| Pronunciation | Numbers | Anatomy | 

Wado Ryu was the first truly Japanese style of karate founded by the late Hironori Ohtsuka and as such it remains important for all to use original names for techniques etc. This then will provide us with a cross language platform for all to learn, whether you speak English, French Swahili a maegeri will always be a front kick. This is especially important for large organisation such as ours.

Before we start looking at basic terminology it is important to have an understanding for correct pronunciation.

We will first look at vowels since these often cause problems to many people, however if you speak a language such as Spanish or Italian you will find Japanese vowels very similar. Familiarise yourself with the below vowels and you will be well on your way to correct pronunciation.

Short Vowels

	a as in father
	e as in get
	i as in sweet
	o as in open
	u as in food

Long Vowels

Long vowels are often indicated by macrons; and should be pronounced the same as short vowels but the sound is double the length.

The length of the o in soto (the outside) is similar to the o in oil.
The length of the o in dōjō (place of the way) is similar to the o in torch.

Vowel Combinations

Consonants

Most consonants are pronounced as you would in English. A few that may need clarifying are listed below.

• An n occurring before b, m and p changes to a m in sound and should be so written when romanized; i.e..
  
  shin + bun = shimbun (newspaper)
  shin + pai  = shimpai (worry)
  
  
• An r is pronounced with the tip of the tongue; and sounds somewhere between an l and r, but is never rolled.
  

  Click and listen to roku the Japanese word for the six.

   

• A g at a begining of a word is normally pronounced hard as in get, the mid-word g however is often nasalised as the ng in sing. 

Double Consonants

Double consonants should always be fully pronounced, though a double c should be written and always pronounced as tc. i.e.

    tettsui  = tet + tsui  (bottom fist)
    matchi = mat + chi (match)

Muting

The u is frequently mute in Japanese except where it is the initial syllable. In particular when u follows an s it is not articulated. 
                  
    dare desu ka = dare des'ka    (who is it?)
    mokuso = mok'so (empty mind)

Now we have covered basic pronunciation its time to move on to numbers and basic words. Use the links below to move to the next section.

| Pronunciation | Numbers | Anatomy |