Total self-learning beginner here… Recently I started learning anki decks (the core 2000 one with pictures) and noticed that some pronunciations are not expected, like が、ご most of the time sound like nga/ngo, and か、こ、た、と sometimes sound like ga/go/da/do, and some other similar things. So I’m just wondering, is it because they do not exactly match English pronunciations and my ears are doing funny things or are they actually pronounced differently from individual kanas? If it’s the latter, then what happens if I read them like the individual kanas, will that be considered wrong / confuse native speakers?
For example… if you put 夫 into google translate and click the ‘read it’ button, is it saying otto or oddo?
Edit:
How would you rate google translate’s voice for おっと using scale from 1 to 10, 1 for it’s clearly otto, 10 for it’s clearly oddo.
To my ears, google translate’s voice is like, 2 or 3 for と, but 7 for おっと.
How different/close do you think と and to in Tom, and ど and do in dot are?
1 comment
the g vs ng thing is a regional and generational thing that’s slowly going away
however voiced vs unvoiced still is clear – ka is definitely not ga
everyone does have unique pronunciation, and when people speak quickly sometimes it’s hard to tell, but if you consistently can’t hear the difference between voiced and unvoiced, then yes it’s you and you just need more listening practice