Why Does My Japanese Sound Unnatural?

You’ve memorized dozens of kanji and can order coffee without a problem, but you still feel like you sound like a foreigner.

It’s a common frustration.

While grammar and vocabulary are crucial, mastering pronunciation is what bridges the gap between sounding like a student and sounding natural.

Many English speakers unknowingly carry over pronunciation habits that don’t exist in Japanese.

The good news is that these are predictable patterns that can be corrected with focused practice.

Here are five of the most common Japanese pronunciation mistakes and how to start fixing them today.

Mistake 1: Using the English “R” Sound

The Problem: The Japanese 'R' sound (found in the ら, り, る, れ, ろ syllables) is one of the biggest tells of a non-native speaker.

The English “R” is formed with the tongue curled back in the mouth.

The Japanese 'R' is completely different.

The Fix: Think of the Japanese 'R' as a light tap or a soft flick of the tongue against the roof of your mouth, right behind your front teeth.

It’s very similar to the quick “tt” sound in the American English pronunciation of “butter” or the “dd” in “ladder.”

• Practice Tip: Say the word “ladder” out loud.

Isolate that soft “dd” sound in the middle.

That’s the motion your tongue should make.

Try applying it to words like sakura (さくら) and arigatou (ありがとう).

Mistake 2: Dragging Out Vowels

The Problem: English vowels can be long and complex (think of the “a” in “gate” or the “i” in “time”).

Japanese vowels—あ (a), い (i), う (u), え (e), お (o)—are almost always short, crisp, and pure.

Over-pronouncing them is a common mistake.

The Fix: Keep your vowels short and sharp.

Each vowel has one distinct sound.

Avoid the temptation to let them glide into another sound.

• Example: In the word sensei (せんせい), the “e” and “i” sounds should be two separate, quick sounds (sen-se-i), not a long, blended “ay” sound like in the English word “say.”

Mistake 3: Applying English Stress Instead of Pitch Accent

The Problem: English uses stress accent, where we emphasize one syllable in a word by making it louder (e.g., pre-sent vs. pre-sent).

Japanese, on the other hand, uses a pitch accent system.

This means words are differentiated by a rise and fall in pitch across syllables, not volume.

The Fix: Start training your ear to hear pitch, not just stress.

For example, hashi (はし) can mean “chopsticks” (high-low pitch) or “bridge” (low-high pitch).

While you don’t need to master this overnight, simply being aware of it is a huge step.

• Practice Tip: Use listening resources that highlight pitch accent.

When you import vocabulary lists into an app like StudyArcade, turn them into listening-based games.

Repeatedly hearing a native speaker pronounce a word helps you internalize its correct pitch pattern without getting bogged down in theory.

Mistake 4: Ignoring the Small “tsu” (っ)

The Problem: The small “tsu,” known as a sokuon, is not a sound itself.

It’s a silent pause that doubles the consonant that follows it.

Many beginners either ignore it or try to pronounce it as a full “tsu” syllable.

The Fix: Treat the small “tsu” as a very short, sharp stop in your breath.

It creates a slight hiccup before the next sound, making it more impactful.

• Example: The word kitte (きって), meaning “stamp,” has a brief pause between the “ki” and the “te.” It sounds like “kit-te.” This is very different from kite (きて), meaning “come,” which has no pause.

Mistake 5: Pronouncing Every Vowel Fully

The Problem: In certain contexts, Japanese vowels become “devoiced,” meaning they are whispered or almost disappear entirely.

This typically happens to the vowels 'i' and 'u' when they are between two voiceless consonants (like k, s, t, p, h).

English speakers tend to pronounce every vowel sound clearly.

The Fix: Listen for these dropped sounds in native speech. A classic example is suki (すき), meaning “like.” Native speakers almost always pronounce it like “ski,” with the 'u' sound being nearly silent.

The same happens in desu (です), which often sounds more like “dess.”

• Practice Tip: You don’t need to memorize complex rules.

Just start by listening for it.

Shadowing—repeating audio from native speakers right after you hear it—is a great way to practice this naturally.

Making It All Stick

Fixing pronunciation is all about active listening and consistent practice.

Record yourself speaking and compare it to a native speaker.

It might feel awkward at first, but it’s the fastest way to identify your specific problem areas.

And remember, tools can help.

Creating custom game decks in StudyArcade from your own pronunciation word lists gives you a fun, low-stakes way to drill these sounds.

By focusing on these five key areas, you’ll be on your way to speaking clearer, more natural-sounding Japanese.