Hiragana

• あ, い, う, え, お

• あ (a): Like “ah” in “father”—open mouth wide, tongue low and back.
• い (i): Like “ee” in “see”—smile slightly, tongue high front, show teeth.
• う (u): Like “oo” in “food” but lips relaxed (no rounding), almost unvoiced.
• え (e): Like “eh” in “bed”—mouth mid-open, tongue mid-front.
• お (o): Like “oh” in “core”—lips neutral, tongue mid-back.