Placeholder Image

Subtitles section Play video

  • Herro America.

  • Congratulations

  • Donald Trump winning ze e(r)ections.

  • Oh my God Jun

  • you can't talk like that it's so racist.

  • It's so racist.

  • So apparently that's the stereotype how Asian people pronounce L and R sound

  • in English

  • But like Japanese people don't really speak like that

  • Although we do have problems telling the difference between L and R sounds, right?

  • Japanese has "ra ri ru re ro" as sounds which are Romanized as R's.

  • Which is why we say ramen in English. R-A-M-E-N.

  • But it's not actually an R.

  • It's like halfway between an R and an L.

  • And kind of like a D in there a little bit sometimes too.

  • Yeah, like when we pronounce "ra re ru re ro," the tip of your tongue touches the back of your higher teeth. So higher teeth and lower teeth--your tongue touches here.

  • So I think it's the same as L sound?

  • Yeah.

  • So it's pronounced more like an L but it kind of sounds closer to an R for us.

  • So that's why when Japanese people hear the English L and R, it's hard for them to differentiate between the two because their sounds are like right in the middle.

  • So if there's a word that Japanese people don't know, and they can tell that there's either an R or L there, then they're usually guessing whichever one they think it might be.

  • (Because we can't tell) Which could be wrong.

  • So, if a Japanese person is speaking English, then their R can turn into an L or their L can turn into an R.

  • It can go either way. It's not that horrible stereotypical "Herro" accent.

  • And Japanese people don't even do that really strong R anyway.

  • "Herro." No, no we don't. Right? That would be like "Hello, herro."

  • So even though Jun's English is REALLY good --he basically sounds like a native English speaker--

  • he still has issues with the R and L sometimes.

  • Even though sometimes I know he knows what the word is, he says the wrong one.

  • Like you said "diffelence" the other day.

  • Like three days ago. I don't remember, but maybe I have. "DiffeLence."

  • And we have a lot of cases like this.

  • Do you know where we're going?

  • Red Robster.

  • Today, we're just going to test me telling the difference between L and R sounds.

  • I'm going to read Jun's words in English and he's going to repeat them and try to guess whether they're R or L s

  • I'm gonna fail.

  • Ok Jun.

  • Hai? (Yes.)

  • If you don't get all of these correct,

  • Hai. (Yes) I will divorce you.

  • What?

  • This is America - we speak english here.

  • But we are in Japan?!

  • [ Lovely ]

  • Lovely. L...

  • and L. Lovely.

  • Squirrel.

  • Um... Squirrel... so R and L? Squirrel?

  • Leery.

  • What?

  • Leery.

  • Ree-ly.

  • Leery.

  • Ree-

  • Okay. Ree-ly.

  • K. It's-- What does that mean? And what is it?

  • It's you're wary of something. You're cautious about something. Okay. Leery.

  • Piña Colada.

  • Piña... I like piña coladas.

  • Can you stop singing and just say the word again please. Piña colada.

  • Piña colada. I like piña coladas.

  • Is it L?

  • Yeah. Okay.

  • Drearily.

  • Durilyly.

  • Durilyly.

  • Drill?

  • Like drill? And adverb -ly?

  • Drearily.

  • Wait. Sounds R.

  • How many R's does this word have.

  • I can't tell you. This is a listening

  • comprehension test. Drearily.

  • Durilyly.

  • Yes, it's perfect.

  • Drearily. It's an R-R-L.

  • There are three.

  • R-R-L. What does that mean?

  • It means drill a -ly.

  • Good job. It means nothing. What does that mean?

  • Rivalry.

  • It sounds like the toshokan "library." Right.

  • I can tell that it's different

  • but I cannot tell how they are different.

  • Its like the same word.

  • Library.

  • Rivalry.

  • Okay. I think the first one is not L, it's R.

  • Rivalry.

  • No, it's not rivalry. Say it again?

  • Rivalry.

  • Rivalry. How many syllables does it have? I can't tell.

  • It's the same number of syllables as library.

  • 3? I mean 2? Rivalry?

  • Yeah. It's 3 syllables.

  • Good job.

  • Allele.

  • A-Areele

  • It's either "Areel" or "Allele"

  • I can't tell the difference. Allele.

  • Allele? Areel, no.

  • Allele. Two L's.

  • Alright. I got a tongue twister for you.

  • Red lorry, yellow lorry.

  • Is it the flower?

  • No it's like a truck. I think it's a British word for truck.

  • Truck?

  • Lorry.

  • Sorry it's...hard.

  • Alright, I just made one.

  • Larry loyally likes Lori, and rarely revels in rivalry.

  • Can you speak Japanese please?

  • I don't even know if I can do this by ear. I have a sentence right here I can read.

  • Did I say it right? First?

  • No.

  • Good job Jun. A+

  • *Crap crap crap*

  • Oh my God. Jun you're being so racist right now.

  • There, um, there are actually Japanese words that are really hard for us to pronounce too.

  • We'll have to have another show down later.

  • And then you can make fun of me for not being able to pronounce absolutely anything in katakana.

  • I'm not making fun of you, but is it hard for you to pronounce?

  • It's extremely--It's impossible. I can't do it.

  • So hard.

  • Also if you guys want more information about Japan, there are some subjects that are better suited to written format, rather than videos.

  • So, I've started writing articles on Odigo. I'll link them down there in the description. If you want to read any of them.

  • Right now I have one comparing the different methods of transportation in Japan. So what's cheapest, what's fastest, what's most comfortable, etc.

  • If you wanna know, it's just written there. You don't have to listen to me talk. Just read it.

  • Sounds right. Okay.

  • Thank you guys for watching!

  • We'll see you later!

  • Bye! Oh yeah I guess we have to get divorced now.

  • Shame. Bye.

  • Move your mouth like this.

  • Your lip goes up.

  • You can't lift your lips?

  • Make your mouth wider.

  • No. Not a smile.

  • No.

  • Why can't you not--

Herro America.

Subtitles and vocabulary

Click the word to look it up Click the word to find further inforamtion about it