The five pairs
Click a cell: A = short, B = long vowel.
or use the + on each cell
Minimal pairs in sentences
Two sentences side by side, differing by one sound in the same slot. Tap a card to hear the whole line, tap the highlighted part to hear just that.
Five minimal pairs
Ratio = long duration ÷ short duration.
| Short | Long | Short | Long | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| おばさん / obasan | おばあさん / obaasan | 660 ms | 800 ms | 1.21× |
| おじさん / ojisan | おじいさん / ojiisan | 680 ms | 790 ms | 1.16× |
| ここ / koko | こうこう / koukou | 320 ms | 680 ms | 2.12× |
| ゆき / yuki | ゆうき / yuuki | 400 ms | 540 ms | 1.35× |
| とる / toru | とおる / tooru | 330 ms | 450 ms | 1.36× |
How to practise
- Tap four beats for お・ば・さ・ん, five for お・ば・あ・さ・ん.
- Let the extra vowel fill a whole beat, not half.
Where these numbers come from
Same voice and rate; ratio of speech-span durations.
Short words inflate the ratio; longer words approach 1.2.