/lang/ - how is kawaii pronounced?

Name: Anonymous 2009-09-01 10:06

is it kah-way
or kah-way-ee like hawaii

?_?

Name: Anonymous 2009-09-01 11:33

The former.

Name: Anonymous 2009-09-01 12:45

The latter.

Name: Anonymous 2009-09-01 13:28

It's kuh-wuh-ee, i.e. the latter.

Name: Anonymous 2009-09-01 17:36

the latter sounds more kawaii

Name: Anonymous 2009-09-01 23:25

I always say it in my head as kah-why.

Name: Anonymous 2009-09-02 14:45

Just

ka wa i i
か　わ　い　い

The two "i" fuse into one long syllable. It's not that hard. And why do you people have to write "ka" like "kah"? It's just "ka". "wa" is "wa", not "way" or "why" or "wuh".

Name: Anonymous 2009-09-02 17:12

>>4
It's not kuh-wuh-ee, moran, it's kah-wuh-yii. GB2/elementary Japanese/.

Name: Anonymous 2009-09-02 18:24

>>8
>kah-wuh-yii

No, it's kuh-wuh-ee (かわいい). The a sound in both ka (か) and wa (わ) is pronounced the same. The いい is pronounced "ee" and there is no consonantal y sound before it.

Name: Anonymous 2009-09-02 18:37

>>7
And why do you people have to write "ka" like "kah"? It's just "ka". "wa" is "wa", not "way" or "why" or "wuh".

Because the English orthography doesn't work that way.

There are many ways in which ka can be pronounced in English; however, kuh (representing the a sound of "Amish" or the u sound of "under" for example), kay (representing the diphthong ay as in "day"), kah (representing the a sound of "cat"), etc. are less ambiguous, and that's why they are used.

Name: Anonymous 2009-09-03 16:38

>>10

How would かは (kaha), かあ (kaa), and かーあ (kāa) be represented?

かは kah-hah
かあ kah-ah
かーあ ?

Could the third be kaah-ah? If doubling vowels means the long vowel, would きーあ be kiih-ah?

And does ah really differentiate あ from あー? According to my dictionary (OED), ah is a long vowel. So it's technically あー. Then kah should be the long かー rather than the short か.

Name: Anonymous 2009-09-03 18:07

>>11
You got proven wrong. Deal with it.

Name: Anonymous 2009-09-03 20:59

>>11
かは kaha (no possible confusion)
かあ kah-ah
かーあ kaah-ah

きーあ kee-ah or maybe keeeh-ah to emphasize that it's long

Remember that English doesn't have regular spelling rules, faggot.

Name: Anonymous 2009-09-03 20:59

>>13
For the last one, I meant "keee-ah", without the h.

Name: Anonymous 2009-09-10 3:47

FFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUu
You, faggots, learn latin transcription rules. Stop using this "kuh-ah-oh-aww".

kawaii is [kawaji:]

Name: Anonymous 2009-09-10 6:03

>>15
kawadji?

Name: Anonymous 2009-09-10 9:20

>>16

(I'm not >>15, but) "j" as a phonetic character represents an approximant, not a plosive:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palatal_approximant

That is, "y" in English.

I don't think "kawaii" is [kawaji:]. It's [kawai:]. Japanese Hiragana include 3 letters to represent the said approximant:

や ya [ja], ゆ yu [ju], よ yo [jo]

No [ji] and [je].

Name: Anonymous 2009-09-11 15:17

ITT and probably all other threads about language: Native English-speakers butchering foreign languages. You make me ashamed to be American.

Protip: Learn the phonetic alphabet.

Name: Anonymous 2009-09-12 6:33

>>18
why should I learn a foreign alphabet??

Name: Anonymous 2009-09-12 8:26

>>20
What the fuck are you going in /lang/?

Name: Anonymous 2009-09-16 10:12

каваии!

Name: Anonymous 2009-09-16 23:27

yo lo digo como jawai?

Name: Anonymous 2009-09-28 14:55

like hawai

Name: Anonymous 2009-10-17 11:53

It really shows in this thread that all American kids should be forced to learn a foreign language.

Name: Anonymous 2009-10-18 7:09

as if they didn't

Name: Anonymous 2009-10-20 7:39

Kay-Way

Wakarimasu ka is pronounced:

Way-kay-ray-may-say-oo kay-aye

Name: Anonymous 2009-10-20 12:45

wukahreymass.

Name: Anonymous 2009-10-20 14:58

>>28
wuh-kuh-ree-muhs-kuh

koh-noh sew-red-doh wuh hohn-toh nee gay deh-sew

Name: Anonymous 2009-10-21 13:36

wa-ka-ri-mas--kah

nihongo, do you motherfuckers speak it ?

Name: Anonymous 2009-10-21 16:07

>>31
Wrong.

Way-kay-ray-may-say-oo kay-aye

Name: Anonymous 2009-10-22 4:20

>>32
idiot

Name: Anonymous 2009-10-22 7:33

वकरिमस् का

Name: Anonymous 2009-10-22 8:56

>>32
>>33
I loled.

Name: Anonymous 2009-10-22 12:44

like hawai

Name: Anonymous 2009-10-22 15:57

>>35
i dont

how is kawaii pronounced?

1 Name: Anonymous 2009-09-01 10:06

2 Name: Anonymous 2009-09-01 11:33

3 Name: Anonymous 2009-09-01 12:45

4 Name: Anonymous 2009-09-01 13:28

5 Name: Anonymous 2009-09-01 17:36

6 Name: Anonymous 2009-09-01 23:25

7 Name: Anonymous 2009-09-02 14:45

8 Name: Anonymous 2009-09-02 17:12

9 Name: Anonymous 2009-09-02 18:24

10 Name: Anonymous 2009-09-02 18:37

11 Name: Anonymous 2009-09-03 16:38

12 Name: Anonymous 2009-09-03 18:07

13 Name: Anonymous 2009-09-03 20:59

14 Name: Anonymous 2009-09-03 20:59

15 Name: Anonymous 2009-09-10 3:47

16 Name: Anonymous 2009-09-10 6:03

17 Name: Anonymous 2009-09-10 9:20

18 Name: Anonymous 2009-09-11 15:17

20 Name: Anonymous 2009-09-12 6:33

21 Name: Anonymous 2009-09-12 8:26

22 Name: Anonymous 2009-09-16 10:12

23 Name: Anonymous 2009-09-16 23:27

25 Name: Anonymous 2009-09-28 14:55

26 Name: Anonymous 2009-10-17 11:53

27 Name: Anonymous 2009-10-18 7:09

28 Name: Anonymous 2009-10-20 7:39

29 Name: Anonymous 2009-10-20 12:45

30 Name: Anonymous 2009-10-20 14:58

31 Name: Anonymous 2009-10-21 13:36

32 Name: Anonymous 2009-10-21 16:07

33 Name: Anonymous 2009-10-22 4:20

34 Name: Anonymous 2009-10-22 7:33

35 Name: Anonymous 2009-10-22 8:56

36 Name: Anonymous 2009-10-22 12:44

37 Name: Anonymous 2009-10-22 15:57

Name: Anonymous 2009-09-01 10:06

Name: Anonymous 2009-09-01 11:33

Name: Anonymous 2009-09-01 12:45

Name: Anonymous 2009-09-01 13:28

Name: Anonymous 2009-09-01 17:36

Name: Anonymous 2009-09-01 23:25

Name: Anonymous 2009-09-02 14:45

Name: Anonymous 2009-09-02 17:12

Name: Anonymous 2009-09-02 18:24

Name: Anonymous 2009-09-02 18:37

Name: Anonymous 2009-09-03 16:38

Name: Anonymous 2009-09-03 18:07

Name: Anonymous 2009-09-03 20:59

Name: Anonymous 2009-09-03 20:59

Name: Anonymous 2009-09-10 3:47

Name: Anonymous 2009-09-10 6:03

Name: Anonymous 2009-09-10 9:20

Name: Anonymous 2009-09-11 15:17

Name: Anonymous 2009-09-12 6:33

Name: Anonymous 2009-09-12 8:26

Name: Anonymous 2009-09-16 10:12

Name: Anonymous 2009-09-16 23:27

Name: Anonymous 2009-09-28 14:55

Name: Anonymous 2009-10-17 11:53

Name: Anonymous 2009-10-18 7:09

Name: Anonymous 2009-10-20 7:39

Name: Anonymous 2009-10-20 12:45

Name: Anonymous 2009-10-20 14:58

Name: Anonymous 2009-10-21 13:36

Name: Anonymous 2009-10-21 16:07

Name: Anonymous 2009-10-22 4:20

Name: Anonymous 2009-10-22 7:33

Name: Anonymous 2009-10-22 8:56

Name: Anonymous 2009-10-22 12:44

Name: Anonymous 2009-10-22 15:57