Nihongo to English

Hi vs Pi vs Bi: Japanese Pronunciation Shifts (Yamu/Yameru + Ne/Yo) EP 14

Nihongo to Enlgish no Show Podcast Season 1 Episode 14

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0:00 | 34:20

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Episode 14 starts with a very LA problem: “It doesn’t rain enough to casually say ame ga yamu.” From there, Michael Allen and Michelle MaliZaki jump into Genki-style grammar and nuance—yamu vs yameru, tomaru vs tomeru, and what changes when the “stopping” happens by itself vs when you stop something (Superman stops the Shinkansen, obviously).

Then we go full language-nerd with a pronunciation breakdown of why Hi / Pi / Bi (ひ・ぴ・び) are in the same family—voicing, airflow, and how those sound shifts show up in real Japanese (hello, sanbyaku / roppyaku / happyaku / sanzen / hassen). We also cover sentence-ending particles ね / よ / よね, polite request phrases (~をください / ~をお願いします / ~をどうぞ), a sentimental Mt. Aso onsen-sake story, and a quick plug: we made a Twitch channel.

Hosts: Michael Allen, CPA + Michelle MaliZaki
Theme Jingle by Michelle MaliZaki

エピソード紹介(日本語・追記版)

第14回は「LAは雨が少なすぎて 雨がやむ を言う機会がない!」からスタート。Genkiの文法で やむ/やめるとまる/とめる(自動詞・他動詞)を整理しつつ、文末の ね/よ/よね のニュアンスもチェック。

さらに今回は発音オタク回!ひ/ぴ/び(Hi / Pi / Bi) の関係を、息・声帯(有声音/無声音)からわかりやすく解説。数字の音変化 さんびゃく/ろっぴゃく/はっぴゃく/さんぜん/はっせん にもつながります。阿蘇(熊本)の温泉水で造られたお酒の思い出話、そして Twitch 開設のお知らせも。

ホスト: Michael Allen, CPA / Michelle MaliZaki
Theme Jingle by Michelle MaliZaki

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🎙️ Nihongo to English — a bilingual comedy podcast by Michelle MaliZaki and Michael Allen (GoatVsFish).
No homework. Just bilingual chaos—and somehow you learn.

💌 Got a language or culture question? Email us at nihongotoenglishnosho@gmail.com
🔴 Watch us live on Twitch: twitch.tv/nihongotoenglish
🎧 Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music

📱 Follow the show on Instagram @NihongoToEnglishPodcast for new episodes on the 2nd, 12th, and 22nd of each month.
👥 Follow the hosts: Michael Allen CPA @michaelallencpa and Michelle MaliZaki @MichelleMaliZaki

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