Hayakuchi Kotoba – にわにわにわにわ

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Japanese Tongue Twisters – にわにわにわにわ – Review Notes

Do you like tongue twisters? Today we learned about Japanese tongue twisters 早口言葉 (Hayakuchi Kotoba) and we learned how to say one of them!

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早口言葉 (Hayakuchi Kotoba)

hayakuchikotoba

 Tongue Twister in Japanese is 早口言葉 (Hayakuchi Kotoba) – literally, “fast mouth words”

 There are many Tongue Twisters in Japanese! Just like in English, you shouldn’t think too deeply about the meaning because they were just made to sound silly!

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The Chicken Tongue Twister

niwaniwaniwaniwatorigairu

 庭には二羽鶏がいる (niwa ni wa niwa niwatori ga iru) means “There are two chickens in the garden.”

 庭 (にわ – niwa) means garden.

  (にわとり – niwatori) means chicken.

 In Japanese, there are different ways to count things depending on the object being counted. The Japanese counter for birds is 羽 (わ – wa). So, 二羽 (にわ – niwa) means two (birds).

Learn more about the counter for birds! Click here!

 いる (iru) is a verb “to exist.” It is the plain form of the verb います (imasu).

Learn more about the verb います (imasu)! Click here!

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A Longer Version:

There is actually a longer version of this tongue twister that is a lot harder to say! If you find this too easy, give this one a try!!

Japanese: にわの庭には二羽の鶏は俄に鰐を食べた。

Rōmaji: Niwa no niwa ni wa niwa no niwatori wa niwaka ni wani wo tabeta.

English: In (Mr.) Niwa’s garden, two chickens suddenly ate a crocodile.

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practice

 The only way to get good at tongue twisters is to practice saying them out loud many times! Watch the video a few times and try practicing saying this tongue twister on your own!

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Conclusion:

Next week we will learn another Japanese tongue twister! Until then, keep practicing this one so that you can say it fast!

Want more Japanese Tongue Twisters?

Pajama Tongue Twister

Raw Tongue Twister

Persimmon Tongue Twister

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Find Your Japanese Tutor!

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