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Get a plain-English pronunciation guide for Japanese phrases

  • For Office and admin
  • You practice Asking for a format you can use
  • Time about 5 minutes

About this exercise

You're visiting your company's Osaka office and want to say 5 phrases from your list. Get exactly 5 numbered lines formatted "1. phrase - say: syl-la-bles - means: English", in your list's order, under 100 words, plain text. Ms. Tanaka in Osaka told you two things: Japanese syllables are said evenly, so use no capital letters for stress, and the final u in "masu" is nearly silent. Respell the long "ou" as "oh" and the ending "masu" as "mass".

Common mistakes when you ask AI for this

  • Getting English-style stress. Most AI pronunciation guides put one syllable in capitals, which teaches a stress Japanese doesn't use. Try: Add: "No capitals for stress. Japanese syllables are even."
  • Not giving the respelling. The AI picks its own spelling for long vowels and endings, like 'to-o' or 'mah-soo', which you'll read wrong. Try: Add: "Write the long ou as 'oh' and masu as 'mass'."
  • No line shape. The AI writes paragraphs with tips on culture, bowing and characters. Try: Show it: "1. sumimasen - say: soo-mee-mah-sen - means: excuse me"
  • Trusting the AI to count words. AI is bad at counting. Ask for a total and it often lands 20% over. Try: Cap each line: "each line under 18 words."
  • Forgetting where it's going. AI adds bold and headings that show up as stray symbols in a note card. Try: Add: "Plain text, no bold, no headings."

What a strong prompt includes

  • Bans caps for stress
  • Mentions the silent u
  • Shows the line shape
  • Says how many lines
  • Sets a length limit

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