tldr: i naturally speak with an annoyingly high pitched voice when i speak japanese and it feels cringey
i speak a couple of languages and i know my pitch naturally shifts when i change between them, for example my french is far deeper than my english. so i know it’s normal for my japanese pitch to be different. it’s just… it’s high pitched, and sounds cringe. i feel like it sounds like i’m trying to sound like an anime character or something when that’s the opposite of what i’m trying to do. i just want to sound normal but i just naturally speak that way.
is it normal to speak higher pitched when speaking japanese? is there a way i can change this? i’ve tried intentionally speaking lower but as soon as i stop focusing it shifts back up to my comfortable range which becomes annoying.
it’s not even that high pitched (it probably sounds 100% normal), i’ve just become super self conscious about it for some reason and i hate it ):
10 comments
Well, it’s very common when you start speaking Japanese.
Speaking in Japanese invokes quite a lot of emotion and personality, I think. If you want the “normal” voice, you need to keep practicing your Japanese by speaking. That way, that annoying high pitch should be gone…
I hope you found it a bit helpful.
If it helps, I’ve spoken to quite a few friends about this and noticed other people notice the difference too. If you try to switch between the two quickly, you’ll probably be like me and notice that your English voice becomes significantly lower without any thought. Don’t feel cringey, pretty much every femme-presenting person I know does the exact same thing unconsciously 🙂
This is normal, Japanese speakers use their nasal register when speaking more, which makes it sound higher pitched. You probably don’t have to change anything.
However, if you really want to change it, find a native speaker on YouTube with a lower voice and try to match their voice. If you sound like an anime character it might be because anime is your source of input. [Here](https://youtu.be/7B8vMUrRYW4) is what I think is a good example of a woman with an average voice.
Japanese is naturally spoken at a higher register due to where the sounds are made in the mouth and throat.
speak lower
I always sound higher-pitched in non-native languages because I’m already not in 100% Comfort Mode (like the difference between speaking with a friend and then immediately turning to a stranger), and most Japanese voices I hear are comparatively higher-pitched, so I reflexively try to emulate them. Tbh you probably have to get to a point where you’re able to focus all of your concentration on your voice. But unless it’s seriously cartoonishly high, I doubt anyone is picking on it.
Never thought of it before! I speak 4 languages: Danish(Native), Swedish, English and Japanese.
When I speak English I talk in a slightly lower pitch than when speaking Danish.
When speaking Swedish and Japanese I speak in a slightly higher pitch than Danish.
Languages are weird.
I think this is normal. I have a Japanese friend who does the opposite i.e. she speaks in a lower voice when speaking English.
If you’re familiar with the concept of *head voice* and *chest voice* (vocal music terminology), Japanese women tend to use a voice register somewhere in between the two when speaking which makes them sound more cutesy. If this bothers you for whatever reason, try speaking the language in chest voice. If that doesn’t make sense, try to imagine that the sound of your voice is coming out of your chest rather than your throat. If you do it right, you should hear a noticeable change in the tone of your voice.
Yep it’s normal. I’m in Okinawa and, the girls especially, have a high pitch.
I work with an American guy who speaks fluent Japanese and he has a deep voice and speaks in a deep voice – he legit sounds like an anime villain lol.
I was walking down the hall one day and heard him but I didn’t know who it was. I had to poke my head in.
I thought it was kind of funny.
I’m American also. Probably doesn’t matter but thought I should add if anyone was wondering.