1.
nasal sound; the moraic nasal 'n' (ん/ン)
In Japanese phonetics, the nasal syllable ん (hiragana) or ン (katakana), which is the only kana that represents a consonant without an accompanying vowel. Its actual pronunciation varies depending on the sound that follows it.
「ん」は撥音と呼ばれる。
'N' is called a hatsuon (nasal sound).
撥音の発音は後ろに続く音によって変わる。
The pronunciation of the nasal 'n' changes depending on the sound that follows it.
日本語の撥音「ん」は一拍分の長さを持つ独立した音だ。
The Japanese nasal 'n' is an independent sound that takes up one mora of length.
A phonetics term composed of 撥 (to spring, to flick) and 音 (sound). Refers specifically to the kana ん, the only Japanese syllable that consists of a consonant alone.
PRONUNCIATION VARIATION:
The actual sound of ん changes based on what follows:
- Before b, p, m → [m] (e.g., 新聞 sounds like 'shimbun')
- Before d, t, n → [n] (e.g., 先に sounds like 'senni')
- Before g, k → [ŋ] (e.g., 漫画 sounds like 'manga')
- Before vowels or at end of word → nasalized vowel
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 撥音の発音: pronunciation of the nasal n
- 撥音を含む語: words containing the nasal n
- 撥音便: euphonic nasal insertion (a historical sound change)
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 発音: pronunciation — a homophone but written with different kanji (発 = emit, 音 = sound); context usually makes the distinction clear
- 鼻音: nasal sound — a broader phonetics term for any nasal consonant; 撥音 refers specifically to ん
NOTE:
Not to be confused with the homophone 発音 (pronunciation), which uses different kanji. In writing, the distinction is clear; in speech, context determines meaning.