Why Japanese people pronounce the R and L sounds funny

Japanese people have a lot of difficulty differentiating the R and L sounds, especially in English. This is why  funnily translated English that one sees in Japan is commonly called Engrish. (Recently people are calling funny English in China Chinglish.)

There's a simple reason why Japanese people can't pronounce R and L correctly. They don't exist in Japanese. It is not, as was asked of me once, a genetic defect. Japanese people who spent their childhood years in an English speaking country can pronounce both sounds fine.

The Japanese version of the 'rrr' type of sound, the ra ri ru re ro (ら　り　る　れ　ろ) row in the phonetic hiragana alphabet, is somewhere between R and L.

So, 'rice' gets pronounced 'lice', 'balloon' as 'baroon', etc.

People who make fun of this fact are ignorant, racist, mouth-breathing cretins, most of whom barely speak one language properly, and who deserve to be choked with a big wad of mochi.

Thank you.

Closed to comments because I'm sick and tired of deleting those from mouth-breathing cretins.

Comments

[julie]

When I was studying Japanese at university, the tip we were given was to think of the sound of consonent in the middle of the word "butter" when trying to pronounce the Japanese "R". A bit like a rolling "D". I really enjoyed learning this language even though there was quite a lot of "mou ichido, itte kudasai". :)

[Jessica D]

This is also the same reason why I don't like to watch the ending to the movie A Christmas Story... I don't like the culture shock and mockery they make of the Chinese restaurant folks. Though, one must, I guess, take things a little more lightly or else work into a state leading to a heart attack, the way things are going! Sometimes people get less and less culturally [rather than politically] correct or respectful when it comes to their global neighbors.

[Simon]

Please spare the Mochi.

[Ed]

Absolutely!!! People who do that are a disgrace.

[Lex]

Is there a similar common pronounciation mistake that English-speaking people make when speaking Japanese? Is it part of a stereotype as well? I've always wondered.

[Carol]

i love mochi, too!
gee your blog is filled when things i love.
like the Japanese language for example..which i dont LOVE, but am trying to learn..for my love of Japan.

[Lori]

Yes and no - if you listen to certain pop songs (for example, Chara singing "Ai no uta" on YouTube), the "L" sound is an affectation, but one that's almost perfect. I used to use these kinds of examples for students trying to get the sound, and it (sometimes) helped...

[confused]

I'm sorry to trouble you, but I'm still a little confused. =/ L and R has trouble me for a long time...

So ra ri ru re ro are pronounced as a sort of mix of english "L and R", and that is why many Japanese people had a hard time learning? Someone once tried to explain to me that you try and say ra ri ru re ro as if you were blending RandL together. (Er-llo, or something to that effect.) Is this true?

Now, since L and R are pronounced the same, the mix up of "rice = lice" and "Balloon = Baroon" is just because a new-english speaker cannot hear the difference between the two?

Terribly sorry if I sound ignorant, I mean no offense. I've always struggled with grammar and phonetics, especially when it comes to another language!! But, I've always wanted to learn Japanese! =)

[maki]

I don't think it is necessarily that people can't hear the difference. It's more that since there are no separate L and R sounds in Japanese, it's hard for people to remember that they are different.

For a non-Japanese speaker to pronounce the らりるれろ　sounds I guess it is closer to R than L, but not as rounded.

(best to learn by listening to examples!)

[manju]

Amen. I happened on your food site, but have been enjoying many aspects of your different blogs. This particular one really hits home because my mom, who is Okinawan, has always had a hard time with the sounding Rs and Ls. But even worse, my dad is Filipino so he is cursed with the not hearing the difference with P and F, too! Fun times growing up in our house!

Love your blogs. I'll be back.

[Someone]

Since I only speak one language, I always think that, that person speaks better english than I do japenese. I always wondered why the L and R mix up happens, thanks for the explantion.

[Expat in Japan]

Yeah! Give it to 'em!

By the way, love your blog!

[kabonfootprint]

I am not a Japanese, but I also used to pronounce R like L, here in our place, they call me "Bulol!

Busby SEO challenge

KabonFootPrint

[Dan]

You guys do a wonderful job! Keep up the good work!!!

[B.]

you're amazing ♥

[ED]

hey, sometimes i kinda make fun of my Chinese friend's English. yet, i know for a fact, that his English is better than any other language i can speak! and he reminds me of this

[Paul]

Well, I'm the other way: having difficulty getting the Japanese 'r's and 'l's correctly pronounced.

As I hear things there is most definitely an r and an l in Japanese, just one (from loads) example:

igirisu (England) is, to me, pronounced i-gi-RI-su

and,

sakura (cherry blossom) is, to me, pronounced sa-ku-LA

So, sd an Igirisujin, I have just as much trouble, seemingly, from the other direction as a Nihonjin does. Hopefully I sound just as cute...

[Haley in Japan]

I think it's cute how Japanese folks make this mistake... I almost don't want to correct my best friend, an exchange student from Japan. But she pressures me to ><

Yet she makes fun of herself with the "Ls" and "Rs", and it seems only English-speakers get angry at other people who poke fun, whereas the foreigners seems to be cheery about it... so I really don't understand the "mouth-breathing fucker" comment... it's a little frivolous and openly flippant if you ask me.

English people are so negative ^^'

[maki]

Obviously some people miss the </sarcasm> tag.

Or the fact that there are whole websites devoted to making fun of the way non-English speakers speak or write English.

[Darren]

I know this is a bit of a dead topic, but I had to chime in:)

My psychology textbook says that that basic sounds of a language are called "phonemes" or something like that. The sounds listed above are examples.

And the problem for Chinese (And apparently Japanese as well) is that the language makes no distinction between the "l" and "r" sounds. It's the same sound to them.

And yes, English people do the same thing, which sounds just as funny to others. But you'll have to look those up for yourself.

[djheydt]

Let me give an example of a sound in *one dialect of* English that is misinterpreted by people who speak other dialects of English.

First I have to define a symbol. I'm going to use the @ sign for the character usually called "schwa," which looks like an upside-down e. This is the sound in "nut" or "fuss", but it's also the sound in almost any syllable in English that isn't stressed. (That is, we pronounce "telegraph" 'tel@graef', but "telegraphy" is 't@legr@fiy'.)

The dialect I'm talking about is the one associated with Brooklyn and/or the Bronx, in New York. It is said of these speakers, by other people, that they always get the "er" and "oi" sound backwards, that is, they will say "poils come from ersters."

What is actually happening is that these speakers are using *one* sound where other dialects would use two. If you transcribe the "i" in "rice" as 'ay' and the "ee" in "see" as 'iy', the Brooklyn sound other speakers misinterpret is '@y.' They say, "p@yls come from @ysters." And the speakers of other dialects interpret that single sound as the *opposite* of the one they themselves would use.

Hope this helps....

[Ray]

Hi, I kinda disagree on the "ignorant, racist, mouth-breathing fuckers...".
I make fun of it and japanese guys would probably make fun of me trying to spell the japanese "r" if I was english or from some other place that does not use that consonant . It's just funny. No one's getting beaten so what's the problem?

[Baleias]

Someone asked about mistakes English speakers make when trying to speak Japanese. I would say the R itself is a problem for English speakers when learning most foreign languages. As far as I can tell, not a lot of languages have the "English" R, which I believe is called retroflex. Take for instance how they pronounce "kaRaoke", "aRRivedeRci", "au RevoiR" or "buRRito".

For the record, I am not Japanese, nor do I know any Japanese. Though I'm trying to learn :) The pronunciation of Japanese doesn't seem so hard to me, maybe because my first language is Portuguese. I think we have similar vowels and ra re ri ro ru sounds :)

On another note, I always thought that movie Lost In Translation was totally off when they pictured a Japanese woman saying "Lip my stocking", when she actually meant "Rip my stocking". I thought that, among Japanese learners, this only happened the other way around (an L being replaced by an R). But based on what you wrote on this post, it could actually make sense (although the depiction was offensive and stereotypical).

I think accents or linguistic mistakes in general might sometimes appear funny, but they should never be used to make assumptions about the habilities of the person speaking. No one should be made fun of because of how they talk or write. Or because of anything, really! Making fun of others is mean, petty and cruel. And a major waste of time and energy. Did I mention it's mean?

I hope I am making sense. It's nice to ramble, anyway. I find accents in general a fascinating topic. The fact that our first language is so powerful that it will most likely leave its mark on whatever other languages we learn! It's just fascinating :)

[John]

That's the easiest way to distinguish a japanese person from a chinese person. Japanese people can't pronounce L and Chinese can't pronounce R. Ask them to say 'Lara', japanese people will say 'Rara' and chinese 'Lala'.
One thing I don't understand is why in Japan they manufacture vehicles with 'L' in the name.

[John]

Oh one more thing... In Japan, they write foreign words in Katakana alphabet, but they do write as the words sounds in japanese. Sometimes it's HARD to understand what it means.
For example: Maku Donarudo=Mc Donalds, T-shiatsu=T-shirt

[j]

As a mouth-breather, I am insulted by your comments... eh, just kidding. But still, this whole 'R' and 'L' thing *is* pretty funny, just like the many mistakes I would make with Japanese.

Of my nine co-workers, three are Chinese, one is Egyptian, and three are Russian. We all joke about our language quirks all the time; if we didn't, I think we'd all be very frustrated with each other on those occasions when we have difficulty communicating. It's like a bonding experience :)

[Jon]

Thanks for the info it was good until the part you say, "People who make fun of this fact are ignorant, racist, mouth-breathing fuckers."

[mobusaki]

I understand that stereotypes can be offensive. However, your comment

"People who make fun of this fact are ignorant, racist, mouth-breathing fuckers."

is itself a stereotype and more offensive than what you were offended about!

Look around you and realize that political correctness is part of what's tearing our societies apart. People use it as a tool to gain power over others by ostracizing them and silencing them.

The simple fact is that we all need to lighten up. If I tease you about something, I'm saying you get to tease me, too. If I were to get offended when you make fun of me in return, *then* there's a problem.

Again, your response to stereotyping is to stereotype? Look two comments above mine to see why not all people who poke fun are "mouth breathers" and etc.

Good article except for that, though. :)

[Chell]

If you want to feel what it's like not being able to pronounce a sound from a different language, find a Jewish person and ask them to say "Chanukah" or "Chayyim". Most people won't be able to pronounce the first sound in either. That's because the sound isn't connected to any words in your brain.

[Fat Lady]

I'm late coming to read this post, but I sooo appreciate it, and Yes to the mouth-breathing fuckers sentiment. I had the sad-but-enlightening experience of realizing I, myself, was an idiot in this way, when, after a lifetime of teasing my Polish immigrant father for mixing up "the" and "a" in English ('I'm cooking myself the egg for breakfast' and 'Put that in a refrigerator'), I took a university Polish language class and found out there ARE no such words in Polish. Although I'd never been actually mean to my dad, I felt thoroughly ashamed of myself for even the modest teasing. Thumbs up to all the commenters here who point out that the real point is how much BETTER a bilingual person speaks my language than I speak theirs!