Japanese Pronunciation Rules
Vowels-: Five vowel sounds are used in the Japanese language:
A as in father
I as in unique
U as in rude
E as in yet
O as in hope

Consonants - pronounced the same as in English with the following exceptions;
G is always hard as in go
R is halfway between the English R and D sounding like L.  Make the sound by saying r while placing the tip of your tongue on the spot between your teeth and the roof of your mouth.
Double Consonants and Vowles
Double consonsonants are both pronounced, as are double vowels

Muting
- Vowels are frequiently muted after a soft consonant.  Examples:
Mokuso  mok’so
Desuka   des’ka

Sound Changes - The pronunciation of some consonsonants changes when combining words:
Keri    mae-geri
Tachi    zenkutsui-dachi
Sai    nicho-zai
 

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