Japanese · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "実は" in Japanese?

Q: How do you pronounce 実は in Japanese?

実は is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /dʑi.tsɯ wa/. It means “actually / in fact.” ji-tsu-wa, three beats — a soft j, a real affricate, and は read as "wa."

ji-tsu-wa, three beats — a soft j, a real affricate, and は read as "wa."

実は /dʑi.tsɯ wa/

jitsu wa

Three slots delivered without a break, even though the last is grammatically a separate particle. Japanese binds particles to the preceding word rhythmically, so じつ and は form one continuous three-beat unit rather than a word plus a small word.

Listen: 実は

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Sound it out

ji A voiced affricate made with the tongue blade against the palate, softer than English j, with a short tense i.

tsu One indivisible affricate: seal for t, release into s, all in a single gesture. The unrounded u after it is often lightly devoiced.

wa The topic particle, written with the kana for "ha" but pronounced "wa." The lips compress sideways rather than protruding, then open to a bright short a.

Hear it in a sentence

実は私も同じ意見です。

Jitsu wa watashi mo onaji iken desu.

In fact, I have the same opinion.

Listen: 実は私も同じ意見です。

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実は私も同じ意見です contains 意見 (i-ke-n), three morae with a nasal beat, and 同じ, whose j should match the one at the start of 実は. The sentence gives you two palatal affricates in the same breath, and both should be lighter and further forward than their English equivalents.

Where English speakers slip

"jit-SOO-ha" gets three things wrong at once: the affricate split across a boundary, rounded lips, and the particle read as "ha" instead of "wa." Keep the tsu whole and flat-lipped, and remember the particle's pronunciation. Learners also insert a pause before は, which Japanese never does.