Japanese · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "そこ" in Japanese?

so-ko, two short beats with two identical o's and no stress.

そこ /so.ko/

soko

Both beats are the same size, with the melody high on the first and falling on the second. Like ここ, this word is built from matched vowels, so it makes an unforgiving test: if the second o is weaker or shorter, English vowel reduction is at work.

Listen: そこ

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Sound it out

so Crisp s, then a stationary mid-back o that doesn't glide toward w.

ko A k released without aspiration, then an o of exactly the same quality as the first.

Hear it in a sentence

店はそこにあります。

Mise wa soko ni arimasu.

The shop is there.

Listen: 店はそこにあります。

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店はそこにあります ends with あります, four morae with a tap in the middle and a final devoiced su. 店 (mi-se) at the start is two beats. The whole sentence is short morae with nothing held, so any lengthening you add to そこ will stand out immediately.

Where English speakers slip

First attempts land on "SOH-koh" — English stress on the front and glided vowels on both beats. Freeze the lips so neither o moves, keep both beats equal, and soften the k. English speakers also tend to lengthen the s slightly for clarity; it should be as brief as any other consonant here.