Kids’ Japanese Tongue Twisters: Laugh & Learn Better Pronunciation

Tongue twisters are fast, fun ways to sharpen pronunciation and build confidence. In Japanese, repeating tricky sound combinations—like 生麦生米生卵 (nama-mugi nama-gome nama-tamago)—turns practice into play. Below are five kid-friendly twisters, simple games to reinforce them, and a handy routine for daily practice.

Top 5 Tongue Twisters to Try Today

  1. 生麦生米生卵
  • なまむぎ なまごめ なまたまご

(nama-mugi nama-gome nama-tamago)

Raw wheat, raw rice, and raw egg.

  1. 裏庭には二羽鶏がいる
  • うらにわ には にわ とり が いる (ura-niwa niwa niwa-tori ga iru)

In the back garden there are two chickens.

  1. 東京特許許可局
  • とうきょう とっきょきょかきょく

(Tōkyō tokkyo kyoka-kyoku)

Tokyo Patent Permission Bureau.

  1. 坊主が屏風に上手に坊主の絵を描いた
  • ぼうず が びょうぶ に じょうず に ぼうず の え を かいた

The monk skillfully drew a monk on the folding screen.

  1. 新春シャンソンショー
  • しんしゅん シャンソン ショー

(shinshun shanson shō)

New Year’s chanson show.

Activities & Games

Mirror Me

Stand face-to-face. One child says a twister line while stretching lips and tongue; the partner mimics both the sound and the silly expression. Switch roles to keep giggles going.

Tongue Twister Relay

Divide into teams. Place flashcards of each twister at one end of the room. On “Go!”, the first player runs, reads a card aloud, then races back to tag the next. Fastest team with clear pronunciation wins.

Echo Chant

Play a short beat or clap pattern. After each measure, call out one phrase—「生麦生米生卵！」—and have everyone chant in unison. The rhythm helps anchor tricky syllables.

Practice Corner

Create a “Twister Jar” with rolled-up strips of the five phrases. Each day, draw one strip at breakfast. Challenge the family to say it three times perfectly before dinner. Celebrate success with a sticker or high-five.

For extra practice, open Dinolingo and search “pronunciation.” Their family plan unlocks over 50 languages and 40 000+ activities—animated pronunciation drills, tongue-twister challenges, and surprise badge rewards—tailored to Pre-readers (2–5), Elementary learners (6–10), and Tween/Teen (11–14). Parents monitor progress on an ad-free dashboard, ensuring each twist and turn sticks.

Final Thoughts

Japanese tongue twisters turn pronunciation practice into laughter and play. With these five fun phrases, active games, and Dinolingo’s engaging follow-ups, kids will sharpen their speaking skills—and have a blast doing it.

Sources

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