Tongue twisterWarm-up
Japanese
Japaneseなまむぎ なまごめ なまたまご (Nama mugi, nama gome, nama tamago)
Meaning: A nimble warm-up for the Japanese 'na / ma / ge' syllables.
Literally: Raw wheat, raw rice, raw egg.
Origin: Japan's best-known starter twister.
More Japanese tongue twisters
- 東京特許許可局 (Tōkyō tokkyo kyokakyoku) A machine-gun of 'kyo' / 'kyoku' sounds.
- 坊主が屏風に上手に坊主の絵を描いた (Bōzu ga byōbu ni jōzu ni bōzu no e o kaita) A sustained 'b' and long-vowel drill — bōzu/byōbu/jōzu demand precise mouth control.
- 隣の客はよく柿食う客だ (Tonari no kyaku wa yoku kaki kuu kyaku da) A tricky spiral on ka/ki/ku that accelerates as you try to keep the syllables distinct.
Explore another collection: Idioms
Colorful expressions from dozens of languages, with their word-for-word translations.
- 花より団子 (Hana yori dango) Substance over style; practicality over beauty.
- 猫をかぶる (Neko wo kaburu) To hide one's true nature; to act innocent.
- 馬の耳に念仏 (Uma no mimi ni nenbutsu) Wasted advice on someone who won't listen.
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