Japanese · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "黒" in Japanese?

Q: How do you pronounce 黒 in Japanese?

黒 is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /kɯ.ɾo/. It means “black.” ku-ro, two quick beats with flat, unrounded lips throughout and a tapped r.

ku-ro, two quick beats with flat, unrounded lips throughout and a tapped r.

黒 /kɯ.ɾo/

kuro

Two morae of identical length. The pitch pattern rises from ku to ro without a subsequent drop, so nothing in the word falls away — which for an English speaker feels oddly unresolved, since English wants to end a two-syllable word on a weaker beat. Resist that: both beats carry equal weight.

Listen: 黒

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Sound it out

ku A gentle k with no aspiration, then Japanese's unrounded u. Because the following sound is voiced, this u usually keeps its voice — unlike the ku of 六 (roku) at the end of a word.

ro One flick of the tongue tip, then a pure short o. English r would round your lips before the sound even begins; here they stay relaxed and neutral the whole way through.

Hear it in a sentence

彼は髪が黒いです。

Kare wa kami ga kuroi desu.

He has black hair.

Listen: 彼は髪が黒いです。

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彼は髪が黒いです uses the adjective 黒い, adding an i as its own third beat. Notice 髪 (ka-mi) in the same sentence — a plain two-mora noun that in standard speech rises from low to high, contrasting with 神 "god," which starts high and falls. Same romaji, different melody, different word.

Where English speakers slip

The rounded English "oo" is the immediate tell: "KOO-roh" sounds like a brand name rather than a Japanese colour. Flatten the lips for the u, tap once for the r rather than curling the tongue, and shorten both vowels. Learners also tend to stress the first beat, borrowing the trochaic rhythm English gives two-syllable nouns.