The 50 sounds of Japanese Language

The 50 sounds of Japanese Language

Most Japanese users of sign language have moderate to severe hearing impairment. Due to this, learning English by using their sense of hearing and lip reading can be next to impossible without the use of finger spelling. Finger spelling is used to teach the deaf how to speak by linking sounds to specific hand shapes. In teaching Japanese deaf students English, these same hand shapes they used to learn how to speak Japanese are used to teach them English in order to give a rough idea of how the English word is pronounced.

Knowing how to translate Japanese and English words into JSL finger spelling is a very useful skill. If the proper JSL sign for the word one wants to communicate is not known when communicating with JSL users, it can always be finger spelt. Also, in an English teaching environment, words that are being used or taught in class will most often be spelt out this way.

The best way to learn how to use finger spelling is to just do it over and over. Shown here are the basics. Each hand form corresponds to a particular sound written in hiragana, katakana and Roman scripts. When practicing, it is best to either say or mouth the sound that matches the hand form.

Here are the fifty sounds of Japanese matched with their JSL hand forms and a written description of how to make the sign.

Please look at the hand form and mimic it as you verbalize its sound. All signs are from the viewer’s perspective and signed with the right hand, although the left can be used as well.

あ行（a gyo)

あ　ア　a	い　イ　i	う　ウ　u	え　エ　e	お　オ　o
あ　ア　a Make a fist with the right hand, palm facing away from you, and naturally extend the thumb to the side.	い　イ　i Make a fist with the right hand, palm facing away from you, and extend the pinky finger upwards.	Make a fist with the right hand, palm facing away from you, and extend the middle and index fingers upwards.	Bend all the fingers at the 1st and 2nd joints with the right hand, palm facing forward.	With the blade edge of the right hand facing away, touch the tips of the fingers to the tip of the thumb making an “O” shape.

か行（ka gyo)

か　カ　ka	き　キ　ki	く　ク　ku	け　ケ　ke	こ　コ　ko
With the right hand’s palm facing away from you, make a “peace sign”, then touch the tip of the thumb to the middle finger.	With the right hand, palm facing away from you, touch the tips of the middle and ring fingers to the tip of the thumb.	The right palm faces toward you, the thumb points up, and the fingers point to the left.	With the right palm facing away from you, the fingers point up and the thumb is curled in touching the palm.	With the blade edge of the right hand facing away from you, the fingers bend at the third joint pointing to the left while the thumb is extended naturally.

さ行（sa gyo)

さ　サ　sa	し　シ　shi	す　ス　su	せ　セ　se	そ　ソ　so
With the palm of the right hand facing away, make a fist.	Point to the left with the right index and middle fingers while the thumb is extended naturally.	Point down with the right index and middle fingers while the thumb is extended naturally to the left.	Make a fist with the right hand, palm facing away from you, and extend the middle finger.	Make a fist with the right hand and extend the index finger pointing it toward the viewer.

た行（ta gyo)

た　タ　ta	ち　チ　chi	つ　ツ　tsu	て　テ　te	と　ト　to
This hand form looks like the “thumbs up” gesture made with the right hand.	With the right hand, palm facing away from you, touch the tips of the index, middle, and ring fingers to the tip of the thumb while extending the pinky finger.	With the right hand, palm facing away from you, touch the tips of the index and middle fingers to the tip of the thumb while extending the pinky and ring fingers.	With the right hand, palm facing away from you, the fingers point up and the thumb is extended naturally (be careful not to curl the thumb in and make the “ke” hand form).	With the right hand, palm facing toward you, make a fist and extend the index and middle fingers naturally.

な行（na gyo)

な　ナ　na	に　ニ　ni	ぬ　ヌ　nu	ね　ネ　ne	の　ノ　no
With the right hand, palm facing toward you, make a fist and extend the index and middle fingers naturally, pointing down. There is a little space left between the extended fingers.	With the right hand, palm facing toward you, make a fist and extend the index and middle fingers naturally, pointing to your left. There is a little space left between the extended fingers.	Make a fist with the right hand, palm facing away from you, and curl the index finger.	The palm of the right hand faces toward you with the fingers and thumb relaxed and pointing down.	The right index finger is extended and draws a curving line from in front of the right shoulder to in front of the center of the chest.

は行（ha gyo)

は　ハ　ha	ひ　ヒ　hi	ふ　フ　hu	へ　ヘ　he	ほ　ホ　ho
Make a fist with the right hand and extend the index and middle fingers pointing them toward the viewer.	Make a fist with the right hand, palm facing away from you, and extend the index finger so it points up.	The palm of the right hand faces toward you with the index finger pointing down and the thumb to the left. The other fingertips touching the palm.	The palm of the right hand faces toward you, knuckles down, with the pinky and thumb extended and the other fingertips touching the palm.	The palm of the right hand faces toward you with the thumb and fingers pointing up.

ま行（ma gyo)

ま　マ　ma	み　ミ　mi	む　ム　mu	め　メ　me	も　モ　mo
The palm of the right hand faces toward you with the index, middle, and ring fingers pointing down and the tips of the thumb and pinky touching.	The palm of the right hand faces toward you with the index, middle, and ring fingers pointing to the left and the tips of the thumb and pinky touching.	Point to the left with the right index finger while the thumb sticks up.	This form made here with the right hand is just like the “OK” sign.	1. The palm faces up with the right hand thumb and index finger slightly curled and the tips of the rest of the fingers touching the palm. 2. The tips of the index finger and thumb come into contact to complete the form.

や行（ya gyo)

や　ヤ　ya	ゆ　ユ　yu	よ　ヨ　yo
Make a fist with the right hand, palm facing away from you, and extend the thumb and pinky finger.	The palm of the right hand faces toward you with the index, middle and ring fingers pointing up and the tips of the thumb and pinky finger touching.	The palm of the right hand faces toward you with the fingers pointing to the left and the thumb slightly tucked in.

ら行（ra gyo)

ら　ラ　ra	り　リ　ri	る　ル　ru	れ　レ　re	ろ　ロ　ro
Like the “peace sign”, except the middle finger curls around the back of the index finger.	A “Peace Sign” with the right hand, palm down is made and then quickly flicks to the lower left.	Make a modified “Peace Sign” with the right hand, thumb sticking out to the left.	Point the extended right index finger up in the air with the thumb pointing to the left and the other fingertips touching the palm.	Make a fist with the right hand, palm facing away from you, and curl the index and middle fingers slightly.

わ行（wa gyo)

わ　ワ　wa	を　ヲ　wo
Make a “Peace Sign” with the right hand, but also extend the ring finger as well.	With the blade edge of the right hand facing away, touch the tips of the fingers to the tip of the thumb and move the hand back toward the chest.

ん（n)

ん　ン　n

Make a fist with the right hand and extend the index finger pointing it toward the viewer, then trace a “V” in the air making the first stroke shorter than the second.

数（kazu) or Number

いち　イチ　ichi　1	に　ニ　ni　2	さん　サン　san　3	し　シ　shi　4	ご　ゴ　go　5
Make a fist with the right hand, palm facing away from you, and extend the index finger so it points up.	Make the “peace sign” with your right hand, palm facing away from you.	Make a “Peace Sign” with the right hand, but also extend the ring finger as well.	With the right palm facing away from you, the fingers point up and the thumb is curled in touching the palm.	Make a fist with the right hand, palm facing away from you, and naturally extend the thumb to the side.

ろく　ロク　roku　6	しち　シチ　shichi　7	はち　ハチ　hachi　8	きゅう　キュウ　kyuu　9	じゅう　ジュウ　jyuu　10
Point to the left with the right index finger while the thumb sticks up.	Point to the left with the right index and middle fingers while the thumb is extended naturally.	Point to the left with the right index, middle, and ring fingers while the thumb is extended naturally.	The right palm faces toward you, the thumb points up, and the fingers point to the left.	Make a fist with the right hand, palm facing away from you, and curl the index finger.

にじゅう　ニジュウ nijyuu　20	さんじゅう サンジュウ sanjyuu　30	よんじゅう　ヨンジュウ yonjyuu　40	ごじゅう　ゴジュウ gojyuu　50	ろくじゅう　ロクジュウ rokujyuu　60
Make the “peace sign” with your right hand, palm facing away from you and curl the extended fingers.	Make a “Peace Sign” with the right hand, but also extend the ring finger as well and curl the extended fingers.	Slightly bend all the fingers at the 1st and 2nd joints with the right hand, palm facing forward (make sure not to make it look like the form for “E”.	This hand form looks like the “thumbs up” gesture made with the right hand with the thumb joints bent slightly.	With the right palm facing toward you and the fingers pointing to the left, extend and curl the thumb and index finger while the tips of the other fingers touch the palm.

ななじゅう ナナジュウ nanajyuu　70	はちじゅう ハチジュウ hachijyuu　80	きゅうじゅう キュウジュウ kyuujyuu　90	ひゃく ヒャク hyaku　100	せん セン sen　1000
With the right palm facing toward you and the fingers pointing to the left, extend and curl the thumb, index, and middle fingers while the tips of the other fingers touch the palm.	With the right palm facing toward you and the fingers pointing to the left, extend and curl the thumb, index, middle, and ring fingers while the tip of the pinky touches the palm.	With the right palm facing toward you and the fingers pointing to the left, extend and curl the thumb and fingers.	With the right hand, palm facing away from you, touch the tips of the index and middle fingers to the tip of the thumb while extending the pinky and ring fingers.	With the right hand, palm facing away from you, touch the tips of the index, middle, and ring fingers to the tip of the thumb while extending the pinky finger.

まん　マン　man　10,000	おく　オク　oku　100,000,000	いちてんご イチテンゴ ichi-ten-go　1.5	ななぶんのよん ナナブンノヨン nana-bunno-yon　4/7
With the blade edge of the right hand facing away and the fingers straight, touch the tips of the fingers to the tip of the thumb.	Palm facing away, make a fist with the right hand and shake it back and forth.	Numbers with decimal points Make the sign for one, then point with the index finger as if writing a period mark, and lastly sign the number five.	Fractions Hold the left hand, palm down in front of the chest. Make the sign for seven with the right hand under the left, then the sign for four over it.