第4課Lesson 4 of 16
T row
Two irregular sounds again: チ is chi and ツ is tsu. The tsu sound is common at the ends of borrowed words, as in the ts of suits.
タチツテト
All lessonsPronunciation
How it sounds
タ, テ, ト use a soft t with your tongue just behind your upper teeth. チ is chi and ツ is tsu, like the end of cats. An English t with no vowel after it becomes ト: test is テスト. It takes o, not u, because tu isn't a Japanese sound.
Reading tips
Easy to mix up
ツ and シ: ツ's short strokes stand upright side by side along the top, and its long stroke sweeps down from the top right.
チ and テ: チ's top stroke slants and its long stroke cuts through the bar. テ has two flat bars, with the curve hanging below them.
タ and ク (lesson 2): タ has the extra short stroke inside.
New kana
Picture each shape, then say it.
A Tomcat, curled around the kana. Say "ta".
A Cheese wedge full of holes. Say "chee".
A Tsunami wave. That's a big one!
A Tent: the top bar is its roof and the rest is its doorway.
Topiary: a clipped tree, with the kana as its trunk and one branch.
Real vocabulary
Words you can read now
- タクシーtakushītaxi
- テストtesutotest
- トーストtōsutotoast
- スーツsūtsusuit
- ツアーtsuātour
- スカートsukātoskirt