We're BACK!

This time we're going to try a fun game

it's a chance to use everything we talked about in our last video

yes, this video is some raw TOP-DOWN input

that you can use to improve your Japanese speaking and pronunciation

The 10 most DIFFICULT Japanese word pronunciations

and the 10 most difficult ENGLISH words!

GET READY! >:(

So I listed up 10 wonky English words for Akkie

and you picked 10 Japanese?

Yep! 10 Japanese words!

So we'll check how to say each word

introduce a realistic sample sentence

and if we need a little extra help

we'll use a smart ASSistant

an ASS-istant omg.

by seeing if it recognizes our voice input.

We'll use that to check as needed!

Let's get started!

Wait, I've NEVER seen this word before!

I don't even know this word!

The word is.... oh this is hard...

Flleeegh...em?

It does look that way doesn't it!

But it's pronounced like FLEM.

So no G? It's silent.

You've got a lot of phlegm.

So, this word actually does come up in normal conversation

but you'd expect your doctor to use this: "You have a lot of phlegm."

Or like, "You may experience a lot of phelgm."

You use it more in colder seasons like right now

Oh its a cold?

It's a side effect...

snot?

Yep!

When you get stuffed up.

Snot is kind of more nasty sounding

they're both OK in English but to sound nicer you'd say phlegm.

It's like using the medical term?

Yeah but even non-doctors use it.

"I've got a lot of phlegm today!"

It'll make you sound like a normal adult.

The spelling looks like something stuck in your nose.

PhLeFGGGGuuueemm

Phlegm

Ah, she started reading a definition.

OK! Here's the first Japanese word

Oh! Kanji! er... kAnJi? KanJI? kanji??

Ooo, maybe I stumped you?

"kanji wo kurikaeshi kaku" Write the kanji over and over again.

A lot of people will put this loud, downward emphasis on the first part of KANji

KAN↓ ji

The correct way is ka ↑ N JI

emphasizing the KA makes it a different word.

Wait, which word?

KA↓nji is like at an event or party

the MC who's running it all?

Yeah, that's the KANJI most people are actually pronouncing everytime.

So... ka↑N JI ka↑N JI wo kurikaeshi kaku

Oh look, the right one came out this time!

Ok sending the next one....NOW.

Ahhh, yeah this is a hard one. :(

1st is...

QUICK

QUICK. Thanks for the quick reply.

Beautiful!

The other is.... uh oh...

is QUICKLY

This LY-ending is so hard for Japanese people.

I know, it's a dirty trick.

We'll have to move quickly...

Ah, it worked!

Siri doesn't get what I want to do quickly.

She got it though, cuz the word is on the screen

C"mon Siri, do your job!

She's like... "what about quickly? What am I doing?"

Another word that many mispronounce, like KAnji

Is josei (女性 ) for girl.

ano JO↓-sei wa kawaii to omou. I think that girl is cute.

I was scolded a lot for this in high school.

Wait in high school?!

it's not JO↓ sei , it's 　jo↑ SEI

American's tend to mispronounce DANSEI and JOSEI a lot.

I could see why Americans would have trouble there.

American Japanese is so punchy sounding.

na↑TOU

na↑TOU ippai tabeta. I ate a lot of natto.

Aw crap I'm wrong?!

Ippai right? Did I say ippai wrong?

Nope...

Natto?!

It's the beginning? NAH-tou?

Thats the international group NATO.

Oh, but we pronounce that NATO (nay-toh)

Oh, in Japanese it's NAH-TOU. It's NAYto in the US?

Wait, hold up! So...this natto thing...

How do you say these beans correctly?

Wait, how did I say it just now?

Wait...what's the difference.

na↑--TTO-o

Oh, so it has to go up at the "TO" at the end.

Yeah, and then it comes back down at the end

So up, then jump, then back down,

Still nope.

Natto is a surprisingly hard one.

It has the pitch, and the small "tsu", double consonant

so you have the balance the weight of each syllable.

na↑--TTO-o

na↑--TTO-o

I feel like you're in my class now.

Yeah that's it!!!

You got it! na↑--TTO-o ippai tabeta (I ate a lot of natto).

Here comes the next one!

Vanilla!

Can I have a vanilla milkshake?

Vanilla milkshake...

It sounds like you're saying vinyl in Japanese.

not [ i ] it's [ ɪ ]

it's centralized like the "ɪ" in "it".

wtffff.

If you know the vowels chart from IPA

it's the short "i" second from the top.

Oh perfect!

Can I have a vanilla milkshake?

It's never been more beautiful.

Ahhh. How rough.

It worked again!

Siri, you're so smart!

zenzen daijoubu. Is that OK?

Wait, what's the easy mistake to make?

DAI↓ jou bu.

dai　↑ JOU bu.

Here you go!

AH NO I CAN'T DO THIS ONE. I ALREADY KNOW FOR A FACT.

The.... sikkktssss??

I'm so sorry!

Sikthhh.. sthenn?

Why can't you just say シックス・センス!

Sikkk...senhhhthhss?

Sixth sense! Sixth sense.

Do you really pronounce the "th" in there after six?

Yeah, it's like barely there.

Just barely?

I almost feel like you have to use your nose up here

I really can't say it if I think about it

Sixss.... sense...

Didn't you say it?!

Really? I can't tell what actually sounds right.

It sounds like you're saying it!

I'm only say six sense right now.

Bruce Willis was great in The Sixth Sense

Siri?

Sixth sense...

Six sense....

Six sense. Siri: I didn't quite get that...

See, she only heard "six", not sixth.

Ahhhh I see, no th.

Oh wait...

Even with you it just says six sense.

Wait, maybe I can't say it?!

Sixth sense.

There it is!

Google, you're amazing!

I'm native!

Yeah... this one's a little different.

six cents.

Was that... AHAHAH

Ahhh how annoying. I can't do it.

If anyone has tips, please tell me.

Here's the next one!

sen'en (1000 yen)

Do you have 1000 yen?

Good...er...wait?

Your accent was off a bit.

Got 1000 yen on ya?

That's kansai-ben

*geTs ExCitED fOr No ReaSoN* Ya GoT 1000 YEn?!

Do you have fiber? AHhh I said fiber (sen'i)

Your accent.....

....sounds like Kansai.

In Tokyo the "aru" goes down like A↓ru

SEN↓en A↓ru?

SEN↓en A↓ru?

A common mistake with this word

is pronouncing SEN-NEN, with the nasal like the English letter N.

A LOT of people say sen-nen.

Awww man, my jaw hurts!

I know we've been laughing and contorting our mouths this whole time.

Here's the next English one!

OK, THIS ONE I can do!

McDonald's!

McDonald's. Wanna swing by McDonald's?

Mmmm. What's "swing by"?

Like　寄る (yoru) in Japanese

Ohhh.. yoru.

Like "drop by" or something

Wanna swing by McDonald's?

Wanna swing by McDonald's?

McDonald's...

It worked! And Siri sent me all these locations!

Ahahah, wanna drop by?

Wanna swing by?

Ya got 1000 yen on ya?

Ahh, see you're studying already!

Ohhhhhhhh.............. shujutsuchu?

This one's hard, even for Japanese people.

What's the common mistake with this one?

Like shuju..tzzjuuu or like shoojooo...jooo..

One tip is to take "tsu" in shujutsu

and say it lighter, almost skipping it.

Almost like shuju--cchuu.

That's an exaggeration but

Try saying it, almost skipping the "tsu" sound.

shujutsuchuu...shujutsuchuu...

I think you got it though.

Ahhh.... this one right?

Rural....

Sounds like you got it!

Wait, why is your sentence so long.

I grew up in the suburbs near D.C. but

my parents moved out to a more rural area.

Rural.

Ruurrll.. Rrrrrrl...

It sounds like we're speaking in slow motion!

Ruuurrrrrr.allll

The RuRoR JuRoRRr

Rural WHAT?!

Juror.

Ruuurrrr..jurrrr?

Rurrral..jurrror...

I can't really judge this one, so let's use siri.

rural juror....

OMG!!! IT WORKED!!!

I did it!

Dude, my throat hurts from say that.

That R is painful.

Rural area. Even area is hard.

Welcome to America.

To the rural areas of America.

This R is realllyyyy hard for Japanese people.

Also, a common name you might find out in these rural areas might be EARL

Earl-ojisan. Yeah, Earl-ojisan lives in a rural area.

Uncle Earl lives in a rural area.

Rrrrrr....

UNCRRR EARRURRRRR

uncle also sounds like poop in Japanese

(making Ken Shimura references)

Uncle is Anko, like Japanese Anko

Anko Earl...

Ah....

my throat hurts...

Yeah dude, my throat hurts.

You do have to build up muscles for new words/sounds. (to be continued in part 2)

it actually takes time just to get use to making the sounds (to be continued in part 2)

I need to drink earl grey.

Oh, good one!

Ahhh... I'm in pain

I feel like my guts came out with that R...