Minimal Pairs for Japanese Speakers
Here are some of the more common difficulties I've noticed with my Japanese students. For some ideas to use these with students, go to my minimal pairs activities page.
If you want to know more about difficulties which Japanese students and other nationalities have with English pronunciation (as well as grammar and vocabulary), I thoroughly recommend the book "Learner English".
| ɪ | i: |
| ship | sheep |
| it | eat |
| hit | heat |
| bin | bean |
| live | leave |
| ɜ: | ɔ: |
| work | walk |
| bird | bored |
| fur | for |
| shirt | short |
| sir | saw |
| v | b |
| vote | boat |
| very | berry |
| van | ban |
| vest | best |
| vet | bet |
| ɜ: | ɑ: |
| burn | barn |
| heard | hard |
| hurt | heart |
| firm | farm |
| purse | pass |
| s | θ |
| sin | thin |
| sum | thumb |
| sank | thank |
| sink | think |
| saw | thaw |
| z | ð |
| zen | then |
| whizz | with |
| breeze | breathe |
| lows | loathe |
| close | clothe |
| l | r |
| light | right |
| lies | rise |
| fly | fry |
| play | pray |
| pilot | pirate |
| ɔ: | əʊ |
| born | bone |
| caught | coat |
| walk | woke |
| snore | snow |
| saw | sew |
| æ | ʌ |
| cat | cut |
| ankle | uncle |
| ran | run |
| drank | drunk |
| match | much |