How to Say "Vowels" in Japanese

母音

boin[bo̞ĩɴ]

The English phrase "vowels" is 母音 (boin) in Japanese.

The term 母音 refers to the speech sounds produced without any significant constriction of the air flow in the mouth.

How do you pronounce it?

boin

In the historical logic of 母音, the sound か is viewed as the 'child' produced by the 'father' k and the 'mother' あ.
While English uses 'vowel' from the Latin 'vox' meaning 'voice', Japanese uses a familial root to describe the same concept.
Because Japanese 母音 are so consistent, learners often find that Japanese speakers struggle to distinguish between different English vowels.

フランス語には日本語よりずっと多くの母音がある。
French has many more vowels than Japanese.
This sentence is useful for comparing the number of vowels in French and Japanese using 母音.
Tatoeba #196981 by tommy_san, translation #34161 by CN
フランス語には日本語よりはるかに多くの母音がある。
There are many more vowels in French than in Japanese.
This sentence is useful for noting that French has many more vowels than Japanese using 母音.
Tatoeba #2256977 by tommy_san, translation #3384668 by Ricardo14
日本語の母音は五つです。
Nihongo no boin wa itsutsu desu.
Japanese has five vowels.
1 more sentence on Tatoeba

Yui is teaching Hiroto how to pronounce a word.

結衣 Yui

大翔、この母音の発音が少し変だよ。
Hiroto, kono boin no hatsuon ga sukoshi hen dayo.
Hiroto, the pronunciation of this vowel is a bit strange.
大翔 Hiroto

えっ、本当に？どう直せばいいかな。
E, hontou ni? Dou naoseba ii kana.
Oh, really? How should I fix it?
結衣 Yui

口をもっと大きく開けてみて。
Kuchi o motto ookiku akete mite.
Try opening your mouth wider.
大翔 Hiroto

わかった。もう一度やってみるね。
Wakatta. Mou ichido yatte miru ne.
Got it. I'll try it one more time.

Sources

⭐Share⭐ to appreciate human effort 🙏