Learning a new language comes with its set of challenges, and for Japanese speakers tackling English pronunciation, some words can be particularly tricky.
In this comprehensive listicle, we will explore the 25 most difficult English words for Japanese speakers to pronounce. We will also delve into the pronunciation challenges for each word, address the correct mouth and tongue positioning for accurate pronunciation, and provide actionable tips that Japanese speakers can use to improve their English pronunciation .
Let's get to it!
1. Rural /ˈrʊr.əl/
Definition: relating to the countryside.
Japanese lacks the distinct ‘r’ sound that exists in American English . As a result, Japanese speakers learning English often replace the ‘r’ sound in words like "rural" with the ‘l’ sound instead. The distinct combination of the the ‘r’ and ‘u’ sounds in quick succession make it even harder for Japanese speakers to pronounce the word like a native English speaker.
To pronounce the American 'r,' position the tongue close to the roof of the mouth without touching it and slightly round the lips. Repeating the ‘r’ sound in isolation and various tongue flexibility exercises can help improve pronunciation of the word "rural" and other English words with the distinct ‘r’ sound.
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2. Thorough /ˈθɝː.oʊ/
Definition: complete with attention to detail.
Given that Japanese lacks the ‘th’ sound , Japanese speakers often substitute the English ‘th’ sound with other similar sounds such as the ‘s’ or ‘z’ sounds.
To correctly pronounce the ‘th’ sound, make sure to place your tongue between the front teeth before exhaling to produce the ‘th’ sound. Practicing tongue twisters containing the ‘th’ sound are particularly helpful for Japanese speakers looking to improve their pronunciation in this area.
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3. Anemone /əˈnem.ə.ni/
Definition: a type of flower.
Very few words in Japanese end with vowels , which makes it hard for Japanese speakers when they attempt to pronounce English words that end with vowels. The word “anemone” poses a special set of challenges because Japanese speakers also have to navigate the combination of vowels throughout the word in addition to the final ‘e’ sound.
To emphasize each vowel of the word and the final ‘e’ sound, practice distinct enunciation of each. Break the word into syllables and practice each vowel sound in isolation before saying the word as a whole.
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4. Colonel /ˈkɝːnəl/
Definition: a military rank
The word "colonel" is often mispronounced by non-native speakers of English due to its odd spelling. Despite featuring an 'l' in the middle of the word, the correct pronunciation of "colonel" doesn't reflect its spelling.
"Colonel" should in fact be pronounced as "kernel" in American English - consult the video below as an example. In order to prevent spelling-based mispronunciations in English as a Japanese speaker, incorporate reading activities alongside your pronunciation practice to strengthen your understanding of English spelling patterns and how they relate to word pronunciation.
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5. Sixth /sɪksθ/
Definition: constituting the number six position in a sequence.
Similar to the word ‘thorough,’ the word ‘sixth’ contains the ‘th’ sound which is challenging for Japanese speakers who often substitute the ‘th’ sound with ‘s’ or ‘z’ sounds. Practicing tongue twisters containing the ‘th’ sound are helpful for Japanese speakers looking to improve their pronunciation in this area.
6. Rhythm /ˈrɪð.əm/
Definition: a regular repeated pattern of sounds or movements.
The combination of the 'th' sound and the silent 'h' at the start of the word makes this word particularly hard for Japanese speakers to pronounce since the ‘th’ sound is rare in Japanese, and the silent ‘h’ is not common.
To perfect the ‘th’ sound, place the tongue between the upper and lower front teeth and exhale, activating the vocal cords. Note that this vocal cord activation distinguishes this voiced 'th' from the unvoiced 'th' found in "thorough" and "sixth."
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7. Queue /kjuː/
Definition: a line of people waiting. Most commonly used in British English .
Navigating the unique arrangement of vowels and the final 'e' in "queue" is tough because Japanese does not commonly use 'u' after 'q,' which can lead to potential confusion.
To correctly pronounce the word "queue," remember to emphasize the ‘k’ and ‘u’ sounds individually before putting the word together. It can be helpful to associate the word "queue" with its homophones "cue" or the letter 'q,' which share the same pronunciation. Take a look at BoldVoice Coach Eliza explaining in detail how to pronounce the word "queue":
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For access to a vast library of expert pronunciation lessons like this one, download the BoldVoice app!
8. Squirrel /ˈskwɜːrəl/
Definition: a small, furry mammal.
The ‘sq’ sound combination at the beginning of the word is not commonly found in Japanese. When Japanese speakers encounter words with this sound combination — such as "squirrel" — they often don’t know how to begin pronouncing the word.
To accurately pronounce the word, pronounce the sounds ‘sk’ and ‘w’ together to create the ‘sq’ sound. Breaking the word into smaller sounds and practicing the initial ‘sq’ word repeatedly can help with achieving accurate pronunciation of the word.
Practice this challenging sound using words like "square," "squeal," and "squirt."
9. Clothes /kloʊðz/
Definition: items worn to cover the body.
Similar to "rhythm," the voiced 'th' sound can be challenging. Japanese speakers often replace the ‘th’ sound with the 'z' sound, resulting in mispronunciation of the word.
Practicing tongue twisters with the voiced ‘th’ sound is the best way to improve pronunciation in this area.
10. Choir /kwaɪər/
Definition: a group of singers.
The word "choir" is a challenge for non-native speakers to pronounce, primarily due to its unusual spelling. Although the word begins with 'ch,' it should not be pronounced with the typical /ʧ/ sound found in words like "cheese" or "cheap." Instead, the 'ch' in "choir" should be pronounced as /k/.
Another challenge with this word is the /aɪə/ sequence. Listen to the American pronunciation in the video below and practice repeating the word - record yourself practicing and compare your pronunciation to that of the video to pinpoint areas for improvement.
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11. February /ˈfeb.ruː.er.i/
Definition: the second month of the year.
Similar to the "rural," the distinct ‘r’ sound can be challenging for Japanese speakers. Oftentimes, Japanese speakers will focus their attention on pronouncing the ‘r’ sound and de-emphasize the ‘u’ sound, which leads to misprounciation of the word.
The best way to combat this is to emphasize both ‘r’ and 'u' sounds separately and clearly enunciate each sound when pronouncing the word "February."
12. Surgery /ˈsɜːrdʒəri/
Definition: a medical procedure involving the treatment of injuries or diseases by cutting open the body and removing or repairing the damaged part.
Since the /dʒ/ sound is not commonly occurring in Japanese words, Japanese speakers often pronounce the ‘g’ sound in the middle of "surgery" with ‘z’ instead. To pronounce the /dʒ/ sound, position the tongue against the hard palate, create a slight constriction, and release it with voicing.
Practicing with minimal pair s can be helpful to improve pronunciation in this area, for example, "bad" and "badge."
13. Hyperbole /haɪˈpɜːrbəli/
Definition: exaggerated statements not meant to be taken literally.
The primary struggle when it comes to the word "hyperbole" is its spelling. Since the word ends with the letters "bole," it's often assumed that the word should rhyme with "bowl" when in fact, it sounds like "high-per-bowl-ee."
To improve your understanding of unique English spellings and pronunciations, incorporate reading into your pronunciation practice. Reading along with audiobooks is a great exercise to increase your exposure to English spelling alongside English pronunciation patterns, as well as exceptions to the standard spelling/pronunciation rules.
14. Epitome /ɪˈpɪtəmi/
Definition: a person or thing that is a perfect example of a particular quality or type.
Just like "hyperbole," the spelling of "epitome" can cause confusion and result in mispronunciations by native Japanese speakers. As with the previous word, "epitome" is pronounced with the final "e" extended to become "ee": "ep-it-ohm-ee."
Again, combining reading exercises alongside your pronunciation practice is the best way to learn these English words with unusual pronunciations and to improve your overall English pronunciation as a Japanese speaker.
15. Entrepreneur /ˌɑːn.trə.prəˈnɝː/
Definition: a person who starts a business.
Similar to "rural" and "February," the ‘r’ sound followed by a vowel sound can be challenging for native Japanese speakers to pronounce accurately.
Continue practicing the American 'r' pronunciation in front of a mirror, recording the audio as you practice. Use these recordings and watch your mouth and tongue positioning to further refine your pronunciation of the 'r' sound. Once you feel comfortable with the 'r,' incorporate 'r' with various vowel sounds.
16. Worcestershire /ˈwʊstərʃər/
Definition: a type of sauce.
This word is challenging even for native English speakers, not to mention Japanese speakers who are not familiar with such a complex arrangement of consonants. For longer words like "Worcestershire," breaking down the word into smaller sounds and practicing each syllable separately is key to accurate pronunciation.
"Worcestershire" is another English word whose pronunciation does not entirely match its spelling. A type of sauce as well as a county in England, "Worcestershire" is pronounced as follows:
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17. Ophthalmology /ˌɑːfθælˈmɑːlədʒi/
Definition: study of the eyes.
This is another challenging word for Japanese speakers because of the combination of 'ph,’ ‘th,’ and ‘lm’ sounds. These are all challenging sounds to pronounce for native Japanese speakers, and they occur in quick succession in the word "ophthalmology."
Again, the best way to achieve accurate pronunciation of this word is to break down the word into smaller sounds and then practice each sound distinctly before pronouncing the word as a whole.
18. Prefer /prɪˈfɜːr/
Definition: to like or choose one thing over another.
The ‘pr’ consonant cluster at the beginning of the word can be challenging for Japanese speakers since the Japanese language does not have the distinct ‘r’ sound that exists in English.
Practice the 'p' sounds by repeating words like "pickle," "pat," and "pink." Once comfortable with the initial 'p,' move on to words like "pretty," "proof," and "proper."
19. Video /ˈvɪdiəʊ/
Definition: a recording of moving visual images.
The ‘v’ sound does not exist in standard Japanese, so many Japanese speakers will incorrectly replace the ‘v’ sound with ‘b’ instead. As a result, Japanese speakers often say "bideo" instead of "video," which is incorrect.
To achieve accurate pronunciation of the ‘v’ sound, bring the upper front of your bottom lip into light contact with the upper front teeth while allowing voiced airflow. Practice and refine this sound using minimal pairs like "bat" and "vat" or "ban" and "van."
20. Hurt /hɜːrt/
Definition: to cause physical or emotional pain.
The ‘h’ sound is less aspirated in the Japanese language when compared to English, causing difficult when pronouncing words like "hurt." Additionally, the vowel sound ‘er’ is confusing for Japanese speakers, who often mispronounce the word "hurt" as "heart" instead.
To pronounce the 'h' sound, exhale gently with an open vocal tract, not engaging the vocal cords, and produce a soft, audible breath. Practice this with words like "happy," "healthy," and "hard." Repeat the minimal pair "hurt" and "heart" to recognize the difference in vowel sounds and to train yourself to accurately distinguish between them.
21. Today /təˈdeɪ/
Definition: the current day or the period of daylight.
The weak vowel ‘o’ in today can be confusing since Japanese speakers are used to pronouncing the strong ‘o’ sound instead of a passive ‘uh’ sound, the schwa sound . To combat this mispronunciation problem, focus on practicing the schwa and recognizing when the passive sound is used in English to recognize the pattern for the future.
Listen to the schwa pronunciation below and keep your ears open for the schwa as you move forward ingesting American media and interacting with native speakers - it pops up all over the place!
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22. Acquaintance /əˈkweɪntəns/
Definition: a person one knows slightly but is not a close friend.
Just like "queue" and "squirrel," the ‘qu’ sound at the beginning of the word is challenging for Japanese speakers since this vowel and consonant combination does not exist in Japanese. The diphthong /eɪ/ is also tough to pronounce since Japanese does not have diphthongs.
To pronounce the “qu” sound, produce a sound that combines the ‘k’ and ‘w’ sounds together. For the diphthong /eɪ/, position your tongue mid-height and slightly forward, transitioning from an open-mid front vowel to a near-close near-front one, as in the word "day."
Practice this diphthong with words like "face," "cake," and "eight."
23. Report /rɪˈpɔːrt/
Definition: a spoken or written account of something.
The ‘p’ sound in Japanese is softer than it is pronounced in English. To accurately pronounce the ‘p’ sound in "report," be sure to build up pressure by bringing the lips together before doing a quick release and producing an aspirated sound.
24. Liaison /liˈeɪ.zɑːn/
Definition: connection or communication between groups.
Given that Japanese vowels tend to be more simple and consistent compared to English vowels, Japanese speakers struggle with the unusual 'iai' combination in this word.
The first 'i' should be pronounced as 'ee,' as in "sheep" or "sleep." The following "ai" is pronounced as the diphthong /eɪ/, just as in "acquaintance."
25. Chameleon /kəˈmiːliən/
Definition: a type of lizard that can change color.
Once again, the spelling of this word can be misleading. Although beginning with the letters 'ch,' "chameleon" does not feature the /tʃ/ sound found in words like "chair" or "cheer." Instead, it begins with a hard 'k' sound.
Improve your understanding of English spelling and American English pronunciation patterns by reading along to texts and scripts as you work on your pronunciation practice.
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