[Diction Training] A Collection of Tongue Twisters to Improve Articulation
Tongue twisters are phrases that you repeat as fast as you can, even though they’re hard to say.
Many of you may have played with them when you were kids.
Tongue twisters aren’t just a fun pastime—they’re also effective for improving your articulation.
In this article, we’ll introduce tongue twisters that help you speak more clearly!
They’re great not only for articulation practice if you’re aiming to become an announcer or voice actor, but also useful when you’re asked to give a wedding speech or have to present in front of your class.
Practice hard and use them to achieve your dreams and goals!
- A collection of long tongue twisters. Also recommended for practicing announcements and narration.
- Tongue twisters that will make you laugh out loud! Super funny
- Challenging tongue twisters: Introducing high-difficulty phrases and sentences!
- [Recreation] Challenge! A roundup of tongue twisters recommended for elementary school students
- [Diction Training] A Collection of Tongue Twisters to Improve Articulation
- Perfect for pronunciation practice! A collection of English tongue twisters.
- Can you say them? A collection of Hakata-dialect tongue twisters
- Nagoya dialect tongue twisters are exquisite! A fun collection where your tongue gets tied in knots with regional dialects
- “Chau chau, anta” — a Kansai-dialect tongue twister. A phrase only Kansai folks can say.
- [For Seniors] Boost Oral Function with Tongue Twisters! Recommended Picks to Try
- Chinese tongue twisters: A collection of rao kou ling helpful for learning Chinese
- Challenge together! A roundup of word games for adults
- [Rec] Interesting! A roundup of wordplay games
[Diction Training] A Collection of Tongue Twisters to Improve Articulation (11–20)
Red paper roll, blue paper roll, yellow paper roll
There’s a classic Japanese tongue twister that goes, “Aka-makigami, ao-makigami, ki-makigami” (red wrapping paper, blue wrapping paper, yellow wrapping paper).
You can probably get through the first part, but the latter part around “ki-makigami” tends to be tricky.
The repeated “ki” in a short span makes your tongue trip up.
If you consciously separate the color and the word “makigami,” as in “aka | makigami,” it should come out more smoothly.
Incidentally, it’s said that the three colors in this tongue twister refer to a red ogre, a blue ogre, and a yellow ogre, and that chanting the tongue twister can drive them away.
You request a yo-yo as a method to prevent becoming frail.
For those who struggle with the pronunciation of “yo,” this tongue twister might be a real hurdle: “A request for a yo-yo as a way to prevent becoming feeble.” Is someone asking for a yo-yo to prevent aging? Looking at the whole tongue twister, “yo” appears six times, and “yobo” appears four times.
Fortunately, there are no small characters (ゃゅょ), so just focus on the voiced sounds and give it a try.
Try saying it with an emphasis on the “bo.” By the way, some say yo-yos are effective for brain training.
Raw wheat, raw rice, raw eggs
Among tongue twisters, this one has long been a favorite, often played with by groups like The Drifters.
It’s simple yet quite difficult—but did you know there’s more to it? Surprisingly, the continuation goes: “yakimugi yakigome yaki-tamago, mushimugi mushigome mushi-tamago, yumugi yugome yu-tamago,” meaning “grilled barley, grilled rice, grilled egg; steamed barley, steamed rice, steamed egg; boiled barley, boiled rice, boiled egg.” It’s surprising that there’s a continuation at all, and saying it all the way through makes it even harder—pretty challenging! Don’t stop at the first part; try the whole thing for a real enunciation workout.
Author intraoperative
The tongue twister “chosakusha shujutsu-chu” (author undergoing surgery) gives off a somewhat serious vibe.
It makes you wonder what happened to the author, doesn’t it? This tongue twister is simply composed of hard-to-say words lined up in a row.
However, it’s trickier than it looks, so be careful.
In particular, the “shujutsu” part is where many people stumble.
Also, because it’s short, you keep running into the tricky spots as you repeat it, which is one reason it’s so difficult.
Three loaches wiggle-wiggle; in total, wiggle-wiggle six wiggle-wiggles.NEW!
これは、オノマトペ「にょろにょろ」を使ったかわいい早口言葉です。「三」は「mi」、「六」は「mu」と読んでみてください。「さん」から「にょろ」への切り替えが特に難しいので、意識して練習しましょう。
It’s a classic tongue twister that tends to make you bite your tongue, but imagining loaches wriggling together is fun, and it’s entertaining to keep adding more.
If you’re confident, try saying them in order from 1 and see if you can make it to 9.
Batter Runner Winner Bases-clearing
A tongue twister that, when heard, might leave you unsure what’s being said: “Batter, runner, winner, runner, bases cleared.” Seeing it written out, you can kind of picture the situation.
It’s probably during a baseball game, where runners are getting put out one after another.
Try practicing while imagining that scene.
The section in the middle—“runner, winner, runner,” with the repeating ‘sha’ and ‘sho’ sounds—will likely be the toughest part.
Start by pronouncing it slowly.
Ministry of Agriculture and Commerce Patent Bureau, Bank of Japan Treasury Bureau, Monopoly Patent Authorization Bureau, Tokyo Patent Authorization BureauNEW!
It’s a classic tongue twister that’s long and easy to trip over.
Because a string of names of government offices and bureaus with long titles comes one after another, you can’t help but lose the rhythm and laugh when you say it out loud.
Both kids and adults can enjoy taking on the challenge while getting into the rhythm.
Words with similar sounds like “tokkyo” (patent), “kyoka” (permission), and “kyoku” (bureau) appear repeatedly, so each repetition naturally trains your mouth movements and sense of rhythm.
Every time you read it, the tempo and timing change, letting you enjoy both the fun of speaking out and a good laugh—there’s plenty of challenge to it, isn’t there?
Consumption expenditures; Non-consumption expenditures
Let me introduce a somewhat tricky tongue twister: “consumption expenditure fee, non-consumption expenditure fee.” The words are quite similar, aren’t they? The term “consumption expenditure fee” refers to money paid in exchange for obtaining something—like food costs, rent, or entertainment expenses.
In contrast, “non-consumption expenditure fee” refers to money paid without directly getting something in return—such as social insurance premiums, health insurance, or consumption tax.
Keeping those meanings in mind, give it a try.
Once you master “consumption expenditure fee,” all you have to do is add “non-” to complete the second phrase.
Questioning conducted at the water intake site regarding distilled water upstreamNEW!
This is a tongue twister with amusing sound rhythms and word links.
Because of similar sounds like “jōryū,” “jōryū,” and “shūryō,” and tricky combinations such as “shusui-jō” (water intake station) and “jijō chōshu” (questioning about circumstances), your mouth tangles when you say it aloud, which leads to laughter.
Children can enjoy taking on the challenge while playing to the rhythm, and adults can use it for tongue and mouth exercises or pronunciation practice.
Each time you read it, the rhythm and timing of your voice change, so the more you repeat it, the more fun it becomes to speak out loud; it’s also enjoyable to imagine a little story as you read.
Even though it’s short, the sequence of catchy sounds makes it an addictive and rewarding tongue twister to try.
Oh yeah, I split my bike and ended up messing it up, so I had to hurry and go kick the bike.NEW!
“Speaking of which, my bike ended up breaking, so I had to hurry to the bike shop” is a dialect phrase used around Nagoya and Mikawa, and it’s also known as a tongue twister.
It means, “Come to think of it, my bicycle broke, so I had to quickly go to the bike shop.” “Sou iya” corresponds to the standard “sou ieba” (“speaking of which”), “ketta” means “bicycle” and is commonly used in Aichi Prefecture, “kowakete matta” means “ended up breaking,” “chatto” means “quickly” or “in a flash,” and “ikanakankatta” means “had to go.” Because similar sounds repeat, it becomes a bit tricky to say quickly, making it a fun sentence.