Introductory material
Reading edition
[The pronunciation of the Japanese vowels and consonants follows closely the Italian; in diphthongs and triphthongs each vowel is given full value.
a = a as in father, e = a as in mate, i = e as in meet, o = o as in soap, u = oo as in fool.
g is always hard. In the Tōkyō district it has the sound ng.
ch has full value, as in church. It is not k; c is only found as ch; i.e. cha, chi, cho, chu.
The vowels also have long (continued) sounds, marked by the accent -.
At times a vowel is elided; or rather but faintly touched by the voice. Thus Sukéshigé is pronounced Skéshigé; Sukénaga = Skénaga; Kuranosuké = Kuranoské. Bu and mu at the end of word lose the vowel sound—Shikibu = Shikib.
Kami used in connection with a man means "lord," Wakasa no Kami = Lord of Wakasa province.
Reprinted from the "Oguri Hangwan."]
(Kami also means "God" or divinized person; including the spirits of the dead. Even a living man can be regarded as a kami, in cases of some very unusual service rendered to the public welfare. Professor Imai recently—at Karuizawa—called attention to the fact that originally kami was written 上, i.e. "superior." The divine attribute 神 was introduced with Buddhism.)