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Tools/Japanese to IPA

Japanese to IPA converter

Convert Japanese text to IPA phonetic transcription. See the IPA, hear the word, and turn it into review-ready flashcards — without leaving what you are reading.

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Free web converter, no install. Or 10 transcriptions/day free on the desktop app.

Japanese in IPA

A worked example to show what the output looks like.

ありがとう/a.ɾi.ɡa.toː/thank you

Why guess Japanese pronunciation?

Japanese rhythm is built from morae, not stressed syllables, and meaning can hinge on pitch accent and vowel length rather than the consonants. Romanisation hides all of this; IPA shows the timing and the pitch-relevant length.

Japanese is mora-timed: each mora takes roughly equal time, which shapes the rhythm.
Pitch accent — not stress — can distinguish otherwise identical words.
Long vowels are contrastive; a doubled vowel length changes the word.
The Japanese r is a tap, between an English r and l.

From Japanese text to IPA in seconds

1

Select the text

Highlight Japanese text anywhere — a PDF, a browser, a subtitle, a chat. Or paste it into the free web converter.

2

Press Alt+Q

IPAtics detects the language automatically and shows the IPA in a floating overlay, right where you are reading.

3

Hear it, save it, study it

Play native audio, tap any symbol to learn it, save the word, and generate Anki cards — all in one place.

Keep reading

Japanese pronunciation: the IPA guideIPA across 14 languagesBest IPA tools for learnersAll language converters

Frequently asked questions

Transcribe Japanese the fast way

Install IPAtics to get IPA on any Japanese text in any app — with audio, saved words, and Anki cards.

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