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Explanation

What Japanese sounds like

Japanese timing is counted in moras: short, even beats. Five vowels do the vowel work.

あ is a, い is i, う is u, え is e, and お is o. Each character is one beat. う is an unrounded “oo”, not the English word “you”. え does not glide into “ay”, and お does not glide into “oh”.

あいうえお is five beats, not one slurred word. Romaji on this page is a temporary spelling aid. The characters are the writing.

Pronouncing え like the English word “ay”, or お like “oh”. Those English sounds change shape in the middle. A Japanese vowel stays still for one beat.

あaいiうuえeおo

The five vowels, in chart order.

あaおo

Two moras. This is also the word for blue; you do not need that meaning yet.

いiえe

Two moras. Later this writing is also the word for house.

You do not need a Japanese keyboard. The practice screens include kana keys. Romaji will be hidden once you turn that aid off in Settings.

These notes have not had a separate native-speaker editorial review.