Japanese · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "の" in Japanese?

Q: How do you pronounce の in Japanese?

の is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /no/. It means “of / possessive (links two nouns).” A single beat, "no" — but a pure Japanese o, with no glide and none of the English word's length.

A single beat, "no" — but a pure Japanese o, with no glide and none of the English word's length.

の /no/

A single mora that leans on whatever precedes it. Particles like this are never given their own emphasis — they ride the pitch contour of the noun in front, so if that noun ends high, the の stays high, and if the noun's accent has dropped, the の stays low. It contributes one beat and no independent melody.

Listen: の

Free browser voice. Hear it read by a real native speaker inside the LingoDrop app.

Sound it out

no Tongue tip to the teeth-ridge for the n, then a mid-back o that stays exactly where it starts. The English word "no" glides toward a w at the end and takes a full stressed syllable; this particle is half that long and never moves.

Hear it in a sentence

これは田中さんの本です。

Kore wa Tanaka-san no hon desu.

This is Mr. Tanaka's book.

Listen: これは田中さんの本です。

Free browser voice. Hear it read by a real native speaker inside the LingoDrop app.

これは田中さんの本です shows the particle in its core role, wedged between 田中さん and 本. Say the whole run without a break: Tanaka-san-no-hon. The temptation is to pause before の as English pauses before "of," but Japanese binds it tightly to the preceding word, so the seam should be inaudible.

Where English speakers slip

Because it's spelled like the English word "no," learners import that word wholesale — with its diphthong and its full syllable length. The result is a heavy, drawn-out particle that sticks out of the sentence. Shorten it to a single crisp beat, freeze the lips so the o doesn't glide, and never let it take an accent.