[Nagoyankee]

Originally Posted by sushidushi

I am just beginning to try to learn some Japanese. I have looked at various books, some of which suggest that the 'g' in Japanese is always pronounced like the hard 'g' in the English word 'egg', but others seem to contradict that and say that, in the middle of words (as in, well, tamago) it is more like 'ng' in the English word 'long'.

Is it a regional thing, perhaps? Or does it depend on where in a word the 'g' appears? Or, perhaps, as I suspect, rather more complicated than either of those...?

Throw away the books that tell you that G is always pronounced the same. Keep the good ones that say there are two G sounds in Japanese.

It has little to do regions but it has to do much more with education and upbringing. I remember during the first grade, our lady teacher kept telling us to differenciate one from the other. This was in Nagoya, between Tokyo and Osaka. Currently I live in Tokyo where I still hear two G sounds from most people.

Now, I need to point out the fact that no one should practice the consonant G by itself in Japanese. You will never get to use it alone because it never appears at the end of a syllable or word. Whenever practicing Japanese pronunciation, think everything in terms of syllables. In other words, think in kana, and not in each vowel and consonant. What I'm saying here may not make sense to English-speakers right now, but it's of utmost importance.　

Consider the following sentences/words. Syllables in red = hard G. Syllables in green = soft G

学生がふたり走って行きました。＝　がくせいがふたりはしっていきました。
= Gakusei ga hutari hashitte ikimashita.　

Particle が will ALWAYS be pronounced softly. No exceptions here. Use the hard G and you will irritate many Japanese ears.

学生（がくせい）、学校（がっこう）、外国人（がいこ くじん）、ガンダム、ガス、ごま, etc.
All these words start with がぎぐげご. Use the hard G. Don't just read. Read out loud or you will waste your time.

優雅（ゆうが）、以外（いがい）、天国（てんごく）、 地獄（じごく）、サイゴン、フォルクスワーゲン, etc.
がぎぐげご appears in non-word-starting syllables. Use the soft G.