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Why は is pronounced as 'wa' when it is used as connecting word (lemmy.world)

submitted 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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わなしは　にほんじんです Here は is read as wa instead of its usual ha Can somebody explain this?

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 4 months ago

It's WA when it's used as a particle and HA when not used as a particle. The Japanese government attempted to standardize WA sounds to わ after WWII, and was mostly successful, but the は particle stuck around, seemingly due to inertia. Lots of languages have little oddities in pronunciation that aren't reflected in spelling, or vice versa. Where do the British get the F in lieutenant?