Contracted sounds: きゃ is one beat
A small ゃ, ゅ or ょ merges with the kana before it into one beat. Split it and 病院 (hospital) becomes 美容院 (hair salon).
Every contracted sound is one beat
| き | きゃ | きゅ | きょ |
|---|---|---|---|
| し | しゃ | しゅ | しょ |
| ち | ちゃ | ちゅ | ちょ |
| に | にゃ | にゅ | にょ |
| ひ | ひゃ | ひゅ | ひょ |
| み | みゃ | みゅ | みょ |
| り | りゃ | りゅ | りょ |
| ぎ | ぎゃ | ぎゅ | ぎょ |
| じ | じゃ | じゅ | じょ |
| び | びゃ | びゅ | びょ |
| ぴ | ぴゃ | ぴゅ | ぴょ |
How to say it
Glide straight into the vowel: kya, not ki-ya.
Say the pair within one clap.
Check the letter size: ゃ (small) or や (full).
Common mistakes for English speakers
Adding an extra “ee”
“To-ki-o” adds a beat. In Japanese, きょ is one beat.
Dropping the long vowel after it
きょう (today) is two beats; said short, it becomes きょ.
In the pronunciation test
Prompts compare your recording with the split version, e.g. 客 vs 規約.
Take the free pronunciation testListen and practice
Each set differs by one beat or sound. Listen, then practice.
Audio uses a generated reference voice.