The Correct Way to Say ん
The correct way to say ん will change depending on what sound follows it. Most Japanese sounds are made up of a consonant followed by a vowel but ん is only one consonant. It is usually written as “n” but depending on where it shows up in a word the pronunciation will change.
INDEX
Explanation
Except for never being the first syllable or holding the accent of a word, ん is like any other sound. It is pronounced as a single syllable which would not be possible in English. For that reason, English speakers will often shorten ん and treat it as part of the previous syllable.
https://japaneseuniverse.com/2024/02/18/pac-man-in-japaneseconcepts-behind-development-to-global-icon/Default Pronunciation of ん
ん can be thought of as pronounced as The International Phonetic Alphabet character ɴ. This is pronounced the same as the ng in the word sing but with the back of the tough farther back at the uvula. This is the default sound of ん and will have this pronunciation when it comes at the end of words or when words are pronounced slowly.
日本 /ni.ho.ɴ/ – Japan
Before Velar Consonants
When ん comes before g or k words it is pronounced as ŋ. This is the ng sound in English.
煉瓦 /re.ŋ.ga/ – brick
Before Coronal Consonants
ん becomes n before s, z, d, or n which are all pronounced in the same general area behind your teeth on the roof of the mouth.
捻挫 /ne.n.za/ – sprain
Before Bilabial Consonants
If ん is followed by a bilabial consonant which is the name for consonants pronounced with the lips, it becomes m. So, before b, p, and of course m.
昆布 /ko.m.bu/ – Kombu
Before Vowels
This is less obvious than other sounds but before a vowel ん turns into a nasal vowel of either the proceeding or following vowel. But, if you pronounce it slowly while emphasizing every sound then you would pronounce it as ɴ.
単位 /ta.ĩ.i/ – unit
Special Situations
Often in singing ん is pronounced as m. Also, it is pronounced the same way when someone is spelling out a word syllable by syllable.
Now you know the correct way to say ん. If you are interested in Japanese pronunciation I have more posts you can check out. Thanks!
Also, if you want to learn more Japanese I reviewed a dictionary of grammar series which I personally recommend and use myself.
