摩擦音(まさつおん)

Composed of 摩擦(まさつ) (friction) and 音(おん) (sound). A calque of the English linguistic term "fricative." Refers to consonants produced by narrowing the vocal tract enough that the airflow creates a hissing or rubbing noise — for example, the English "s," "f," "v," "th," and "sh" sounds, and the Japanese "s" and the "f/h" in ふ.

Usage

• A technical term used in phonetics textbooks, Japanese-language teaching materials, and linguistic discussions.
• Often paired with other manner-of-articulation terms: 破裂音(はれつおん) (plosive / stop), 鼻音(びおん) (nasal), 破擦音(はさつおん) (affricate).
• The Japanese sa-row consonant [s] and the sound in ふ [ɸ] are the most commonly cited native Japanese fricatives.
• May appear in everyday contexts when discussing pronunciation difficulties for learners.

Common collocations

• 無声(むせい)摩擦音(まさつおん): voiceless fricative
• 有声(ゆうせい)摩擦音(まさつおん): voiced fricative
• 摩擦音(まさつおん)を発音(はつおん)する: to pronounce a fricative
• 摩擦音(まさつおん)の種類(しゅるい): types of fricatives
• 歯擦音(しさつおん): sibilant (a subtype of fricative)

Similar words

• 破裂音(はれつおん): plosive, stop — e.g., p, t, k
• 破擦音(はさつおん): affricate — e.g., ts, ch
• 鼻音(びおん): nasal — e.g., m, n
• 流音(りゅうおん): liquid — e.g., l, r
• 半母音(はんぼいん): semivowel — e.g., y, w
• 子音(しいん): consonant — the umbrella category
• 母音(ぼいん): vowel — the opposite category