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Short Versus Long Sounds

Sensivity with Kanji compounds consisting of double consonants and elongated sounds is of crucial importance. Double consonants: 作家 sakka (writer) and 活性 kassei (dynamism) should not confused with 坂 saka (hill) and 火星 kasei (Mars) respectively. Without the accent stressed on "kk" and "ss," another meaning will be conveyed. Elongated vowels are more difficult and need to be explained at length. Failure to distinguish between short vowels a, o, u from long vowels ā, ō, ū would surely court confusion and learning frustration. The meaning intended would entirely change, depending only on the elongated sounds. As an example, the words "kyodai," and "kyōdai," have entirely different meanings: The former 巨大 refers to "giant," and the latter 兄弟 means "brothers." Kanji researchers have spent much time and resources explaining this crucial matter. Transcription methods differ as to what the better way is. One method that attaches the letter "h" after the vowel was a trend in popular culture: Satoh, Saitoh, Itoh, Katoh and Ohno. The ease of typing the letter "h" with computers and cell phones may have led to the trend. However, for historical reasons, the overwhelming majority of English reference publications use the Hepburn style: ā, ū, ē, ō. This romanization system was pioneered by Dr. James Curtis Hepburn (1815–1911). The diacritic above the preceding letters represents the elongated sounds. To put it simply, one can think of the letter u as a mouth facing the sky and the line above, or ū, as depicting rising wavelengths of an elongated sound. Within the Hepburn style, the above common names should be spelt as: Satō, Saitō, Itō, Katō and Ōno. The Hepburn style is used by the Government of Japan in all official documents. Kanji dictionaries use the same approach. The Kanji Handbook is no exception. Concentrate on the subtle difference between the short and long syllables. A long accent is placed on elongated vowels, taking double the time to pronounce than short vowels. Success with this exercise will lead to greater confidence. Practice your pronunciation and listening skills, using the comparative list below: