in Japanese, and it is convenient for teachers to stop the explanation at that. In actuality, consonant endings are common especially in Kanto (the Metropolitan district comprising Tokyo) dialect. 

今日図書館に行きます。　Kyo toshokan ni ikimasu. (I'm going to the library today.)

This is what is usually transliterated in most introductory textbooks.
In Kanto dialect, the last "u" tends to be dropped. 

建築協会　kenchik*u* kyokai (Architecture Association)

Above is a textbook transliteration. Actually, it is pronounced like this (regardless of dialects): 

kenchik kyokai

Liaison of sounds is universally observed, and Japanese is no exception. Above is one such example. Japanese does have liason; in other words, the way of optimizing the sound sequence--though not as many or systematic as French. It's economy of sounds. Vowel endings require extra energy. Besides, we don't need to enunciate where the information is trivial.



> Okay, if I were to write "hulk" in Japanese (I know you have an own for it, but if it was a title of a movie or the like), would I have to write it like "ha - lu - ku" (correct me please)?


Close! "ha-ru-ku" would be better, because the transliteration of ら into "ra" is the rule. This doesn't mean that Japanese actually pronounce ら　as "ra," but there can be variations from "ra" to "la." (You'll have heard of "ra" "la" jokes once or twice! For Japanese, it's egal!) "Michael" becomes "maikeru."

This is a sidenote which I hope you'll find interesting: 

ひ　"hi" ----Japanese pronounce this letter in two ways; one is "hi" just like in English, the other is the way Germans pronounce "ch" in "ich" or "Reich."

ふ　"fu" or "hu"---This is neither "fu" nor "hu", but "bilabial fricative." That's why you see both transliterations in textbooks.



> "Kanji" is actually 3 syllables, not 2 (kan + ji) as it would appear in English. The syllablic N is often romanized as N'. (kan'ji)


Here she's dealing with the importance of "mora" in Japanese, as opposed to that of "syllables" in many European languages. 



> What do you by that "tsu"? Is it ず?


Close! 

tsu つ　or っ
zu ず



> Japanese is the easiest written language? I have never heard about that


No language on earth is the easiest! I still find it difficult transliterating my cat's gradation of meow. She even goes glottal from time to time!


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## Whodunit

toscairn said:
			
		

> Hi Whodunit, thanks for helping me in the German Forum! I felt the need to repay your kindness, so here goes,
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> You don't have to repay anything, everything I do here is my own choice.
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> 
> It would be good to note that romaji transliteration is often misleading because there are mainly *two* types of them: one is convenient for Latin (or Italinan) speakers, the other for English speakers. For example, 野獣　(beast) can be transliterated as "yajuh" according to the one for the latter, or "yaju" for the former.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Interesting. I would have expected "yajiyuu" (やじゅう - I can't read Kanji, so I have to use Hiragana) in Romaji.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> One merit for the Latin type of transliteration is that it is much more *closer to IPA* than the English type. "h" in 野獣(beast) (voiceless glottal fricative) is never pronounced, which you might mistakenly think it is, looking only at the English type of transliteration.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> I would pronounce the word with a long "u" at the end. Would that be wrong?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Let's look at the hiragana table. You'll see that except for ん　(n) and small letters like っ、ゅ,　ょ、 there is no letter ending in consonant. The same can be said for kanji in theory.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> I know about the "n". That's why words like "rakuen" (らくえん?) can still be considered original Japanese, although it does not end in a vowel, right? So, there's no kanji that ends in a consonant?
> 
> 
> 
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> 今日図書館に行きます。　Kyo toshokan ni ikimasu. (I'm going to the library today.)
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> Wait, from your example, I conclude that every time you want to write an "o" vowel after "sh" for instance, you have to use "shi+yo" (しょ), right? Is it the small or big letter I have to use?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> This is what is usually transliterated in most introductory textbooks.
> In Kanto dialect, the last "u" tends to be dropped.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> I think dialects are a bit too difficult for now. But it helps me find an answer to my original question.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Close! "ha-ru-ku" would be better, because the transliteration of ら into "ra" is the rule. This doesn't mean that Japanese actually pronounce ら　as "ra," but there can be variations from "ra" to "la." (You'll have heard of "ra" "la" jokes once or twice! For Japanese, it's egal!) "Michael" becomes "maikeru."
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> I guess I'd have to use Katakana for "hulk" (ハルク?), since it is a foreign word. The thing with "la" and "ra" is a mess for me - because I can't imagine something in between.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ひ　"hi" ----Japanese pronounce this letter in two ways; one is "hi" just like in English, the other is the way Germans pronounce "ch" in "ich" or "Reich."
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> Well, it's something new to me that "hi" can be pronounced with a "h" as in "hot/heiß" *and* "ch" as in "ich", because I've only known about the latter.
> 
> 
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> 
> ふ　"fu" or "hu"---This is neither "fu" nor "hu", but "bilabial fricative." That's why you see both transliterations in textbooks.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> Same as above: Is it sometimes pronounced like "hu"? I only know about the funny "fu". (I'm sorry, I just call it funny, because that's usually the sound I produce to blow out a candle )
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Close!
> 
> tsu つ　or っ
> zu ず
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> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> Ok, now I'm lost: What's the difference in pronunciation between those two? Is the "z" pronounced like German "lei*s*e" or like "Hi*tz*e"?
> 
> ありがとう for everything.
> 
> Click to expand...
Click to expand...


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## toscairn

> I would pronounce the word with a long "u" at the end. Would that be wrong?


It's correct, my explanation was meant to point to a confusion which might arise for those with no knowledge of the two types of transliteration.



> there's no kanji that ends in a consonant?


Except for "n," yes.



> Wait, from your example, I conclude that every time you want to write an "o" vowel after "sh" for instance, you have to use "shi+yo" (しょ), right? Is it the small or big letter I have to use?


That depends on what you want to say in Japanese.
こしょう(pepper)
しお　(salt)
カシオ(Casio)
衣装（いしょう）(costume)
図書館（としょかん）(library)



> I guess I'd have to use Katakana for "hulk" (ハルク?), since it is a foreign word. The thing with "la" and "ra" is a mess for me - because I can't imagine something in between.



Actually, the Japanese ら、り、る、れ、ろ　are clorser to "L" than to "R." Its articulation point is alveolar. Those who speak with English "R" is rather rare. This is a useful link for Japanese learners. 

By the way, are you  a fan of TV games, animations or movies? If so, IMDB is a good resource for useful information. You'll see Hayao Miyazaki's works are titled in Romaji as seen in this link. 

"*Lupin* III" becomes "*R*upan sansei"
"*Alibaba*" becomes "A*r*ibaba"
"Heidi: Girl of the *Alps*" becomes "A*r*upusu no shôjo Haiji"



> Same as above: Is it sometimes pronounced like "hu"? I only know about the funny "fu". (I'm sorry, I just call it funny, because that's usually the sound I produce to blow out a candle )


 To quote everything2, 





> h is pronounced as a bilabial φ before u, a softer sound than the English labiodental F. In some romanizations it's written with f, as in Hukuoka or Fukuoka.


 I'd say Japanese ふ　is much more closer to "fu" than to "hu."



> Ok, now I'm lost: What's the difference in pronunciation between those two? Is the "z" pronounced like German "leise" or like "Hitze"?


tsu つ (as in "cats" in English, "Katze" in German)
zu ず (as in "zoo" in English, "leise" in German)

As I wrote, there are two types of transliteration, and none of them are based on other than Latin and English languages. That's the source of confusion!

One more example. "Bridge" is transliterated to Japanese as "ブリッジ" (or ぶりっじ　in hiragana). But it's never true to its actual pronunciation. It's rather a convention to transliterate like that (Just like "Michael" is done to "maikeru" not "maikelu"). It should be ブリッヂ if expressing the pronunciation right.
ブリッ*ジ*　burijji [fricative]
ブリッ*ヂ*　buriddgi [affricate]
But no one pronounces it with a fricative.


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## Captain Haddock

There are other transliteration schemes. The textbook with my copy of _Le Japonais sans peine_ uses a gallicized romanization system based on how French speakers pronounce Roman letters.


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## Whodunit

Thanks for your thorough answer again, Toscairn. 



			
				toscairn said:
			
		

> That depends on what you want to say in Japanese.
> こしょう(pepper) koshou
> しお　(salt) shia
> カシオ(Casio) kashio
> 衣装（いしょう）(costume) ishou
> 図書館（としょかん）(library) toshokan


 
I tried to add the pronounciation that is most often used in Romaji transliterations. Please correct it. 



> Actually, the Japanese ら、り、る、れ、ろ　are clorser to "L" than to "R." Its articulation point is alveolar. Those who speak with English "R" is rather rare. This is a useful link for Japanese learners.


 
I'm sorry, I should have said that I was referring to the Spanish R rather than to the English or German one. Thanks for the page, it's interesting and helpful, indeed.



> By the way, are you a fan of TV games, animations or movies? If so, IMDB is a good resource for useful information. You'll see Hayao Miyazaki's works are titled in Romaji as seen in this link.


 
I'm not a fan of these movie, but your examples are clear and understandable.  



> tsu つ (as in "cats" in English, "Katze" in German)
> zu ず (as in "zoo" in English, "leise" in German)


 
Okay, so ざ is pronounced like in German "*sa*gen"? I think I get it now.



> One more example. "Bridge" is transliterated to Japanese as "ブリッジ" (or ぶりっじ　in hiragana). But it's never true to its actual pronunciation. It's rather a convention to transliterate like that (Just like "Michael" is done to "maikeru" not "maikelu"). It should be ブリッヂ if expressing the pronunciation right.
> ブリッ*ジ*　burijji [fricative]
> ブリッ*ヂ*　buriddgi [affricate]
> But no one pronounces it with a fricative.


 
Okay, I'm beginning to understand your systems.


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## Flaminius

In Standard Japanese phonetics the voiced counterpart for [s] is not [z] but [dz].  Voiced alveolar fricative is not a phoneme for Japanese.  The nembers of Sa-column (サ行) can be represented as below:
sa, ʃi, su, se, so  [Edit: ʃi ---> ɕi.]
whereas those of the voiced column (Za-column or ザ行) are:
ʣa, ʤi, ʣu, ʣe, ʣo.

The latter column partly overlaps with the phonetic values of Da-column (だ行), which are:
da, ʤi, ʣu, de, do.
This is why English "bridge" could have been transcribed in two ways (today, only ブリッジ is acceptable).


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## Captain Haddock

To be slightly more precise, し is pronounced ɕi. It's not quite the same sound as the English "sh" i.e. ʃ.


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## Flaminius

True, Captain.  Japanese し is articulated at a more backward position and with less rounded lips, than English "sh."  Voiceless alveo-palatal fricative is the apt description.


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## Like an Angel

Whodunit said:
			
		

> しお　(salt) *shio*


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## Whodunit

Thank you very much, Flaminius. I once read that "za" should sound like English "wha*t's u*p?" (bad example, I know), but I simply believe Toscairn, if he says that it's a voiced English "z".

Like an Angel, thank you for the correction. It was more or less a mistake of reading, nevertheless I appreciate your help.


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## toscairn

> Quote:
> tsu つ (as in "cats" in English, "Katze" in German)
> zu ず (as in "zoo" in English, "leise" in German)





> Okay, so ざ is pronounced like in German "sagen"? I think I get it now.


Yes, correct!



> There are other transliteration schemes. The textbook with my copy of Le Japonais sans peine uses a gallicized romanization system based on how French speakers pronounce Roman letters.


Other than ヘボン式(Hepburn-shiki) and 訓令式(Kunrei-shiki)、there could be types that are convenient for its learners. Still, romanization can't represent the correct pronunciation right. The best way would be for all people to remember IPA standardized phonetic symbols, but I hear most Americans don't know it (am I correct?). How about its popularity in other countries?  Sad thing is we can't display it by default, and its successful display depends on PCs and browsers.


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## Whodunit

toscairn said:
			
		

> Yes, correct!


 
Thanks. It's clearer now. 



> Other than ヘボン式(Hepburn-shiki) and 訓令式(Kunrei-shiki)、there could be types that are convenient for its learners. Still, romanization can't represent the correct pronunciation right. The best way would be for all people to remember IPA standardized phonetic symbols, but I hear most Americans don't know it (am I correct?). How about its popularity in other countries? Sad thing is we can't display it by default, and its successful display depends on PCs and browsers.


 
Well, it's not well-known in many countries except among linguists (and us ). It would be a mess, though, to write Japanese in IPA, because there are so many symbols that can't be displayed clearly on every computer.


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## Thomas F. O'Gara

IPA is definitely not widely known in the USA.  The Webster Dictionaries here instead use a transliteration scheme that is, IMHO, bizarre.


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## Flaminius

Whodunit said:
			
		

> Thanks. It's clearer now.
> 
> ........
> 
> Well, it's not well-known in many countries except among linguists (and us ). It would be a mess, though, to write Japanese in IPA, because there are so many symbols that can't be displayed clearly on every computer.



The above Wiki encyclopaedia article holds:


> Of the allophones of /z/, the affricate [dʲʑ] is most common, especially at the beginning of utterances and after /N/ (or /n/, depending on the analysis), while fricative [ʑ] may occur between vowels. Both sounds, however, are in free variation.


I was not aware of the intervocalic [ʑ] but, with it or without it, this article seems to show Japanese /z/ as something quite different from the English and German counterparts.


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