How to pronounce "kunyomi" in English
ˌkunˈjoʊ.mi
koon·YOH·mee
Primary stress: YOH
Hear native speakers say kunyomi in context across real video clips
Linguistic Pronunciation Masterclass: “kunyomi”
Phonetic mechanics, syllable architecture, and conversational cadence
Syllable Architecture & Stress Distribution
koon
Reduced vowel sound, relaxed jaw, and minimal vocal effort.
YOH
Gliding diphthong with sustained vocal resonance.
mee
Reduced vowel sound, relaxed jaw, and minimal vocal effort.
Primary emphasis falls on the second syllable ("YOH"). Raise your pitch and sustain the vowel length on this syllable while relaxing the surrounding syllables.
Common Pronunciation Traps & Learner Mistakes
The Trap: Avoid pronouncing every vowel with full acoustic weight. Non-native speakers often over-enunciate unstressed vowels.
How Native Speakers Say It: Only give full vowel clarity to the primary stressed syllable. Relax all unstressed vowels into a neutral, low-energy schwa (⁄ə⁄).
Connected Speech & Natural Conversational Flow
When followed by a vowel, insert a subtle glide (/w/ or /j/) to connect into the subsequent word without an abrupt glottal stop.
Maintain the stress-timed rhythm of English: compress unstressed syllables rapidly so the beat of "kunyomi" aligns naturally with adjacent words.
Authentic Spoken Quotes from Native Video Context
“Ato kunyomi nan desu keredomo, amari tsukaimasen desukeredo mo, konna ano de taeru, to cease, nani nani ga taeru.”— MIT OpenCourseWareWatch clip
“Kunyomi no hou nan desu keredomo, amari minna wa tsukawanai kamoshirenai desu keredomo, kore naru, to become.”— MIT OpenCourseWareWatch clip
“Kunyomi nan desu keredomo, kore wa mo minna yoku shitteru to omoimasu, ataeru, ee, to give.”— MIT OpenCourseWareWatch clip
“Kunyomi nandesukeredo mo, yoku tsukaun no ga tatoeba, for example to iu imi desu.”— MIT OpenCourseWareWatch clip
“Kunyomi wa arimasen. Shitsurei suru, kore to be impolite desu yo ne.”— MIT OpenCourseWareWatch clip
“Kunyomi nan desu keredomo, uchi to iu yomikata ga arimasu.”— MIT OpenCourseWareWatch clip
Practice Speaking “kunyomi”
Listen to native pronunciation, record yourself repeating the sentence into your microphone, and receive real-time word-by-word accuracy scoring.
Ato kunyomi nan desu keredomo, amari tsukaimasen desukeredo mo, konna ano de taeru, to cease, nani nani ga taeru.
Hear it in context: “kunyomi”
72 clipsThe English word “kunyomi” is transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) as ˌkunˈjoʊ.mi (phonetic respelling: koon-YOH-mee). Phonologically, it consists of 3 syllables (koon · YOH · mee), with primary lexical stress placed on the 2nd syllable (YOH). Grammatically, “kunyomi” functions as a noun. SayItVid indexes 72 authentic English video clips demonstrating how native speakers articulate “kunyomi” in natural connected speech across American (US: 8 sampled), British (UK), and Australian (AUS) accents, including verified broadcasts from MIT OpenCourseWare.
Spoken Video Transcripts & Contextual Quotes (5 Verified Clips)
- 🇺🇸 USMIT OpenCourseWareClip #1 · @30:50
“Kono ni wo tsukaimasu. Ato kunyomi nan desu keredomo, amari tsukaimasen desukeredo mo, konna ano de taeru, to cease, nani nani ga taeru. nani nani ga taeru.”
- 🇺🇸 USMIT OpenCourseWareClip #2 · @9:13
“Nihon de seijinshiki wa ichigatsu jyuu gonichi ni arimasu. Kunyomi no hou nan desu keredomo, amari minna wa tsukawanai kamoshirenai desu keredomo, kore naru, to become. kore naru, to become.”
- 🇺🇸 USMIT OpenCourseWareClip #3 · @1:18
“Toku ni, eeto nani nani ni kiyosuru, okane wo ma contribution no imi ga arimasu. Kunyomi nan desu keredomo, kore wa mo minna yoku shitteru to omoimasu, ataeru, ee, to give. kore wa mo minna yoku shitteru to omoimasu, ataeru, ee, to give.”
- 🇺🇸 USMIT OpenCourseWareClip #4 · @12:34
“Konna tsukaikata wo shimasu. Kunyomi nandesukeredo mo, yoku tsukaun no ga tatoeba, for example to iu imi desu. Dewa, tsugi no kanji desu.”
- 🇺🇸 USMIT OpenCourseWareClip #5 · @5:29
“Ee, onyomi nan desu keredomo, rei toka rai. Kunyomi wa arimasen. Shitsurei suru, kore to be impolite desu yo ne. Shitsurei suru, kore to be impolite desu yo ne.”
Definition & Meaning: “kunyomi”
- The Japanese reading of a kanji character based on its native Japanese pronunciation rather than its Chinese-derived origin.
Example Sentences (3)
- “To understand the native meaning of the character, she had to learn its kunyomi.”
- “Ato kunyomi nan desu keredomo, amari tsukaimasen desukeredo mo, konna ano de taeru, to cease, nani nani ga taeru.”
- “Kunyomi no hou nan desu keredomo, amari minna wa tsukawanai kamoshirenai desu keredomo, kore naru, to become.”
Common Phrases & Collocations
Pronounce: “kunyomi”
- Pronunciation:
- koon-YOH-mee
- Syllables:
- koon · YOH · mee
- Written Hyphenation:
- kun · yo · mi
- Primary stress:
- YOH
- IPA:
- ˌkunˈjoʊ.mi
- Hear it in context
- kunyomi
Words that Rhyme with “kunyomi”
-oʊmiWords that Sound Identical (Homophones)
Unique Sound"kunyomi" (⁄ˌkunˈjoʊ.mi⁄) has no true homophones in standard English — there are no other words with identical pronunciation. Unlike sound-alike pairs like there / their or peace / piece, "kunyomi" has a completely distinct phonetic identity.
Frequently asked questions about kunyomi
How do you pronounce “kunyomi”?
“kunyomi” is pronounced ⁄ˌkunˈjoʊ.mi⁄ (koon-YOH-mee). Listen to the native-speaker clips above to hear it in real conversation.
How many syllables are in “kunyomi”?
“kunyomi” has 3 syllables: koon · YOH · mee.
Where is the stress in “kunyomi”?
The primary stress in “kunyomi” is on “YOH”. Listen for that stressed syllable in the clips above.
What does “kunyomi” mean?
The Japanese reading of a kanji character based on its native Japanese pronunciation rather than its Chinese-derived origin.
How can I hear “kunyomi” used in real sentences?
This page has 72 real-world video examples of “kunyomi” with synchronized subtitles. Use Previous / Next (or ← / → keys) to hear each one at the exact moment it is spoken.
What is the most common pronunciation mistake when saying “kunyomi”?
Avoid pronouncing every vowel with full acoustic weight. Non-native speakers often over-enunciate unstressed vowels. Only give full vowel clarity to the primary stressed syllable. Relax all unstressed vowels into a neutral, low-energy schwa (⁄ə⁄).